New York State Route 38
is a north–south state highway in the
Finger
Lakes
region of New York
, United States
. Its southern terminus is located at a
junction with NY 96 in
the village of Owego
in Tioga County
. The northern terminus is located at a
junction with NY 104A
in the town of Sterling
in Cayuga County
. Route 38 has no sections of freeway
along its entire route and is mainly a two-lane local road for most
of its length.
The route is the main access road to parts of
Auburn
, Dryden
, Newark Valley
and Port Byron
. Its terrain is mainly flat, especially in
Cayuga County and the Finger Lakes.
NY 38
passes along the western edge of Fillmore Glen
State Park
south of Moravia
. NY 38 runs along the entire western side
of Owasco
Lake
. Parts of the highway in the town of Fleming
are against the lake shore itself.
In Auburn,
NY 38 passes near the Harriet
Tubman Home, located just south of the southern end of the
overlap with NY 34, and
passes by the Auburn
Prison
, Fort Hill Cemetery (accessible via Fitch Street),
and the William H. Seward House.
In the
1920s, the portion of NY 38 between Owego and Freeville
was designated as New York State
Route 42 while the segment from Freeville to Moravia
was part of New York State Route 26.
The entirety of NY 38 was assigned as part of the
1930 renumbering of state highways
in New York. Originally, NY 38 extended south into Owego
by way of an
overlap with NY 96.
It was truncated to its current southern terminus by 1994.
Route 38 has two suffixed routes:
NY 38A, which runs from
Moravia to Auburn, and NY 38B, which is in rural Tioga
County.
Route description
Tioga County
Owego to East Newark
Route 38 begins at an intersection with
New York State Route 96 in Owego.
The road heads northward as 2-lane highway through forests. There
are homes along the highway as well, with the highway coming into a
business district. The business district is passed by Route 38,
where a large corporation along with some small homes are
noticeable. Route 38 turns to the northeast, passing fields and
forests until intersecting with Tioga County Route 33 (West Creek
Road) south of the hamlet of Flemingsville.
County Route 33, part of which is a former alignment of Route 38,
parallels for a short distance. The former alignment turns off
County Route 33 and merges into Route 38. County designated highway
607 begins soon after, and heads to the southeast. The highway
continues northward, passing homes, fields, and forests for some
distance. Several local roads intersect for the next few miles
until the intersection with NY 38B in East Newark.
East Newark to Cortland County line
After the
intersection with NY 38B, Route 38 continues northward, entering
the village of Newark Valley. Newark Valley is a small village, with
residential and commercial buildings surrounding the highway for
its entire length through the area. The highway leaves the village
uneventfully and continues northward. County-Designated Highway 404
and County Route 37 both intersect just north of the village.
Highway 404 heads westward while County Route 37 heads eastward.
Just north of that intersection, Route 38 passes the Newark Valley
Country Club.
County Route 37 parallels to the east, as Route 38 heads northward
past the Brookside Mobile Home Park.
Route 38 soon turns
to the northwest, parallelling a nearby railroad track into
Berskhire
. There, it intersects with County Route 8
and nearby County Route 10. Berkshire is small, with just homes and
small commercial buildings surrounding the highway. Route 38 then
leaves Berkshire and continues northward. The railroad tracks that
were parallelling to the east now parallel to the west as both the
tracks and Route 38 turn to the northwest. It is not much farther
that Route 38 heads northward again, but then again turn to the
northeast.
Route 38 enters the town of Richford, intersecting with
New York State Route 79 in downtown.
Richford is a small town, with typical village buildings following
NY 38. Route 79 parallels Route 38 for a short distance, until
turning to the east. The roads both leave Richford soon after.
After Richford, the tracks have once again changed sides and are
parallelling to the east. The tracks and Route 38 are located in an
area surrounded by forests and fields.
Route 38 makes
constant changes in direction as it progresses northward, until
crossing into Cortland County
north of Richford.
Cortland County
Route 38 does not spend a long time in Cortland County, only about
. After crossing in from Tioga County, Route 38 intersects with
New York State Route 200
when it enters the hamlet of Harford Mills. Although Harford Mills
is not directly on Route 38, it is accessible via Route 200, which
heads eastward, intersecting with
New York State Route 221 later. The
main highway heads to the northwest out of Harford Mills and into
more rural regions.
