.svg) U.S. Route 20A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 20A highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Auxiliary route ofUS 20 | ||||
| Maintained byNYSDOT | ||||
| Length | 83.59 mi[1] (134.53 km) | |||
| Existed | c. 1939[2][3]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  US 20 inHamburg | |||
| Major intersections |  US 219 inOrchard Park NY 400 inEast Aurora NY 19 inWarsaw I-390 nearGeneseo | |||
| East end |   US 20 /NY 5 /NY 64 inEast Bloomfield | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | New York | |||
| Counties | Erie,Wyoming,Livingston,Ontario | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
U.S. Route 20A (US 20A) is an east–westalternate route ofUS 20 that extends for 83.59 miles (134.53 km) across thewestern portion ofNew York in the United States. It leaves US 20 inHamburg, asuburb ofBuffalo, and rejoins it inEast Bloomfield about five miles (8.0 km) west ofCanandaigua, the county seat ofOntario County. The western terminus is situated just northeast of the intersection of US 20 andUS 62 and west ofHighmark Stadium. At its east end, US 20A also meetsNew York State Route 5 (NY 5) andNY 64. Most of the route is known asBig Tree Road; outside Highmark Stadium, the highway is known as theTimothy J. Russert Highway in memory of Buffalo nativeTim Russert.
While the main line of US 20 takes a direct path between Hamburg, Buffalo, and East Bloomfield viaAvon, US 20A veers to the south to serve several villages andhamlets, including the villages ofGeneseo andWarsaw. The town ofAttica, famous for theAttica Prison riot of 1971, lies between US 20 and US 20A. As the route heads east, US 20A connects to several north–south freeways, such asNY 400 outside ofEast Aurora andInterstate 390 (I-390) between Geneseo andLakeville. Outside of the communities that dot the highway, US 20A is a two-lane, rural highway.
The highway carried several designations prior to becoming US 20Ac. 1939. In the mid-1920s, the section of modern US 20A from East Aurora to Lakeville was part ofNew York State Route 35 (NY 35). US 20 was first signed in New York in 1927, occupying the piece of NY 35 between East Aurora and Geneseo and all of what is now US 20A west of East Aurora upon assignment. It was altered to also use the Geneseo–Lakeville section of former NY 35 in the early 1930s. At the time, the section of current US 20A between US 20 andBristol was designated asNY 254. US 20 was realigned onto its current alignment between Hamburg and Avonc. 1938, and US 20A was assigned to US 20's former routing west of Lakeville and all of NY 254 by the following year.
US 20A separates from US 20 just northeast of an intersection locally known as "Seven Corners" in the town ofHamburg. The route heads east through theBuffalo suburbs on Big Tree Road, entering the town ofOrchard Park and passing south of the southern campus ofSUNY Erie.[citation needed] At Abbott Road, US 20A becomes the "Timothy J. Russert Highway", named forBuffalo nativeTim Russert.[4] The route continues on, passing south ofHighmark Stadium before changing back to Big Tree Road at California Road.[citation needed][4] Not far to the east, US 20A meetsUS 219 (Southern Expressway) at an interchange. Past US 219, the route enters the village ofOrchard Park, becoming Quaker Street and intersecting theconcurrent routes ofNY 240 andNY 277 in the center of the community.[citation needed]
Outside of the village, US 20A becomes Quaker Road, passing through slightly less developed areas as it progresses eastward. Midway between Orchard Park village andEast Aurora, US 20A intersects the southern terminus ofNY 187 (Transit Road) at the Orchard Park–Aurora town line. Transit Road, however, continues south for one mile (1.6 km) asCounty Route 553 (CR 553). Farther east, US 20A runs south ofCazenovia Creek for two miles (3.2 km) across open terrain prior to crossing the creek and entering the densely populated village of East Aurora.[citation needed]
