U.S. Route 6 (US 6) inNew York is a 77.85-mile (125.29 km) stretch ofUnited States Numbered Highway that spans from thePennsylvania state line atPort Jervis to theConnecticut state line east ofBrewster. Near both ends it runs in close proximity toInterstate 84 (I-84), which otherwise takes a more northerly route throughDownstate New York. US 6, meanwhile, skirts the northern fringe of theNew York metropolitan area.
US 6 is a two-lane road in New York for the most part. Two stretches are shared withUS 202. It goes through three of New York'straffic circles, more than any other highway in the state, and is part of the only concurrency of three U.S. routes in the state.
US 6 is not as important a transportation artery in New York as it is in some other states. The route does, however, pass through some of the region's more memorable scenery, particularly theHudson Highlands in the form ofHarriman andBear Mountain state parks. It crosses theHudson River at the historicBear Mountain Bridge. Other highlights include theShawangunk Ridge in the west andNew York City'sreservoirs in the east.
TheHudson River roughly bisects New York's section of US 6, although more of it is on the river's western side. Despite its many curves and turns, the road stays in a generally east–west direction.
US 6 crosses theDelaware River into New Yorkconcurrent withUS 209 fromMatamoras via theMid-Delaware Bridge. Upon enteringPort Jervis, they become Pike Street. Two blocks from the bridge, the highways cross under the wide grassy strip that once carried theErie Railroad's Main Line and pass the city'sMetro-North station, the most remote from New York on the extensive commuter rail network. A few blocks further north, at the Park Avenuetraffic light,NY 42 andNY 97 begin to the left while US 6 and US 209 turn right, now West Main Street.[3]
Two blocks later, the highways having not even come a mile from the state line, US 209 splits to the left at Kingston Avenue. US 6 continues to follow West Main past Port Jervis Middle School and Bon Secours Hospital,[4] veering south to cross under the railroad tracks and then over theNeversink River. At a three-way junction with shortCounty Route 15 (CR 15), US 6 reaches the Port Jervis city limit. Signs point toRoute 23, which begins a few hundred feet to the south, just past the I-84 overpass.[3]
From here traffic on US 6 grows lighter as it parallels I-84 for the next 17 miles (27 km). Trucks going through this stretch are limited to 10 short tons (9.1 t; 8.9 long tons). It slowly traverses up theShawangunk Ridge alongside the Interstate Highway and then down again. Just before exit 4, it crosses under I-84 again. After putting at least a mile (1.6 km) between the two, US 6 starts to run a long straight course, as Grand Army of the Republic Highway, through thewetlands ofGreenville, then through gently rolling hills taking it to South Centreville, whereMinisink Valley High School and the district's other schools are concentrated. At thehamlet ofSlate Hill,NY 284, another route down to New Jersey, comes in from the south.[3]
US 6 continues through very rural countryside through here. Shortly beforeMiddletown, it crosses over I-84 and turns right ontoNY 17M, crossing over the Interstate Highway yet again. This is US 6's last crossing of I-84 west of the Hudson River.[3]
Theoverlap between US 6 and NY 17M continues for another five miles (8.0 km), crossing theWallkill River, through slightly more developed countryside toGoshen, where the two routes join theNY 17freeway (futureI-86) at exit 123. NY 17M leaves the freeway several exits to the east, but US 6 stays with it for 13 miles (21 km), connecting toNY 17A,NY 207,NY 94, andNY 208 in the villages ofGoshen,Chester, andMonroe respectively. It breaks from the freeway outside ofHarriman by way of a long overpass that leaves just before theQuickway meets the junction with the north–south portion of NY 17 andNY 32, an area often jammed with traffic from nearbyWoodbury Common Premium Outlets on busy weekends. Another portion of traffic is bound for theU.S. Military Academy atWest Point, per the signs on the thruway directing drivers to use eastbound US 6 for that purpose.[3]