Not too much farther on, Route 38 enters
Harford
, intersecting with the aforementioned Route
221.
After Route 221, Route 38 heads to the northwest, intersecting with
several county roads before leaving Harford and soon after,
Cortland County.
Tompkins County
Cortland County line to Dryden
NY 38 at the intersection with NY 13 and 392 in Dryden
Route 38
then enters Tompkins County
after the intersection with Cortland County Route
137A. There, it changes names from State Route 38 to
Dryden-Harford Road. Most of the length for this stretch is
farmlands, fields, and small patches of trees. As Route 38 leaves
Cortland County behind, it heads to the northwest, passing to the
southwest of
Dryden Lake. The route then
begins to pass a more urban area as it approaches Dryden.
Unsigned Tompkins County Route 157 (Lake Street) parallels to the
northeast soon after. More homes and trees begin to surround the
highway as it heads northward. The next several intersection with
local roads, until CR 157 merges in. Route 38 then enters downtown
Dryden, where it intersects with both
New York State Route 13 and
New York State Route 392. This is
Route 392's western terminus and the beginning of a northward
concurrency with Route 13.
Routes 13 and 38 head northward, passing through downtown Dryden.
Just before leaving Dryden, the two highways split, with Route 38
heading to the east along the village border. Unlike downtown
Dryden, this section of the village is more residential until
leaving the village completely at the intersection with Springhouse
Road.
Dryden to Cayuga County line
After leaving Dryden behind, Route 38 continues to the east of
Freeville Road. The surroundings of the highway remain the same as
the stretch along the village line. Route 38 then turns to the
northeast, parallelling County Route 163, which is in Lacy Corners,
about a mile in the other direction. Not far afterwards, Route 38
begins to be urbanized again, with more buildings surrounding the
highway.
The highway makes a curve to the east once
again, entering the village of Freeville, New York.
In Freeville, the road is highly urbanized, intersecting with the
northern terminus of
New York
State Route 366 and the southern terminus of County Route 105
in the center of town. Route 38 then heads out of Freeville,
becoming rural again. The highway then intersects with County Route
108 until turning to the north once again. Not far after leaving
Freeville, Route 38 enters Peruville, a hamlet in Tompkins County.
There it intersects with the southern terminus of
New York State Route 34B and the
western terminus of County Route 107. This also used to be the
terminus for the former NY 229, which was instated along NY
34B.
Not far afterwards, Route 38 intersects with the suffixed route of
County Route 107, CR 107A, and eaves Peruville. After leaving the
hamlet, the surroundings become nothing a low-dense population of
forests. There are a few intersections with local roads until
entering
Groton, where it
intersects with a few local and county roads. Route 38 then
intersects with
New York State
Route 222's western terminus before leaving the village.
After leaving Groton, Route 38 heads to the northwest in more rural
regions. Intersecting with County Route 171, which parallels it for
a distance. There are some homes along the way, but these are
scarce. Just north of that intersection, Route 38 leaves Tompkins
County for Cayuga County.
Cayuga County
Tompkins County line to Locke
County Route 171, which becomes County Route 161, follows Route 38
into Cayuga County. Routes 38 and 161 pass farmlands, residential
homes, and small forest patches. Not far afterwards, Route 38 then
leaves County Route 161, passing forests and other local homes.
Civilization begins become limited after intersecting with a local
road in the hamlet of Chipmans Corners, which the nearby county
road is named after. Route 38 heads to the northwest, passing a
small pond to the west. The highway then leaves Chipmans Corners
rather uneventfully.
Route 38 once ran on what is now Old State Road south of Locke. It
was realigned and now runs on Locke Road.
Not far afterward,
the former alignment merges in before entering downtown Locke
.
There, it intersects with
New
York State Route 90. Downtown Locke is urbanized, and like most
villages along the former parts of the highway, is surrounded by
commercial and residential properties.
After the
intersection with Taylor Avenue, Route 38 then leaves Locke and
continues northward for Auburn.
Locke to Moravia
After
Locke, Route 38 then begins to enter the Finger Lakes region of New York. There are a couple of homes, but there is
very little life surrounding the highway. Route 38 heads northward,
entering the hamlet of Toll Gates Corners. Toll Gates Corners is a
small hamlet, intersecting with Tollgate Hill Road. There, it
becomes suburbanized, with the highway becoming surrounded by more
farmland. Tollgate Hill Road later becomes a county road near a
country club.