The route enters East Aurora on Hamburg Street, running parallel to a branch of Cazenovia Creek for a half-mile (0.80 km) to Buffalo Street. Here, US 20A meets the overlapping routes ofNY 16 andNY 78 at atraffic circle in the village's primary business district. The three routes come together, becoming Main Street and passing by theFillmore House as it proceeds through the center of the village. At Olean Street, one mile (1.6 km) east of the circle in East Aurora's central business district, NY 16 turns right, continuing south towardPennsylvania. US 20A and NY 78 remain concurrent as they exit the village and meetNY 400 (Aurora Expressway) on the eastern edge.[citation needed]
East of NY 400, US 20A and NY 78 become Big Tree Road once more as the highway leaves the Buffalo suburbs and passes through the rural eastern portion ofErie County. Near theWales hamlet of Wales Center, NY 78 departs US 20A on Strykersville Road, ending the four-mile (6.4 km) overlap. In Wales Center itself, US 20A intersects Four Rod Road,[citation needed] once designated asNY 358[5] and now part ofCR 356. Past the hamlet, US 20A deviates from its linear east–west alignment, swerving to the south on a newer routing of Big Tree Road before reuniting with its original routing one mile (1.6 km) to the east. Two miles (3.2 km) ahead, US 20A exits Erie County and enters the equally ruralWyoming County town ofSheldon.[citation needed]
In Sheldon, US 20A intersectsNY 77 near Sheldon Center andNY 98 inVarysburg, forming a concurrency with the latter into the adjacent town ofOrangeville. Upon crossing the town line, the two routes split, with NY 98 proceeding southwest toJava. US 20A continues southeast from NY 98 on a linear alignment, intersecting the southern terminus ofNY 238 at Halls Corner, a small hamlet located near the Orangeville–Warsaw town line. Shortly after passing NY 238, US 20A makes a turn to the east as it enters Warsaw. Roughly 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the town line, US 20A descends into the Oatka Valley, a large ravine containingOatka Creek and the entirety of theWarsaw. Now named Buffalo Street, US 20A heads east–west across the village, intersectingNY 19, one of two state routes to directly connectLake Ontario with thePennsylvania state line, at the center of Warsaw.[citation needed]
Past the NY 19 junction, US 20A continues east along Buffalo Street to the eastern edge of the village and the valley, where the route turns a full 90 degrees to the north to climb the side of the Oatka Valley.[citation needed] The route ascends approximately 300 feet (91 m),[6] passing under theRochester and Southern Railroad (RSR)—which runs along the foot of the gorge—before exiting the valley and returning to an east–west alignment as it heads towardPerry and points east.[citation needed] All oversize trucks are prohibited from using the section of US 20A between NY 19 and Minor Road at the top of the valley due to the steep grade of the hill and the sharp curve at the bottom.[7]
Outside of the Oatka Valley, US 20A heads east through the remainder of the town of Warsaw prior to entering the town of Perry. The route servesPerry–Warsaw Airport on its way to Perry Center, a small hamlet situated directly north of the village ofPerry, where US 20A intersectsNY 246. The portion of US 20A in Perry is otherwise uneventful, and the route quietly passes into theLivingston County town ofLeicester 2.5 miles (4.0 km) later. After another one mile (1.6 km) of rural surroundings, US 20A meetsNY 39 at a junction approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southwest of the village ofLeicester. The two routes converge, following Leicester Road northeast to the village, where the highway's name shifts to Main Street upon entering the village limits.[citation needed]
