New York State Route 12

New York State Route 12 (NY 12) is a state highway extending for 222.27 miles (357.71 km) through central and northern New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 11 (US 11) in the town of Chenango (just north of Binghamton) in the Southern Tier. The northern terminus is at NY 37 near the village of Morristown in the North Country. In between, the route serves three cities of varying size: Norwich, Utica, and Watertown. The distance between Utica and Binghamton is a major trucking route, and features many gas stations, truck stops, and fast food restaurants. Between Watertown and Morristown, it follows the St. Lawrence River valley.

It is a two lane, undivided, full access roadway for the majority of its length, except between the village of New Hartford and Alder Creek, where it is a four-lane highway. Within that span, it is a limited access highway in the city of Utica, referred locally as The Arterial and the North–South Arterial.

Route 12 intersects several primary east–west routes, including US 20, NY 5, and NY 3. From Barneveld to the town of Remsen (a distance of 11 miles or 18 kilometres), NY 12 overlaps NY 28. NY 12 also intersects US 11 twice: once at its beginning in Binghamton and once in Watertown. Between these intersections, NY 12 arcs eastward from US 11, with the stretch right after Utica being its eastern apex. NY 12 also connects with Interstate 81 (I-81) near both its beginning and end points in the same manner.

NY 12, as originally assigned in 1924, extended from Chenango in the south to Clayton in the north. It was extended east over the former routing of NY 3 to Alexandria Bay in 1930, then along a new roadway to Morristown in the 1960s. Parts of NY 12 have been rerouted onto new roadways in areas, primarily in Oneida County.