 New York State Route 12E | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Map of Jefferson County and vicinity with NY 12E highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Auxiliary route ofNY 12 | ||||
| Maintained byNYSDOT,Jefferson County and the city ofWatertown | ||||
| Length | 36.08 mi[1] (58.07 km) | |||
| Existed | 1930[2]–present | |||
| Tourist routes |  Great Lakes Seaway Trail | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  NY 12F inBrownville | |||
| North end |  NY 12 inClayton | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | New York | |||
| Counties | Jefferson | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
New York State Route 12E (NY 12E) is astate highway located entirely within the northwestern part ofJefferson County in northernNew York in the United States. The southern terminus is atNY 12F in the village ofBrownville. Its northern terminus, both signed and official, is at NY 12 in the village ofClayton. While NY 12 follows a direct north–south routing between Watertown and Clayton, NY 12E diverges westward to follow the shoreline ofLake Ontario. The portion of NY 12E north of its junction withNY 180 is part of theSeaway Trail, aNational Scenic Byway.
Most of modern NY 12E was originally designated as part ofNY 3 in 1924. NY 3 was moved onto its current alignment east of Watertown as part of the1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, at which time its former routing between Watertown and Clayton became NY 12E. From Watertown to Limerick, what is now NY 12E was originallyNY 12F. The alignments of the two routes were flipped in the late 1930s. In 1980, Jefferson County assumed maintenance of NY 12E between the Watertown city line andBrownville as part of a highway maintenance swap between the county and the state. This section is now county-maintained asCounty Route 190 (CR 190).
NY 12E begins at the intersection of West Main and Bradley (NY 12) streets in the city ofWatertown. It initially proceeds northwest on West Main Street as a four-lane residential and commercial street; however, it becomes a two-lane divided highway at aCSX Transportation railroad overpass just six blocks from NY 12. Past the crossing, the road follows theBlack River across the city line and into the town ofPamelia, where it becomesco-designated as CR 190. The highway soon passes underInterstate 81 and narrows to a two-lane undivided road before turning westward into the riverside village ofGlen Park. It retains its Main Street name through the community, following a two-lane residential street through the village center and eventually into the adjacentvillage of Brownville.[3]
In Brownville, the route intersects with the northern terminus of Bridge Street (unsigned NY 971H), a short north–south connector leading toNY 12F on the south bank of the Black River. At this point, the CR 190 co-designation ends and maintenance of the route becomes the responsibility of the state. Through Brownville, NY 12E remains a two-lane residential and commercial street, intersecting with the southern terminus ofCR 54 (Brown Boulevard) near theBrownville Hotel, aNational Register of Historic Places-listed (NRHP) property. At the western edge of the village, NY 12E passes Brownville Cemetery before leaving for the surroundingtown of Brownville and losing the Main Street name. The highway parallels a former railroad right-of-way as it heads through the town of Brownville, becoming a two-lane rural highway and gradually bending northeastward away from the riverbank.[3]
About 2 miles (3.2 km) from the center of Brownville, NY 12E intersects withCR 53 (Cemetery Road), an east–west highway linking the state route to the nearby village ofDexter. NY 12E continues on, passing just east of Dexter Cemetery and traversing an undeveloped rural area to reach thehamlet of Limerick. Within the community, it serves mostly residential areas and remains two lanes wide. In the center of the hamlet, the highway intersects withNY 180, a road leading to Dexter in the south and theThousand Islands region in the north.[3] Also present at the junction is theSeaway Trail, aNational Scenic Byway that enters from the south on NY 180 and exits to the west on NY 12E.[4] NY 12E leaves Limerick after this junction and continues through the town of Brownville, bending slightly to the northeast at a junction withCR 59 (North Shore Road) 3 miles (4.8 km) from Limerick at the Brownville–Lyme town line.[3]
After this junction, NY 12E crosses Guffin Creek on its way into the village ofChaumont. Here, NY 12E becomes Main Street again as it transitions from a rural highway back to a residential street. In the southern part of Chaumont, the route connects toCR 125, at which point NY 12E begins to pass by a mix of commercial and residential properties. It crosses over a small creek leading away fromChaumont Bay before turning slightly westward[3] and entering theChaumont Historic District.[5] Just past the district, the route intersects withCR 179 (Evans Street),[3] formerly part ofNY 179.[6] After this junction, NY 12E crosses over theChaumont River and leaves the village limits at a junction withCR 8 (Johnny Cake Road).[3]
Through the surrounding town of Lyme, NY 12E reverts to a two-lane rural highway as it proceeds west into the hamlet of Herrick Grove, located 3 miles (4.8 km) from Chaumont. Here, the highway heads along a short commercial strip and intersects with the southern terminus ofCR 5 (Depot and Church streets) off the shore of Chaumont Bay. After leaving Herrick Grove, NY 12E enters the nearby hamlet of Three Mile Bay, which comprises a few homes and a junction withCR 57 (Carrying Road). Past Three Mile Bay, the route makes a gradual bend to the northwest, leaving Lyme for thetown of Cape Vincent, where NY 12E intersects with Bedford Corners Road (formerCR 56) roughly 1 mile (1.6 km) from the town line. Heading northwest through the rural town, the route crosses over Kents Creek and intersects withCR 4 on its way into thevillage of Cape Vincent, located at the point whereLake Ontario meets theSt. Lawrence River.[3]
