New York State Route 438 - Route Description

Route Description

NY 438 begins at an intersection with US 62 and NY 39 in northern Gowanda. The route heads north, inheriting the Buffalo Street moniker from US 62 and NY 39, which turn east at NY 438's southern terminus. Outside of the village in Collins, the route becomes Four Mile Level Road as it curves westward into the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation. As its name implies, the route traverses relatively level terrain for a stretch of roughly 4 miles (6 km) as it parallels the northern bank of Cattaraugus Creek to the northwest and west. During this stretch, NY 438 intersects both Versailles–Plank Road and Brant Road (southern terminus of County Route 9 or CR 9) and crosses over the narrow Clear Creek.

As it approaches Irving, NY 438 becomes Irving–Gowanda Road, named for the communities at each terminus. The route heads northwest across undeveloped but level terrain, crossing over the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) without connecting to the highway. NY 438 comes to an end shortly afterward at a junction with US 20 and NY 5 northeast of Irving in the town of Brant. Access to the Thruway is made via exit 58, located a mile (1.6 km) to the southwest on US 20 and NY 5 in Irving, a hamlet in the adjacent Chautauqua County town of Hanover.

Unlike most state routes, NY 438 is entirely locally maintained. From its southern terminus to the Gowanda village line, a distance of 0.16 miles (0.26 km), the route is maintained by the village of Gowanda. In Collins, the highway is town-maintained from the village line to a junction with Aldrich Street Extension 0.27 miles (0.43 km) north of Gowanda. The next 0.32 miles (0.51 km) are maintained by Erie County as CR 504, while the remainder of NY 438 is maintained by the government of the Cattaraugus Reservation.