With the Thruway behind, US 6 climbs the side of a mountain as a freeway with three divided lanes (two eastbound, one westbound). A small pullout area reveals views of the mall and the area around the exit, shortly before US 6 becomes atwo-lane expressway. At the top liesHarriman State Park, where US 6 becomes the Long Mountain Parkway, a 7-mile (11 km) stretch with no development.NY 293 leaves to the north to West Point's upper gates and the road widens briefly to include a middle turn lane. After dropping past a lake and then rising again, the long-distanceLong Path hiking trail crosses the road on its way to the feature that gives this section of the highway its name. Driveways to the south lead to private camps that have housed various area hiking clubs since the 1920s.[3]
A long descent leads to Long Mountain Circle, whereSeven Lakes Drive crosses and US 6 joins thePalisades Interstate Parkway, descending slowly through a very scenic three miles (4.8 km) throughBear Mountain State Park betweenBear Mountain to the south andPopolopen Torne to the north into another roundabout, the busy Bear Mountain Circle, where the parkway ends and US 6 intersectsUS 9W andUS 202. The latter joins US 6 to cross theHudson River via theBear Mountain Bridge. The rocky slopes ofAnthony's Nose loom ahead. A $1.50 toll is charged in this direction. The whiteblazes of theAppalachian Trail (AT) are also visible on the lamppost.[3]
Now inWestchester County, US 6, US 202, and the AT exit the bridge just south of thePutnam County line. At the east end of the bridge, the AT turns north alongNY 9D, which begins here. US 6 and US 202 turn right and begin a four-mile (6.4 km) descent viaBear Mountain Bridge Road along the edge of the mountain toPeekskill. Pulloffs along this winding stretch allow drivers to take in sweeping views of that city,Haverstraw Bay, andDunderberg Mountain across the river at the southern end of theHudson Highlands. The road finally reaches US 6's thirdtraffic circle just north of the city limit. HereUS 9 joins the two highways for an 0.7-mile (1.1 km) concurrency, the only combination of three U.S. Routes in the state. At a traffic light south of the circle, theBear Mountain State Parkway goes off to the east while the concurrency becomes the upper end of theCroton Expressway.[3]
US 6 and US 202 separate from US 9 at the first interchange and pick upNY 35, which begins here. The three routes follow Main Street for 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to South Broad Street, where US 202 and NY 35 turn south while US 6 continues east out of the city.[3]
Northeast of Peekskill, US 6 works its way north, through the hamlet ofMohegan Lake andShrub Oak, where it becomes a four-laneexpressway before meeting theTaconic State Parkway. It continues east, just south of the county line, intoJefferson Valley and past Oceola Lake, where NY 6N, the lone spur of US 6 in New York, begins a northerly loop, and US 6 reverts back to a two-lane surface road. At Baldwin Place, it veers north again and enters Putnam County.[3]
Just past the county line,NY 118 comes to its northern end.[5] US 6 runs ever more northerly, meeting NY 6N's other end as it follows the south shore ofLake Mahopac through the village ofMahopac.[3]
