New York State Route 36 - History

History

In 1908, the New York State Legislature created Route 15, an unsigned legislative route that initially extended from Hornell in the south to Caledonia in the north via Dansville and Mount Morris. Also assigned at this time was Route 16, which went from Cuba to Rochester via Le Roy and Caledonia. Much of Route 15 followed modern NY 36; however, from Dansville to Mount Morris, it used what is now NY 63 and NY 408 instead. Route 16, meanwhile, followed current NY 36 from Caledonia to Mumford. From Jasper to Hornell, modern NY 36 was part of the cross-state Route 4. On March 1, 1921, Route 16 was truncated to end in Le Roy. Its former routing north of Caledonia became part of Route 15.

NY 36 was assigned in the mid-1920s to an alignment extending from Hornell in the south to Avon in the north. The route utilized the routing of legislative Route 15 from Hornell to Dansville and from Mount Morris to Shakers Crossing, the modern junction of NY 63 and NY 408 northeast of Mount Morris. Between Dansville and Mount Morris, NY 36 followed its current alignment. Past Shakers Crossing, NY 36 continued northward through Geneseo to Avon on modern NY 63 and NY 39. The Geneseo–Avon segment of NY 36 became part of US 20 when that route was assigned in 1927. South of Hornell, what is now NY 36 from Hornell to Jasper became part of NY 17 when that route was assigned to most of legislative Route 4 in 1924. The remaining sections of contemporary NY 36—from Jasper to the Pennsylvania state line and north of Mount Morris—were state-maintained but unnumbered.

In the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, the segment of modern NY 36 from Hornell south to the Pennsylvania state line became the southernmost portion of NY 21. At the same time, NY 36 was realigned north of Mount Morris to follow the path of former legislative Route 15 north through Caledonia to Mumford. Past Mumford, NY 36 continued north on its modern alignment to a new terminus at NY 3 (now NY 31) south of Adams Basin. In the early 1940s, NY 36 was extended south through Hornell and Almond to Andover, replacing part of NY 17F. The routings of NY 36 and NY 21 south of Hornell were swapped in the early 1950s, placing both routes on their current alignments south of the city.