Robert Moses State Parkway - Route Description

Route Description

The Robert Moses State Parkway begins as a westward continuation of a spur off the LaSalle Expressway in Niagara Falls, New York. It connects with Interstate 190 and NY 384 just west of its official southern terminus and passes under the North Grand Island Bridge as it heads west along the Niagara River. The only interchange along this portion of the route comes 3 miles (5 km) west of I-190, where the parkway connects to a spur leading into Niagara Falls State Park. The parkway itself turns north here and returns to grade level at Buffalo Avenue, where the Moses Parkway terminates and continues north as John B. Daly Boulevard (designated but not signed as NY 952B by NYSDOT). One block to the north of this intersection is NY 384, which also comes within one block of the northern portion of the parkway.

The parkway resumes north of downtown at an intersection with Main Street (NY 104). It heads north as a four-lane divided highway, passing the northern extents of Niagara Falls State Park and the Aquarium of Niagara as it parallels the Niagara Gorge. Roughly 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from NY 104, the parkway downgrades into a two-lane highway. The Robert Moses Parkway continues on, passing over the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge's eastern approach (and thus NY 182's western terminus) as it approaches and serves Whirlpool State Park. North of the park, the highway curves northeastward, matching the curvature of the gorge in the area. After serving the Devil's Hole State Park and interchanging with NY 104, it passes over the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant. Many features are within view at this point: to the west of the parkway at this point are the Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Power Stations; to the north are the Lewiston–Queenston Bridge and the Niagara River's course for miles ahead. The parkway interchanges with I-190 via Upper Mountain Road before passing under the bridge and re-widening to four lanes.

Just north of the bridge, the Robert Moses Parkway approaches the edge of the Niagara Escarpment. Here, it is possible to see for several miles in any direction. Looking north, the remainder of the Niagara River can be seen, as can its mouth at Lake Ontario. The parkway descends the escarpment and meets NY 18F and NY 104 just east of the village of Lewiston. North of Lewiston, the Parkway follows a largely north–south routing as it passes through largely rural sections of the towns of Lewiston and Porter. During this stretch, it has an exit to Pletcher Road, which links the parkway to Joseph Davis State Park.

At the village of Youngstown, the Robert Moses Parkway interchanges with NY 93. North of the village, the parkway's median widens as it interchanges with a short spur (designated but not signed as NY 958A) leading to Fort Niagara State Park and Fort Niagara within. Past this junction, the parkway turns east and begins to parallel Lake Ontario. It passes under NY 18F and interchanges with Four Mile Creek Drive, the entry road for Four Mile Creek State Park, before terminating at an at-grade intersection with NY 18. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has jurisdiction over the parkway and its spur to Fort Niagara; however, NYSDOT maintains both highways.