Not far
after the hamlet, Route 38 enters Moravia, where it intersects with the second of its two
suffixed routes, New York State
Route 38A. Moravia is a well-developed village, with
homes and businesses surrounding the road for about a mile. Route
38 then, after intersecting with its suffixed route, turns
westward, leaving Moravia behind. After leaving Moravia, there is a
few homes and businesses, along with a few industrial properties.
Route 38 crosses Mill Creek and becomes rural once again.
Moravia to Auburn
There is nothing of much interest along Route 38 until the highway
gets closer to Auburn. Forests and fields are the main surroundings
for about .
There is a short patch of trees near
Ashland, it passes Owasco Lake. Owasco Lake is part of the Finger Lakes and
the signal that Route 38 is getting closer to Auburn. Route 38 then
parallels
New York State Route
34, which is to the west. Along the shore of Owasco Lake, the
highway intersects with some local fire lanes.
Route 38 then crosses through the hamlet of Owasco Lake Station.
Its suffixed route, NY 38A, parallels on the other side of the
lake.
The
closest Routes 38 and 38A get since the intersection in Moravia is
in Melrose
Park
, where it intersects at a traffic circle with
New York State Route 437,
the shortest touring route in New York. Route 38 becomes
more urbanized once again as it begins to enter Auburn.
City of Auburn
As Route 38 enters the city of Auburn, it passes homes, local roads
and businesses. There are a few parks along the way as well. Route
38 becomes a divided highway just north of the roundabout with
Route 437. The highway then passes Auburn High School. After
crossing the Auburn city line, the highway becomes a parkway,
intersecting with local roads and passing residential homes. The
divider that splits NY 38 northbound and NY 38 southbound is more
of a park and has spontaneous trees.
Old signage for NY 38 in Auburn
Route 38 continues northward, until the intersection with Swift
Street, where it turns eastward. The highway then passes a small
park as it becomes a normal highway once again. Soon after, Route
38 turns off Swift Street and onto South Street, which begins a
concurrency with
New York State
Route 34. Routes 38 and 34 continue northward, passing homes
for most of their length. After the intersection with Logan Street,
Routes 38 and 34 enter downtown Auburn.
At an intersection with William Street, Seward Park splits the
local road with the two highways, which continue northward.
Businesses increase along the two state touring routes until the
intersection with Lincoln Street, where it becomes fully
commercial. Soon afterwards, it intersects with the East Arterial,
also known as
U.S. Route 20 and
New York State Route 5. Routes 20 and
5 are a divided highway, with Routes 34 and 38 intersecting with
the eastbound direction first. Just afterwards, Route 38 turns on
the westbound direction, leaving NY 34 behind.
Routes 5, 20 and 38 head westward as the West Arterial until the
intersection with State Street, where Route 38 turns northward. The
surroundings around Route 38 remain commercial, with a pair of
railroad tracks paralleling to the east. At the intersection with
York Street, Route 38 leaves Auburn.
Auburn to Port Byron
Leaving
Auburn behind, Route 38 continues its next stretch, which is from
Auburn to Victory
. The first hamlet along the way is Cold
Spring, which is small and moderately developed. For a stretch,
there are houses surrounding the highway in both directions until
the highway enters the hamlet of Sawyers Corners. There, homes
begin to turn into farmland and Route 38 intersects with County
Route 10B (Turnpike Road) in the downtown.
Downtown Sawyers Corners is well developed, with homes surrounding
the road for about a mile. After the intersection with Peach Tree
Road, Route 38 leaves Sawyers Corners completely. Forests then
become dominant on the sides of the highway, with homes peeking out
every once in a while. As the highway shifts directions to the
northwest, it passes a small, unnamed pond to the east. This small
pond flows into Owasco Outlet, which continues northward along
Route 38.
A short residential section of Route 38 appears at the intersection
for County Route 144A (Hayden Road). Not far afterwards, there is a
housing complex to the west.
As Route 38 continues northward, it enters
Port
Byron and becomes known as Main Street.
Port Byron
Terminus of the NY 31/38 overlap in Port Byron
In Port Byron, Route 38 intersects with the Tex Pultz Parkway
before passing Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Port Byron is a highly
developed village, so the surroundings of Route 38 are mainly the
same as in past villages and cities. In the center of the village,
Route 38 becomes concurrent with
New York State Route 31. The two
highways continue to the west as Rochester Street until Route 38
turns northward off of Route 31. Route 38 continues northward,
passing several homes and crossing over the
New York State Thruway. After the
Thruway overpass, Route 38 leaves Port Byron, and the highway
becomes rural once again.