East of agrade crossing with theGenesee and Wyoming Railroad subdivision of the RSR, US 20A and NY 39 connect toNY 36 at York Road. NY 36 briefly overlaps with US 20A and NY 39 for one block before heading to the south via Mount Morris Road at the village center. US 20A and NY 39 continue on, leaving Leicester on as Cuylerville Road, named forthe community located directly northeast of Leicester. The routes pass in and out of Cuylerville and head eastward into a wide valley, crossing Beards Creek and theGenesee River. At the eastern bank of the latter, the highway crosses into the town ofGeneseo.[citation needed]
On the other side of the Genesee River, US 20A and NY 39 rise in elevation once more as they head to the northeast, climbing the eastern edge of the gully to meetNY 63 at the valley's eastern edge. After a brief concurrency with US 20A and NY 39, NY 63 splits off to the west, running alongside the western edge of the nearbyState University of New York at Geneseo campus. In contrast, US 20A and NY 39 form a portion of the eastern edge of the campus between NY 63 andMary Jemison Drive in the village ofGeneseo. At the latter intersection, US 20A and NY 39 turn east onto South Street. After just one block, the US 20A/NY 39 overlap comes to an end as NY 39 follows Main Street north out of Geneseo towardAvon.[citation needed]
US 20A continues east through Geneseo before taking on a more northeasterly alignment outside of the village. At this point, the highway becomes Lakeville Road for theConesus Lake community to the northeast. The route proceeds across open terrain to the western outskirts ofLakeville, where US 20A connects toI-390 at exit 8. Past the expressway, US 20A continues on a northeast alignment—albeit more eastern than northern—as it intersectsNY 256 and enters both the town ofLivonia and the hamlet of Lakeville.[citation needed]
As Big Tree Road once more, US 20A acts as the major east–west thoroughfare for Lakeville, connecting the hamlet to I-390 in the west to the village ofLivonia to the east. In the center of Lakeville, US 20A intersects the north–southNY 15. The two routes converge on Big Tree Road, following the roadway around the northern tip of Conesus Lake and southeastward through the rural landscape between Lakeville and Livonia. In Livonia, Big Tree Road continues to the southeast as Big Tree Street; however, US 20A and NY 15 leave Big Tree Road to follow Main Street instead. NY 15 remains on US 20A for one more block to the center of Livonia, at which point it continues southward on Commercial Street towardConesus while US 20A heads east on Main Street and out of the village as Richmond Mills Road.[citation needed]
For the next 2.5 miles (4.0 km), US 20A loosely parallels Big Tree Road, located about one mile (1.6 km) to the south. At a rural junction known as Bosley Corner, US 20A merges with the north–southNY 15A and follows NY 15A south toward the hamlet ofHemlock. While concurrent with NY 15A, US 20A crosses Big Tree Road at the midpoint of the concurrency. The two routes proceed through Hemlock before splitting south of the community. Here, US 20A breaks from NY 15A and continues east on Honeoye Road into theOntario County town ofRichmond.[citation needed]
About 2.5 miles (4.0 km) into the sparsely developed town, US 20A reconnects to Big Tree Road at Curtis Corner. The route, however, becomes Main Street for the hamlet ofHoneoye a short distance to the east. US 20A runs east–west through the small yet highly developed community, crossingHoneoye Creek and passing north ofHoneoye Lake. It leaves the hamlet soon after, turning to the northeast and traversing a series of small hills as it passes into the town ofBristol as Honeoye Road once again. Roughly four miles (6.4 km) from the town line, US 20A intersectsNY 64 in theBristol Valley. US 20A turns north onto NY 64, following the state route out of the valley and into the town ofEast Bloomfield, where US 20A ends four miles (6.4 km) later at an intersection with US 20 and NY 5. The section of US 20A that overlaps NY 64 was signed north–south, matching NY 64's direction, however, the US 20A north–south tabs were replaced by east–west tabs between 2010 and 2012, but still the north–south tabs are now for NY 64 shields only. NY 64 continues west from the junction on US 20 and NY 5.[citation needed]
