History
The portion of modern NY 425 between US 62 in North Tonawanda and the intersection of Cambria–Wilson Road and Lower Mountain Road in Cambria was designated as part of Route 20, an unsigned legislative route, by the New York State Legislature on March 1, 1921. When the first set of posted routes in New York were assigned in 1924, all of legislative Route 20 west of Rochester became part of NY 3, a cross-state route that began in North Tonawanda and ended in Plattsburgh. In the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, NY 3 was realigned to follow what is now NY 31 to Niagara Falls. The former routing of NY 3 between North Tonawanda and Cambria became part of NY 425, a new route that continued north to NY 18 in Wilson by way of Cambria–Wilson Road and an overlap with NY 3.
Initially, NY 425 overlapped NY 93 between North Ridge and Lower Mountain Roads. NY 3 was realigned in the towns of Cambria and Lockport c. 1932 to follow Saunders Settlement Road (now NY 31) between NY 425 and the city of Lockport. Its former routing to the north became NY 3A even though the entirety of the alignment was already part of either NY 425 or NY 93. The NY 3A designation was eliminated c. 1935 when NY 3 was truncated eastward to a new western terminus in central New York. The overlap with NY 93 was eliminated in the early 1940s after that route was realigned onto North Ridge Road, US 104, and Junction Road between NY 425 and Upper Mountain Road. NY 425 was extended southward into North Tonawanda by 1947, following Erie Avenue and Wheatfield Street to a new terminus at NY 429 (Oliver Street) in downtown.
In the mid-1960s, construction began on a new divided highway connecting NY 425 in North Tonawanda to I-290 south of the city of Tonawanda. The highway, known as the Twin Cities Memorial Highway, was initially designated as NY 950H, an unsigned reference route, upon opening in the 1970s. It became part of a rerouted NY 425 between 1970 and 1977. When first built, the Twin Cities Memorial Highway was planned to continue north through North Tonawanda and Wheatfield to connect with the LaSalle Expressway in Niagara Falls via the Belt Expressway. Although the connection was never built, evidence of the initial plans are visible at the respective termini of each highway.
Read more about this topic: New York State Route 425
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