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| Route information | |
| Maintained by NYSDOT | |
| Length: | 5.60 mi[2] (9.01 km) |
| Existed: | June 27, 1971[1] – present |
| Major junctions | |
| South end: |  Seven Lakes Drive in Harriman State Park |
| North end: |  Palisades Parkway in Harriman State Park |
| Location | |
| Counties: | Rockland |
| Highway system | |
Lake Welch Parkway is a scenic road located within Harriman State Park in southern New York in the United States. It extends for 5.60 miles (9.01 km) on a southwest–northeast alignment from an intersection with Seven Lakes Drive to a partial interchange with the Palisades Interstate Parkway. The highway is located entirely in Rockland County, although it runs close to the border with Orange County. It is inventoried by the New York State Department of Transportation as New York State Route 987A (NY 987A), an unsigned reference route;[2] however, it is owned by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.[3] The portion of Lake Welch Parkway that lies south of Tiorati Brook Road is closed during the winter.
Contents |
Route description[edit]
Lake Welch Parkway begins at the northbound lane of widened section along a traffic median on Seven Lakes Drive. Access to and from southbound Seven Lakes Drive is available with U-turns on the other side of this divider. The first intersection north of here is with a dead-end dirt road known as Johnsontown Road,[4] which previously ran uninterrupted from Seven Lakes Drive to Lake Welch by way of the Lake Welch Parkway corridor.[5] After crossing over County Route 106 (CR 106), the Long Path crosses the parkway on its way up Nail House Mountain.[6] Past the trail crossing, a paved section of Johnsontown Road serves as the southern access road between the parkway the and CR 106 along with Lake Welch. This segment of Johnsontown Road is home to St. John's-in-the-Wilderness Church. Lake Welch Parkway crosses over CR 106,[4] formerly part of NY 210,[7] about 0.75 miles (1.2 km) northeast of Johnsontown Road.[4]
The only other connection between the parkway and CR 106 is located about 1 mile (1.6 km) northeast of the bridge, where the road connects to a highway leading to Lake Welch Beach. Here, the parkway becomes a divided highway with a wide median containing a southbound turning ramp into the park, and a northbound-to-southbound U-turn where the divided section ends. The Lake Welch Beach area also provides close access to the Beaver Pond Campground. Lake Welch Parkway continues as a two-lane road for another mile to the vicinity of Tiorati Brook Road, where it widens into a divided highway once again. The parkway connects to the road by way of a wye interchange with a northbound-to-southbound U-turn. The median ends just east of where the southbound ramp from exit 16 of the nearby Palisades Interstate Parkway merges into the highway. Lake Welch Parkway ends at Palisades Interstate Parkway exit 16, a partial interchange lacking a connection between Lake Welch Parkway northbound and Palisades Interstate Parkway northbound.[4]
History[edit]
Lake Welch Parkway was conceived in the early 1960s as a new 2.19-mile (3.52 km) long roadway through Harriman State Park. The new 24 feet (7.3 m) wide road would connect Lake Welch Beach (which opened in 1962[8]) to the Palisades Interstate Parkway via Tiorati Brook Road. The new roadway would be constructed by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission with a 292 feet (89 m) bridge over Tiorati Creek and two other smaller bridges along the right-of-way. The new parkway would temporarily terminate at Lake Welch Beach, where an extension down to Seven Lakes Drive would be constructed. Engineers estimated the first section of the Lake Welch Parkway to cost $4.13 million (1962 USD) to build, and contracts would be let in Albany on November 16, 1962.[9]
Construction of the second segment between Seven Lakes Drive and Lake Welch Beach was announced in November 1967 with the letting of a contract to County Asphalt Incorporated, a firm based in Tarrytown. The contract was for $2,275,744 (1967 USD) and would construct the final 3.43 miles (5.52 km) miles of Lake Welch Parkway, and beat out three other contractors who wanted the job by offering the lowest bid. The extension would also be 24 feet (7.3 m) wide beginning at the Sebago Circle along Seven Lakes Drive. In addition to the new right-of-way, an additional 0.84 miles (1.35 km) of right-of-way would be use to access the extension with Lake Welch Beach. Also included a project was a bridge over then-NY 210 (now CR 106). The slated completion date of the project was December 3, 1969 and would be supervised by the New York State Department of Transportation and its engineer out of Poughkeepsie.[10]
Construction was completed nearly four years later, with the new Lake Welch Parkway opening to traffic on June 27, 1971, a little more than 9 years after the opening of Lake Welch Beach.[8] The new parkway, 5.75 miles (9.25 km) long, intended to relieve congestion along NY 210 in access to Lake Welch Beach, and would connect to the Palisades Interstate Parkway at exit 14A (current exit 16).[1]
Major intersections[edit]
The entire route is in Harriman State Park, Rockland County.
| Mile[2][1][4] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.00 | 0.00 | Seven Lakes Drive |
|
| 3.40 | 5.47 |  CR 106 (Kanawauke Road) |
Interchange. |
| 5.1 | 8.2 |  Tiorati Brook Road |
Interchange; eastern terminus of Tiorati Brook Road |
| 5.60 | 9.01 | Palisades Parkway south |
Exit 16 (Palisades Parkway) |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Parkway Now Open". The Evening News (Newburgh, NY). June 28, 1971. p. 1B. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
- ^ a b c "2011 Traffic Volume Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. September 25, 2012. pp. 50–57. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
- ^ New York State Department of Transportation (January 2012). Official Description of Highway Touring Routes, Bicycling Touring Routes, Scenic Byways, & Commemorative/Memorial Designations in New York State (PDF). Retrieved June 11, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Google Inc. Google Maps – overview map of Lake Welch Parkway (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=7+Lakes+Dr&daddr=Lake+Welch+Pkwy+to:Lake+Welch+Pkwy+to:Unknown+road&hl=en&geocode=FeLddAIdavuU-w%3BFaZBdQId3taV-w%3BFd5sdQIdzieW-w%3BFSJmdQIdrESW-w&mra=mi&mrsp=3&sz=17&sll=41.248886,-74.039065&sspn=0.005695,0.013937&ie=UTF8&ll=41.231993,-74.077892&spn=0.045571,0.111494&t=h&z=14. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
- ^ United States Geological Survey (1955). Thiells Quadrangle – New York (Map). 1:24,000. 7.5 Minute Series (Topographic). http://gis.ny.gov/gisdata/quads/drg24/usgspreview/index.cfm?code=o41074b1. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
- ^ ACME Mapper 2.0 - Overview map of Lake Welch (Map). Cartography by Mapnik. http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=41.23972,-74.07489&z=15&t=K&marker0=41.23471%2C-74.08304%2CLake%20Welch%20Parkway&marker1=41.51730%2C-81.67540%2CDead%20Man's%20Curve. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
- ^ Exxon (1979). New York (Map). Cartography by General Drafting.
- ^ a b Folsom, Merrill (June 16, 1962). "New State Beach Gets a Wet Start". The New York Times. p. 16.
- ^ "Bids Sought For Roadwork in Rockland". The Evening News (Newburgh, NY). October 13, 1962. p. 13. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
- ^ "Lake Welch Parkway Work Due". The Evening News (Newburgh, NY). November 15, 1967. p. 3B. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lake Welch Parkway |
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