In 1908, theNew York State Legislature established a statewidelegislative route system that initially consisted of 37unsigned routes. The portion of what is now US 20A between Four Rod Road inWales andNY 98 inSheldon was included in Route 19, a highway that extended fromBuffalo toBatavia. Two smaller segments of modern US 20A—the sectionsconcurrent toNY 16 inEast Aurora andNY 64 inOntario County—became part of Route 17 and Route 14, respectively.[8][9] When the first set of posted routes inNew York were assigned in 1924, the entirety of legislative Route 17 was designated as part ofNY 16 while the portion of modern US 20A betweenLakeville andLivonia became part ofNY 4. By 1926, the section of what is now US 20A between NY 16 in East Aurora and NY 4 in Lakeville was designated as part of NY 35, which initially continued northwest to Buffalo by way of an overlap with NY 16 and followed NY 4 north from Lakeville toNY 5 inEast Avon.[10][11]
NY 35 was largely replaced byUS 20 whenU.S. Highways were first signed in New York in 1927. At the time, US 20 entered the Buffalo area on modern NY 5 and followed Big Tree Road and current US 20A east to East Aurora, where it overlapped NY 16 to reach the former routing of NY 35. From there, it continued east over former NY 35 toGeneseo before proceeding toAvon on modernNY 39. Meanwhile, NY 4 was renumbered toNY 2 to eliminate numerical duplication with the newUS 4 in theCapital District.[12] The portion of former NY 35 between Geneseo and Lakeville went unnumbered[13] until the1930 state highway renumbering when it became the westernmost portion of NY 254, an east–west highway that initially extended eastward along modern US 20A[14] andCR 32 to a junction withNY 21 west ofCanandaigua.[15] NY 254 was truncated westward to NY 64 inBristol by the following year.[16]
US 20 was realigned between Geneseo and East Avonc. 1931 to follow NY 254 east to Lakeville, where it turned north to follow NY 2 to East Avon. NY 254 was truncated to the east end of its former overlap with NY 2 inLivonia as a result while US 20's former routing between Geneseo and Avon becameNY 20D.[14][16] US 20 was altered againc. 1938 to follow its modern alignment betweenHamburg and East Avon. Its former routing between Hamburg and Geneseo became part of the new NY 20A, which also continued north to Avon over NY 20D. The remainder of US 20's old routing between Geneseo and Lakeville became part of a reextended NY 254.[2][17] US 20A was established by the following year, replacing NY 20A west of Geneseo and NY 254 from Geneseo to Bristol. The new highway also followed NY 64 northward toEast Bloomfield in order to rejoin US 20 in thehamlet of South Bloomfield. NY 254 was reassigned to the Geneseo–Avon portion of NY 20A;[3] however, it was supplanted by an extended NY 39c. 1940.[3][18]
On the morning of March 12, 1994, a large section of the roof in the southern end of theRetsof Salt Mine collapsed. The collapsed portion of the mine was located near the hamlet ofCuylerville, located on US 20A just south of the mine.[19] One day before the collapse, warning signs were erected at the bridge carrying US 20A over nearby Beards Creek due to the presence of bumps in the pavement along the bridge approaches. Over the next few weeks, two large sinkholes opened on the surface above the mine, one of them located just south of the US 20A bridge over Beards Creek. This sinkhole led to the collapse of a small area of US 20A east of the creek and the closure and, ultimately, collapse of the bridge over the creek.[20] As a result, a detour was installed betweenLeicester and Geneseo.[21] No construction was done on the area for a number of years while a court battle was fought over whether Retsof should reimburse theNew York State Department of Transportation to fix the road.[22] The road and new bridge were fixed and reopened in the late 1990s.[23]