The combined influence of the New York Citywater supply system's Croton Watershed, which includes most of the bodies of water along this stretch of US 6, and affluent residents who build on very largelots, keeps this area lightly developed. Leaving Mahopac, US 6 curves past the south end ofWest Branch Reservoir and controlledLake Gleneida to its next highway junction, the east end ofNY 52 atReed Memorial Library just south of thecounty seat,Carmel. The highway immediately turns toward the south again, curving aroundMiddle Branch Reservoir at Tilly Foster to the west terminus ofNY 312. At this junction, signs forSoutheast station on theHarlem Line of theMetro-North Railroad are a reminder that this is stillcommuter country. Also appearing are the first signs for I-84, whose interchange with NY 312 is a short distance away, since Middletown.[3]
A long bend through countryside increasingly anticipatingNew England brings US 6 over the Metro-North Railroad tracks and to a right turn along them takes US 6 intoBrewster. At that village'sMetro-North station, the highway again turns left, bringing it to an intersection just outside the village where it is reunited with US 202, here concurrent withNY 22. After crossing under the interstate, the road encounters a half-cloverleaf interchange. NY 22 turns left and leaves forPawling and points north.I-684 is a short distance to the south, accessed by way ofNY 981B, a shortreference route occupying the I-684right-of-way between I-84 and NY 22.[6] US 6 and US 202 remain parallel with I-84, following the southern shore of one of the lakes ofEast Branch Reservoir. After one last highway terminus,NY 121's northern end, both cross intoDanbury, Connecticut, right next to the Interstate Highway's Mill Plain Road exit.[3]
The portion of US 6 in New York east ofFort Montgomery was originally designated as part of NY 37 in the mid-1920s.[7][8] NY 37 began atNY 17 (nowNY 17M) inMonroe and followed what is nowCR 105 andNY 32 east toCentral Valley. From there, it continued to Fort Montgomery via Estrada Road and modernNY 293,NY 218, andUS 9W.[8] When theU.S. Numbered Highway System was created on November 11, 1926, there was a gap in US 6 between theNew York–Pennsylvania border atPort Jervis and theConnecticut state line east ofBrewster.[9] The gap remained in the first official route log published by theAmerican Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) in 1927; however, US 6 now entered New York at Port Jervis and followed what is nowUS 209 northeast toKingston, where the west half of US 6 ended atUS 9W. The eastern half of US 6 still began at the Connecticut state line east of Brewster.[2] In 1928, AASHO modified the definition of US 6, placing the route along a new alignment further south in the state in order to eliminate the gap in the designation.[2] It now followed a previously unnumbered highway from Port Jervis to Slate Hill andoverlapped with the preexistingNY 8 from Slate Hill toMiddletown and NY 17 (modern NY 17M) between Middletown and Monroe. From Monroe to Brewster, US 6 replaced NY 37.[10][11] The former routing of US 6 between Port Jervis and Kingston becameUS 6N.[2] US 6 was realigned againc. 1934 to bypass theU.S. Military Academy to the south. Its former alignment through the grounds became NY 293.[12][13]
US 6 originally followed a more northerly alignment between Shrub Oak andMahopac that took the route throughMahopac Falls.[11] In the mid-1930s, US 6 was realigned to follow a new highway to the south that went directly between the two locations.[13][14] The route's former alignment via Mahopac Falls was redesignated as NY 6Nc. 1938.[15][16] In the early 1950s, construction began on the portion of theQuickway east ofGoshen. The Goshen–Chester and Chester–Harriman segments of the Quickway were completed in October 1954 and August 1955, respectively.[17][18] The two segments of highway became part of a realigned US 6 and NY 17 upon opening. The original surface alignment of US 6 became part ofNY 17M. Plans to construct a highway directly linking Harriman to the south end of NY 293 inHarriman State Park were proposed as early as 1954;[19][20] however, construction on the road did not begin until the mid-1960s. The highway opened to traffic by 1968 as part of a rerouted US 6.[21][22]
