New York State Department of Public Works Urban Arterial Highway Route Planning Files

Alphabetical by name of city.

The series consists of plans, correspondence, graphs, and maps relating to arterial highway planning in 38 cities throughout New York. The files were produced as a consequence of Chapter 543 of the Laws of 1944, which envisioned the construction of urban arterial highways to improve traffic flow and to stimulate post-World War II employment and industrial recovery.

The act amended the highway law and empowered the Superintendent of Public Works to prepare designs, plans, specifications, and estimates for the construction, reconstruction, or improvement of extensions or continuations of highway routes as well as parkways and expressways. It was the state's intention to integrate arterial highways in the state highway system and cost share with the federal government for the construction and maintenance of the system, with the remainder of costs for required rights of way assumed by the city. Under the act the plans might be prepared by the Department of Public Works, by a city in arrangement with the Superintendent of Public Works, or a private engineering firm subject to approval by the Director of the Budget.

The files are organized by city and consist of an arterial highway "master plan" (entitled "Urban Area Report") for that area prepared by the Department of Public Works as well as other supplemental, preliminary, interim, and summary reports, and a small amount of related correspondence. The urban area reports generally include a summary of recommendations; the master plan and a narrative on its benefits; basic planning data (on population density and growth, land use, and motor vehicle registrations); a traffic survey (traffic volumes and patterns, peak hours, destination, accumulation, and distribution of traffic); and details of the master plan (including cost estimates and supporting maps and graphs). Most of the related correspondence dates from the later 1950s and results from amendments to the highway law in relation to revising routes in specific cities. This material may include modifications of cost estimates, drafts of required changes in the highway law, memoranda on budgets, copies of city council resolutions approving arterial plans, and press releases.

The maps in the series are print copies, usually done in color with specific explanatory legends. The maps may typically show new arterial routes, state highway connections, retained or deleted arterial routes, future routes, existing abandoned highways, or primary or secondary arterial routes. Sometimes there are pencilled annotations as to additional rights of way, references to legislative acts, mileage, or rhetorical questions on planned routes. Other maps that support or detail the master plan typically include: maps showing accumulation and distribution of traffic, destination of traffic entering cities, and peak hour traffic volumes; maps showing existing land use, population density, and population growth trends; key maps showing locations of origination and destination areas and stations and intersections; state county coding maps; smaller schematic diagrams placed as insert maps within the text illustrating different arterials; occasional regional maps of the state showing existing major state highways and the proposed state thruway; and "typical section" maps of underpasses, bridges, and rights of way included as insets on larger arterial route maps.

The maps usually contain title and scale information, with the preparer's name sometimes present on larger maps. Sizes range from the smaller detail maps measuring approximately 13 x 8 cm to the largest size of 28 x 84 cm, folded into the volume size of 30 x 22 cm. Maps presented on one page measure 26 x 20 cm.

In addition the plans contain some aerial photography of arterial routes (some annotated with street names, bridges, etc.) or general views of the city for which the plan was devised, and various line graphs and charts representing such data as county motor vehicle registrations, vehicle accumulation and parking capacity in business districts, and city/county population growth comparisons.

The series includes files for the following cities: Albany; Amsterdam; Auburn; Batavia; Binghamton; Buffalo; Canandaigua; Corning; Dunkirk; Elmira; Fulton; Geneva; Glens Falls; Gloversville-Johnstown; Hornell; Ithaca; Jamestown; Kingston; Lackawanna; Little Falls; Lockport; New Rochelle; Niagara Falls; Norwich; Odgensburg; Olean; Oneonta; Peekskill; Plattsburgh; Port Jervis; Rochester; Rome; Salamanca; Saratoga Springs; Schenectady; Syracuse; and Tonawanda and North Tonawanda.

A0733-96: This accretion consists of copies of urban area arterial plans developed by the Department of Public Works in the process of expanding the state highway system during the post-World War II period. Also included in this accretion is a cooperative survey and report produced by the Department of Public Works' Bureau of Public Roads, entitled "Highway Needs." The study describes in detail the state's highways and roads in terms of historical use; inventory, deficiencies, locations, and numbers of accidents, and conditions; traffic patterns and problems, by county; anticipated needs; recommendations for systematic improvements; anticipated costs; and estimated decreases in accidents and loss of lives. The study includes photographic reproductions, graphs, maps, and diagrams.

A0733-80: Container list is available at the repository.

A0733-96: Volume list is available at the repository.

At some indeterminate time these records were placed in the custody of the Division of the Budget, which transferred them to the State Archives in 1980.

A0733-96: These records were apparently forwarded to the State Senate for informational or review purposes. The records were stored in the State Library stacks at the Education Building and were transferred to the Archives at the request of the Senate Microfilm and Records Office due to pending renovation of the building.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.