On June 18, 2008, a bill seeking to rename the part of US 20A from Abbott Road to California Road as the "Timothy J. Russert Highway" was introduced in theU.S. Senate. The bill, sponsored by SenatorsChuck Schumer andHillary Clinton along with RepresentativeBrian Higgins, was passed by both theHouse and the Senate and was signed into law by PresidentGeorge W. Bush on July 23, 2008. The designation is in memory of Buffalo nativeTim Russert, the long-time host of NBC'sMeet the Press who died on June 13, 2008.[4]
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie | Town of Hamburg | 0.00 | 0.00 | US 20 | Western terminus |
| Town of Orchard Park | 2.40 | 3.86 | US 219 –Springville,Buffalo | ||
| Village of Orchard Park | 3.53 | 5.68 |   NY 240 /NY 277 | ||
| Orchard Park–Aurora town line | 5.99 | 9.64 |   NY 187 north | Southern terminus of NY 187 | |
| East Aurora | 9.68 | 15.58 |   NY 16 north /NY 78 north | Western terminus ofconcurrency with NY 16 / NY 78 | |
| 10.74 | 17.28 |  NY 16 south | Eastern terminus of concurrency with NY 16 | ||
| Aurora | 11.49 | 18.49 | NY 400 north –Buffalo | No access to NY 400 south; no access from NY 400 north to US 20A | |
| Wales | 13.73 | 22.10 | NY 78 south –Strykersville | Eastern terminus of concurrency with NY 78 | |
| Wyoming | Sheldon | 22.09 | 35.55 |  NY 77 –Bennington Center,Java Center | |
| 26.43 | 42.53 |  NY 98 north –Attica | Western terminus of concurrency with NY 98;hamlet ofVarysburg | ||
| Orangeville | 27.04 | 43.52 | NY 98 south –North Java | Eastern terminus of concurrency with NY 98 | |
| 32.72 | 52.66 |  NY 238 north –Attica | Southern terminus of NY 238; hamlet of Halls Corner | ||
| Village of Warsaw | 35.98 | 57.90 | NY 19 | ||
| Town of Perry | 42.80 | 68.88 |  NY 246 –Pavilion,Perry | ||
| Livingston | Town of Leicester | 46.75 | 75.24 |       NY 39 west /CR 4 east /CR 62 south –Perry | Western terminus of concurrency with NY 39 |
| Village of Leicester | 49.04 | 78.92 |  NY 36 north –Caledonia | Western terminus of concurrency with NY 36 | |
| 49.18 | 79.15 |  NY 36 south toI-390 –Mount Morris,Letchworth State Park | Eastern terminus of concurrency with NY 36 | ||
| Town of Geneseo | 52.92 | 85.17 |  NY 63 south –Mount Morris,Dansville | Southern terminus of concurrency with NY 63 | |
| 53.23 | 85.67 | NY 63 north –Batavia | Northern terminus of concurrency with NY 63; no eastbound access from NY 63 south | ||
| Village of Geneseo | 53.83 | 86.63 |  ToNY 63 north via Mary Jemison Drive (NY 942D) | Eastern terminus of unsigned NY 942D; to NY 63 north only signed westbound | |
| 53.93 | 86.79 |  NY 39 east –Avon | Eastern terminus of concurrency with NY 39 | ||
| Town of Geneseo | 58.81 | 94.65 | I-390 –Corning,Rochester | Exit 8 on I-390 | |
| Geneseo–Livonia town line | 60.04 | 96.63 |  NY 256 (West Lake Road) –Conesus Lake | ||
| Town of Livonia | 60.57 | 97.48 |  NY 15 north | Western terminus of US 20A / NY 15 overlap; hamlet ofLakeville | |
| Village of Livonia | 62.76 | 101.00 | NY 15 south | Eastern terminus of concurrency with NY 15 | |
| Town of Livonia | 65.76 | 105.83 |   NY 15A north /CR 41 east –Lima,Rochester | Northern terminus of concurrency with NY 15A | |
| 67.81 | 109.13 | NY 15A south –Springwater | Southern terminus of concurrency with NY 15A; hamlet ofHemlock | ||
| Ontario | Bristol | 79.83 | 128.47 | NY 64 south –Naples | Southern terminus of concurrency with NY 64 |
| East Bloomfield | 83.59 | 134.53 | US 20 /NY 5 /NY 64 north | Eastern terminus; northern terminus of concurrency with NY 64 | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
Ground subsidence had caused a temporary closing of the detour Route 20A routing around Cuylerville. The detour itself had been in effect since the collapse, when the Little Beards Creek bridge became impassable.
The June 6, 1996 Clarion stated that Akzo would be paying the costs of replacing the Little Beards Creek bridge on Rt. 20A.
