Storm King Highway - Route Description

Route Description

Storm King Highway is a two-lane 22-foot (6.7 m) wide asphalt-paved road with double-yellow lines forbidding passing along its entire 21,000-foot (6,400 m) length. Its grade never exceeds 7%, and it is bounded along the river side with a rubblestone wall. No buildings of any type are located along the road, nor is there any intersection save those for state park trailheads. There are chainlink gates at either end.

Maintenance responsibilities are divided. The southern section is kept up by the New York State Department of Transportation as it is a state highway, while the Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) takes care of the northern section as it runs through Storm King State Park.

Due to hazards of rockfall as well as avalanches and falling ice, the road is closed by the state Department of Transportation during periods of heavy rain or snow. In 1934, a landslide on Storm King Mountain crossed the highway and resulted in three fatalities and the destruction of three automobiles.

At least one motorist has died on the highway due to a snow avalanche. The incident occurred at roughly the hour in which DOT workers closed the road during a 1993 snowstorm. The victim's estate and a survivor was later awarded damages in a lawsuit against the state.

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