Port Byron to Victory
For the next , Route 38 heads northward through rural areas. The
first hamlet along the way is North Port Byron, which is just north
of the village itself. There are mainly patches of forests passing
Route 38. The creek that was parallelling earlier returns to the
east, with the highway crossing over railroad tracks. County Route
56, which was parallelling even farther to the east, merges in with
Route 38 in Howland.
Just after Howland, a creek is noticeable on the western side of
the highway, as Route 38 becomes known as Conquest Road. Not far
afterwards, Route 38 crosses over the
Seneca River and enters Mosquito
Point. Not far afterwards, the highway enters Hard Point, just
north of the aforementioned hamlet. Hard Point and Mosquito Point
are mainly made up of houses and trees and not highly populated.
Route 38
cotninues northward, entering Conquest
, a village south of Victory.
Conquest is not well-developed, so Route 38 mainly passes fields
and some homes. Route 38 otherwise, leaves Conquest uneventfully.
Soon afterwards, the highway becomes completely rural, with fields
surrounding it for miles.
Not far from downtown Conquest, Route 38
crosses the town line for Victory.
Victory to Sterling
Once Route 38 enters Victory, the rural nature of the highway does
not change, excepting for a few residential homes. Otherwise,
fields still dominate the highway until Route 38 enters downtown
Victory. Victory is moderately developed, with homes surrounding
the road until the intersection with
New York State Route 370. At that
intersection, Route 38 leaves downtown Victory and heads north on
its final stretch to Sterling.
The fields and occasional homes surround Route 38 again, and the
highway turns to the northeast. Forests then surround the highway,
as aforementioned, there are some homes in this underdeveloped
area. However, as the highway continues northward, it begins to
develop a little more, and the highway enters North Victory. A
connector from Route 104 intersects in downtown, with the main
New York State Route 104
intersecting just a little farther ahead.
This area is a little more developed, with homes, fields and some
parks beginning to surround the highway. However, this does not
last long as Route 38 leaves North Victory on its final stretch to
Sterling. The highway passes through the hamlet of Finches Corners
and forests begin to dominate the highway for the last time. There
are patches of homes, but not as many as before and the final
intersection is with Onionville Road just south of Sterling.
In Sterling, Route 38 terminates at an intersection with
New York State Route 104A (the
Seaway Trail).
History
Old roads
Part of Route 38 was a section of the
Cortland and Owego
Turnpike, which was signed into law on April 13, 1819.
The
highway started in the village of Cortland
, headed across what is now New York State Route 392 to Virgil,
and soon onto now-Route 38 in Berkshire. The turnpike
continued to the south to end in the village of Owego.
There was also a section along Route 38 of the
Auburn and
Port Byron Turnpike. Chartered in 1825, the turnpike
connected the two aforementioned municipalities via a
privately-maintained turnpike. The highway was also part of the
Auburn and Moravia Plank Road, which, chartered in
1851, ran along the western side of Owasco Lake.
Designation
When the
first set of state highways in the
modern New
York state highway system were assigned in 1924, the
portion of what is now NY 38 from Freeville to Moravia became part of NY 26, a north–south highway
extending from Freeville to Syracuse
via Skaneateles
. By 1926, the segment of current NY 38
between Freeville and Owego was designated as NY 42. In the 1930 renumbering of state highways
in New York, the entirety of NY 42 and the portion of
NY 26 south of Moravia was incorporated into the new
NY 38, which extended north from Moravia to Sterling. The section of the route adjacent to
Owasco
Lake was still being constructed at the time of
NY 38's assignment; it was completed by 1935.
NY 38 originally
overlap with
NY 96 (designated as
NY 15 in
1930) through Owego to a terminus at the modern junction of
NY 96 and
NY 434
south of the village. The overlap was extended slightly along
Southside Drive to
NY 17 exit 64 in the 1960s
following the construction of the
Southern Tier Expressway through
the area. It was removed altogether when NY 38 was truncated
to the northern end of the overlap by 1994.
Suffixed routes
Major intersections
References
External links
, and then towards Auburn.
and Tioga
in the
east.
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