State Route 71 (Massachusetts–New York)

Route 71 marker NYS Route 71 marker

MA/NYS Route 71

Map of Berkshire (MA) and Columbia (NY) counties with Route 71 and NY 71 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MassDOT (MA 71) and NYSDOT (NY 71)
Length: 7.93 mi (12.76 km)
MA 71: 5.6291 mi;[1] NY 71: 2.30 mi[2]
History: MA 71 assigned c. 1939[3][4]
NY 71 assigned 1930[5]
Major junctions
West end: NY 22 in Hillsdale, NY
East end: Route 23 / Route 41 in Great Barrington, MA
Location
Counties: Columbia (NY), Berkshire (MA)
Highway system
← Route 70Mass.Route 75 →
← NY 70New YorkNY 72 →
← Route 68Route 70 →

Massachusetts Route 71 and New York State Route 71 (NY 71) are adjoining state highways in the states of Massachusetts and New York in the United States. The two highways form a continuous roadway connecting NY 22 in Hillsdale, Columbia County, New York, to Route 23 and Route 41 in Great Barrington, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Combined, Route 71 and NY 71 extend for 7.93 miles (12.76 km) as a two-lane road through mostly rural areas in the Taconic Mountains, serving only small, unincorporated communities in both states. Both routes are part of the Henry Knox Trail.

The New York half of the highway was rebuilt by the state in the late 1920s and designated as NY 71 as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York. Its Massachusetts continuation was unnumbered until the early 1930s when it was assigned Route 69. Around the end of the decade, Route 69 was renumbered to Route 71 to match the New York number. At 2.30 miles (3.70 km) in length, NY 71 is the shortest two-digit state highway in New York.

Route description

Route 71 in Massachusetts, heading westbound through Alford

The two-state highway begins as NY 71 at a Y intersection with NY 22 in Green River, a hamlet within the town of Hillsdale in Columbia County, New York. Both legs of the junction are two-lane, two-way roads;[6] however, only the southern leg is officially designated as part of NY 71. The north leg is also state-maintained[7] but designated as NY 980E, an unsigned reference route.[2] NY 71 heads southeastward from the Y intersection as a two-lane road named Nobletown Road, following the Green River through a narrow valley in the Taconic Mountains. It passes several homes in an otherwise wooded area on its way to the Massachusetts state line, from which the roadway continues as that state's Route 71. Now in the town of Alford in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Route 71 changes names to Green River Valley Road, continuing through residential areas in the base of the river valley. The valley and the road curve slightly southward near the Egremont town line, at which point the level of development along the highway begins to slowly taper off.[6]

Across the town line, Route 71 changes names to Egremont Plain Road. It continues alongside the Green River to North Egremont, an unincorporated village comprising a small cluster of homes around Route 71's junction with Boice and Prospect Lake roads. In the center of the community, the highway passes along the east side of the National Register of Historic Places-listed North Egremont Historic District. Outside of the village, Route 71 bends back to the southeast, proceeding through another rural stretch to reach the residential village of Egremont Plain. Near the center of the community, the highway crosses into the town of Great Barrington and passes south of Walter J. Koladza Airport. Route 71 continues to serve mostly residential areas until it ends at a junction with Route 23 and Route 41 (Egremont Road) about 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the town line and 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of the town center.[6]

History

Route 71 westbound entering Hillsdale, New York. A marker for the Henry Knox Trail is located at the base of the town line sign.

In mid-1928, the state of New York awarded a contract worth $139,262 (equivalent to $1.9 million in 2016) to improve the New York portion of the Green River–Great Barrington highway to state highway standards.[8][9] Work on the highway was completed by the following year.[10] At the state line, the road connected to an unimproved road leading southeast through North Egremont to Great Barrington. The state of Massachusetts had planned to reconstruct the road after work on its continuation into New York was completed;[11] however, the New York state line–Great Barrington highway remained unimproved through the end of the decade. In the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, the section of the Green River–Great Barrington highway in New York was designated as NY 71.[5] Its Massachusetts continuation became Route 69 c. 1932;[12][13] it was subsequently renumbered c. 1939 to Route 71 to match the New York designation.[3][4]

Major intersections

StateCountyLocationmi[1][2]kmDestinationsNotes
New YorkColumbiaHillsdale0.000.00 NY 22Hamlet of Green River
New York–Massachusetts state line2.30
0.0000		3.70
0.0000		Roadway becomes MA 71 eastbound and NY 71 westbound
MassachusettsBerkshireGreat Barrington5.62919.0592 Route 23 / Route 41
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Office of Transportation Planning. "2008 Road Inventory". Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 "2008 Traffic Data Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. June 16, 2009. p. 209. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
  3. 1 2 New York Road Map for 1938 (Map). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1938.
  4. 1 2 New York (Map). Cartography by General Drafting. Standard Oil Company. 1939.
  5. 1 2 Road Map of New York (Map). Cartography by General Drafting. Standard Oil Company of New York. 1930.
  6. 1 2 3 Microsoft; Nokia (July 5, 2012). "overview map of NY 71 and MA Route 71" (Map). Bing Maps. Microsoft. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  7. ↑ State Line Digital Raster Quadrangle (Map). 1:24,000. New York State Department of Transportation. 1995. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Two Highway Contracts Let". The Chatham Courier. August 2, 1928. p. 1.
  9. ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  10. ↑ New York in Soconyland (Map). Cartography by General Drafting. Standard Oil Company of New York. 1929.
  11. ↑ "Announcement of 1928 Road Plans for Columbia County". The Chatham Courier. December 29, 1927. p. 1.
  12. ↑ New York (Map). Cartography by H.M. Gousha Company. Kendall Refining Company. 1931.
  13. ↑ Texaco Road Map – New York (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. Texas Oil Company. 1932.
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