In the town ofYorktown, US 6 was originally routed along East Main Street in the areas around thehamlets of Shrub Oak and Jefferson Valley. At some point between 1968 and 1973, the portion of US 6 between theTaconic State Parkway and Curry Street was moved onto a new two-lane roadway bypassing Jefferson Valley to the south.[22][23] The segment between Strawberry Road and the parkway was moved onto a newexpressway bypassing Shrub Oak to the north sometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s.[24][25] The old alignment of US 6 west of NY 6N is now a town-maintained road designated as CR 1309 byWestchester County for planning purposes. The segment east of NY 6N became an extension of that route and was realigned slightly to meet US 6 at a 90-degree angle.[26] In 1993, the interchange with theTaconic State Parkway andNY 132 was reconstructed and US 6 was widened to two lanes in each direction through the interchange.[citation needed]
TheNew York State Department of Transportation started a year-long construction project in October 2019 inBrewster to rebuild the US 6 bridge overMetro-North Railroad'sHarlem Line and to build a direct intersection with Michael Neuner Drive.[27]
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware River | 0.00 | 0.00 |       US 6 west /US 209 south (Pennsylvania Avenue) toI-84 | Continuation intoPennsylvania | ||
| Mid-Delaware Bridge | ||||||
| Orange | Port Jervis | 0.30 | 0.48 |  Port Jervis Station | ||
| 0.38 | 0.61 |    NY 42 north /NY 97 north (West Main Street) –Monticello,Barryville | Southern terminus of NY 42 and NY 97 | |||
| 0.70 | 1.13 |  US 209 north (Kingston Avenue) –Ellenville,Kingston | East end of US 209 overlap | |||
| Town of Deerpark | 2.47 | 3.98 |  I-84 /Route 23 south –Middletown,Scranton | Exit 1 on I-84; access to Route 23 viaCR 15 | ||
| Greenville | 6.60 | 10.62 |     CR 35 north /CR 55 south (Mountain Road) toI-84 –Greenville,Otisville | Southern terminus of CR 35; northern terminus of CR 55 | ||
| Wawayanda | 14.25 | 22.93 |  NY 284 south –Westtown,Unionville | Northern terminus of NY 284;hamlet ofSlate Hill | ||
| 17.75 | 28.57 |  NY 17M west –Middletown,Wallkill | West end of NY 17M overlap | |||
| 18.16 | 29.23 | I-84 –Port Jervis,Newburgh | Exits 15A and 15B on I-84 | |||
| Village of Goshen | 23.21 | 37.35 | Western end of freeway | |||
   Future I-86 west /NY 17 west (Quickway) –Monticello | West end of Future I-86/NY 17 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||||
| 23.23 | 37.39 | 124 |    NY 17A east /NY 207 east –Florida,Goshen | Western termini of NY 17A and NY 207 | ||
| 24.03 | 38.67 | 125 | NY 17M east / South Street | East end of NY 17M overlap | ||
| Village of Chester | 27.21 | 43.79 | 126 |  NY 94 –Chester,Florida | ||
| Town of Chester | 127 | Greycourt Road –Sugar Loaf,Warwick | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
| Blooming Grove | 128 |  CR 51 –Oxford Depot | Westbound exit only | |||
| 129 | Museum Village Road | No westbound entrance | ||||
| Town of Monroe | 32.51 | 52.32 | 130 |  NY 208 –Monroe,Washingtonville | ||
| Woodbury | 35.44– 36.29 | 57.04– 58.40 |     Future I-86 east /NY 17 south /NY 32 north toI-87 /New York Thruway –Suffern,Newburgh,New York City,Albany | East end of Future I-86/NY 17 overlap; exit number not signed westbound | ||
| Harriman State Park | 39.12 | 62.96 |   NY 293 north /US 6 Truck east –Cornwall,West Point | Southern terminus of NY 293; western terminus of US 6 Truck; all trucks must exit | ||
| 42.49 | 68.38 |     Palisades Parkway south /Seven Lakes Drive west –New York City,New Jersey,Sloatsburg | West end of Palisades/Seven Lakes overlap; Long Mountain Circle; exit number not signed eastbound | |||
