Route Description
US 20 enters Western New York closely paralleling the Lake Erie shoreline, the Thruway and NY 5. Passing through the southeastern suburbs of Buffalo, it assumes a due-east heading at Depew, taking it to the NY 5 overlap in Avon. The two roads pass through many of the communities at the north ends of the larger Finger Lakes, splitting in Auburn. Through Central New York and the Central New York Region to its east, US 20 drifts south into the rugged upper reaches of the Allegheny Plateau, distancing itself from the Thruway and NY 5 by as much as 20 miles (32 km) at some points.
In the Capital District, the three routes all converge again, and US 20 goes right through downtown Albany, the largest city along its route in New York. Just before crossing the Hudson River, US 20 is joined again by US 9 for its second-longest concurrency, which ends just before the Thruway's Berkshire section in Schodack Center. From there it drifts southward into the Berkshires, crossing the Massachusetts state line west of Pittsfield.
All but 5.60 miles (9 km) of US 20's 372-mile (599 km) alignment in New York is maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). In Cayuga County, the 1.21-mile (1.95 km) section of US 20 in Auburn between NY 38A and the eastern city line is maintained by the city of Auburn. To the east in Albany County, the 4.39 miles (7.07 km) of US 20 in Albany from the western city line to the north end of the NY 32 overlap is also city-maintained.
Read more about this topic: U.S. Route 20 In New York
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