Inside the village limits, NY 12E becomes known as Market Street. It heads north as a two-lane residential street,[3] passing the NRHP-listedJohn Borland House[7] on its way to the south bank of the St. Lawrence River. Here, it intersects with Broadway, an east–west village street connecting toCR 6 west of the village. NY 12E turns northeastward on Broadway, passing through theBroadway Historic District and serving the NRHP-listedVincent LeRay House.[8][9] Two blocks from Market Street, NY 12E intersects with James Street, which leads toWolfe Island viaHorne's Ferry.[3] At its north end, the ferry connects to what was onceHighway 95 inOntario,Canada.[10] Past James Street, NY 12E follows Broadway through a commercial area that continues to the eastern village limits.[3]
Outside of the village of Cape Vincent, NY 12E loses the Broadway moniker, passing St. Vincent of Paul Cemetery and a mobile home park as it runs northeastward along the St. Lawrence River. About 3 miles (4.8 km) from the village, the route passes an intersection with Carleton Drive, which serves a ferry linkingCarleton Island to the river's south bank. After Carleton Drive, the route continues northeast through the town of Cape Vincent, passing another mobile home park andBurnham Point State Park. The route continues on, entering the adjacent hamlets of Sunnybank and Millins Bay. In the latter, NY 12E intersects withCR 7, a riverside highway serving a small community located between the river and NY 12E.[3]
At the northern end of Millins Bay, CR 7 merges back into NY 12E, and the latter highway continues along the St. Lawrence River through the northern reaches of the town. Not far from the eastern town line, the route intersects withCR 9 (Sand Bay Road) and passes theCape Vincent Correctional Facility andCedar Point State Park, located on opposite sides of the highway. After the correctional facility, NY 12E crosses into thetown of Clayton, where the route remains a two-lane rural riverside highway. Roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) into the town, the route bends slightly to the east and intersects with the northern terminus of CR 4 (Fish Pond Road), which intersected NY 12E back in the town of Cape Vincent.[3]
Past the junction with CR 4, NY 12E bends back to the northeast, passing more riverside residences and a handful of farms before entering thevillage of Clayton. In the village, NY 12E becomes known as State Street as it crosses over an inlet from the St. Lawrence River. The bridge over the waterway brings the route into Clayton's downtown portion, where it intersects with NY 12 (James Street). This intersection serves as the northern terminus of NY 12E, as State Street continues northeastward as part of NY 12.[3]
In 1924,NY 3 was assigned to the New York portion of theTheodore Roosevelt International Highway, anauto trail that extended fromPortland, Maine, toPortland, Oregon. In New York, it connectedNorth Tonawanda (nearNiagara Falls) in the west toPlattsburgh in the east viaRochester andWatertown.[11] InJefferson County, the trail and NY 3 enteredWatertown on modernU.S. Route 11 and exited on what is nowNY 12F. AtDexter, NY 3 turned north to follow currentNY 180 and NY 12E toClayton, where it continued eastward on modernNY 12.[12][13]
In the1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, NY 3 was rerouted to exit Watertown to the east on its modern alignment. The former alignment of NY 3 from Watertown to Clayton was redesignated as NY 12E.[2] At the same time, an alternate route of NY 12E extending from the modern junction of NY 12E and NY 180 to downtown Watertown along the northern bank of theBlack River was designated as NY 12F.[14] The alignments of NY 12E and NY 12F east of what is now NY 180 were swappedc. 1939, placing both routes on their current alignments.[15][16]
On August 1, 1979, maintenance of NY 12E between Bridge Street inBrownville and the Watertown city line was transferred from the state ofNew York toJefferson County as part of a larger highway maintenance swap between the two levels of government. In return, the state assumed maintenance of Bridge Street in Brownville and the town ofHounsfield, among other highways.[17] Following the swap, the segment of NY 12E between Bridge Street and the Watertown city limits becameconcurrent with CR 190[18][19] while Bridge Street became NY 971H, an unsignedreference route.[20] The section of NY 12E within the city of Watertown was locally maintained.[19]
NY 12E was re-aligned between 2008 and 2012 to follow Bridge Street in Brownville to an intersection with NY 12F.[20]
The entire route is inJefferson County.
| Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Village of Brownville | 0.00 | 0.00 | NY 12F | Southern terminus | |
| Town of Brownville | 4.10 | 6.60 |  NY 180 /Great Lakes Seaway Trail –Dexter,Gunns Corners | Hamlet ofLimerick | |
| Chaumont | 9.43 | 15.18 |  CR 179 (Evans Street) –Depauville | Former southern terminus ofNY 179 | |
| Village of Cape Vincent | James Street | ServesWolfe Island (formerHighway 95) via ferry | |||
| Village of Clayton | 36.08 | 58.07 | NY 12 (State Street / James Street) /Great Lakes Seaway Trail –Alexandria Bay | Northern terminus | |
| James Street (NY 970L) –Clayton Business District | Terminus of unsigned NY 970L | ||||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