| 43.09 | 69.35 | 19 |  Seven Lakes Drive east –Bear Mountain State Park | Signed as Perkins Memorial Drive; east end of Seven Lakes Drive overlap | ||
| Bear Mountain State Park | 45.49 | 73.21 | Eastern end of freeway | |||
  US 9W /US 202 west /US 6 Truck west –Fort Montgomery,Haverstraw,Stony Point,West Point Palisades Parkway ends | Bear Mountain Circle; all trucks must exit; east end of Palisades Parkway overlap; west end of US 202 overlap | |||||
| Hudson River | 45.64 | 73.45 | Bear Mountain Bridge (eastbound toll;E-ZPass and Toll-by-Mail) | |||
| Westchester | Cortlandt | 46.09 | 74.17 |   NY 9D north /US 6 Alt. east /US 202 Alt. east –Cold Spring,Beacon | Southern terminus of NY 9D | |
| 49.73 | 80.03 |  US 9 north /US 6 Alt. west /US 202 Alt. west –Fishkill | West end of US 9 overlap; Annsville Circle | |||
| Peekskill | 49.78 | 80.11 |     Bear Mountain State Parkway east toTaconic State Parkway –Yorktown | Western terminus of Bear Mountain Parkway | ||
| Western end of freeway | ||||||
| 50.55 | 81.35 | US 9 south (Croton Expressway) –Tarrytown,Peekskill Station  NY 35 begins | East end of US 9 overlap; west end of NY 35 overlap; western terminus of NY 35 | |||
| Eastern end of freeway | ||||||
| 51.30 | 82.56 | US 202 east /NY 35 east (North Broad Street) –Yorktown,Katonah | East end of US 202/NY 35 overlap | |||
| Cortlandt | 52.97 | 85.25 | Bear Mountain State Parkway toTaconic State Parkway –Yorktown,Bear Mountain,Bear Mountain Bridge | |||
| Yorktown | 57.23 | 92.10 |  NY 132 south (Barger Street) –Yorktown | Northern terminus of NY 132; hamlet ofShrub Oak | ||
| 57.44 | 92.44 | Taconic State Parkway –New York City,Albany | Exit 20 on Taconic State Parkway | |||
| 59.29 | 95.42 |  NY 6N east (East Main Street) –Mahopac Falls | Western terminus of NY 6N; hamlet ofJefferson Valley | |||
| Westchester–Putnam county line | Somers–Carmel town line | 60.97 | 98.12 |  NY 118 south (Tomahawk Street) –Amawalk,Yorktown | Northern terminus of NY 118; hamlet ofBaldwin Place | |
| Putnam | Carmel | 63.41 | 102.05 | NY 6N west (South Lake Boulevard) –Mahopac Falls | Eastern terminus of NY 6N; hamlet ofMahopac | |
| 68.62 | 110.43 |  NY 52 west (Gleneida Avenue) toI-84 –Fishkill,Lake Carmel | Eastern terminus of NY 52; hamlet ofCarmel | |||
| Southeast | 70.93 | 114.15 |  NY 312 east toI-84 –Southeast Station | Western terminus of NY 312 | ||
| Brewster | 73.10 | 117.64 | Brewster Station | |||
| 73.90 | 118.93 |  US 202 west /NY 22 south –Croton Falls | West end of US 202/NY 22 overlap | |||
| Southeast | 74.82 | 120.41 |   I-84 /I-684 south /NY 22 north –Newburgh,Danbury,White Plains,Pawling | Interchange; east end of NY 22 overlap; northern terminus and exit 10 on I-684 | ||
| 75.60 | 121.67 |  NY 121 south toI-84 east –North Salem | Northern terminus of NY 121; exit 69 on I-84 | |||
| 77.85 | 125.29 |  US 6 east /US 202 east –Danbury | Continuation intoConnecticut | |||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | ||||||
There are twospecial routes of US 6 in the state of New York,US 6 Alternate (US 6 Alt.) inCortlandt andUS 6 Truck inWoodbury–Highlands.
 New York State Route 6N | |
|---|---|
| Location | Jefferson Valley–Mahopac |
| Length | 5.07 mi[1] (8.16 km) |
New York State Route 6N (NY 6N) is a 5.07-mile (8.16 km) alternate route of US 6 through the towns ofYorktown,Westchester County, andCarmel,Putnam County. The spur leaves US 6 in thehamlet of Jefferson Valley and rejoins it in the hamlet ofMahopac. NY 6N follows a more northerly route than US 6 in order to serveMahopac Falls.[1] The designation was assignedc. 1938, after a previous US 6N in New York between Port Jervis and Kingston had been renamedUS 209.[15][16]
 U.S. Route 6 | ||
|---|---|---|
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