New York State Route12E (NY12E) is a state highway located entirely within the northwestern part of Jefferson County in northern New York in the United States. The southern terminus is at NY12F in the village of Brownville. Its northern terminus, both signed and official, is at NY12 in the village of Clayton. While NY12 follows a direct north–south routing between Watertown and Clayton, NY12E diverges westward to follow the shoreline of Lake Ontario. The portion of NY12E north of its junction with NY180 is part of the Seaway Trail, a National Scenic Byway.
Most of modern NY12E was originally designated as part of NY3 in 1924. NY3 was moved onto its current alignment east of Watertown as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, at which time its former routing between Watertown and Clayton became NY12E. From Watertown to Limerick, what is now NY12E was originally NY12F. The alignments of the two routes were flipped in the late 1930s. In 1980, Jefferson County assumed maintenance of NY12E between the Watertown city line and Brownville as part of a highway maintenance swap between the county and the state. This section is now county-maintained as County Route190 (CR190).
Route description
Watertown and Brownville
NY12E begins at the intersection of West Main and Bradley (NY12) streets in the city of Watertown. It initially proceeds northwest on West Main Street as a four-lane residential and commercial street; however, it becomes a two-lane divided highway at a CSX Transportation railroad overpass just six blocks from NY12. Past the crossing, the road follows the Black River across the city line and into the town of Pamelia, where it becomes co-designated as CR190. The highway soon passes under Interstate81 and narrows to a two-lane undivided road before turning westward into the riverside village of Glen Park. It retains its Main Street name through the community, following a two-lane residential street through the village center and eventually into the adjacent village of Brownville.[3]
NY12E at Bridge Street in Brownville. While signage indicates that NY12E turns here, it officially continues straight onto CR190.
In Brownville, the route intersects with the northern terminus of Bridge Street (unsigned NY971H), a short north–south connector leading to NY12F on the south bank of the Black River. At this point, the CR190 co-designation ends and maintenance of the route becomes the responsibility of the state. Through Brownville, NY12E remains a two-lane residential and commercial street, intersecting with the southern terminus of CR54 (Brown Boulevard) near the Brownville Hotel, a National Register of Historic Places-listed (NRHP) property. At the western edge of the village, NY12E passes Brownville Cemetery before leaving for the surrounding town of Brownville and losing the Main Street name. The highway parallels a former railroad right-of-way as it heads through the town of Brownville, becoming a two-lane rural highway and gradually bending northeastward away from the riverbank.[3]
About 2 miles (3.2km) from the center of Brownville, NY12E intersects with CR53 (Cemetery Road), an east–west highway linking the state route to the nearby village of Dexter. NY12E continues on, passing just east of Dexter Cemetery and traversing an undeveloped rural area to reach the hamlet of Limerick. Within the community, it serves mostly residential areas and remains two lanes wide. In the center of the hamlet, the highway intersects with NY180, a road leading to Dexter in the south and the Thousand Islands region in the north.[3] Also present at the junction is the Seaway Trail, a National Scenic Byway that enters from the south on NY180 and exits to the west on NY12E.[4] NY12E leaves Limerick after this junction and continues through the town of Brownville, bending slightly to the northeast at a junction with CR59 (North Shore Road) 3 miles (4.8km) from Limerick at the Brownville–Lyme town line.[3]
Lyme and Cape Vincent
After this junction, NY12E crosses Guffin Creek on its way into the village of Chaumont. Here, NY12E becomes Main Street again as it transitions from a rural highway back to a residential street. In the southern part of Chaumont, the route connects to CR125, at which point NY12E begins to pass by a mix of commercial and residential properties. It crosses over a small creek leading away from Chaumont Bay before turning slightly westward[3] and entering the Chaumont Historic District.[5] Just past the district, the route intersects with CR179 (Evans Street),[3] formerly part of NY179.[6] After this junction, NY12E crosses over the Chaumont River and leaves the village limits at a junction with CR8 (Johnny Cake Road).[3]
NY12E at Broadway in the village of Cape Vincent
Through the surrounding town of Lyme, NY12E reverts to a two-lane rural highway as it proceeds west into the hamlet of Herrick Grove, located 3 miles (4.8km) from Chaumont. Here, the highway heads along a short commercial strip and intersects with the southern terminus of CR5 (Depot and Church streets) off the shore of Chaumont Bay. After leaving Herrick Grove, NY12E enters the nearby hamlet of Three Mile Bay, which comprises a few homes and a junction with CR57 (Carrying Road). Past Three Mile Bay, the route makes a gradual bend to the northwest, leaving Lyme for the town of Cape Vincent, where NY12E intersects with Bedford Corners Road (former CR56) roughly 1 mile (1.6km) from the town line. Heading northwest through the rural town, the route crosses over Kents Creek and intersects with CR4 on its way into the village of Cape Vincent, located at the point where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River.[3]
Inside the village limits, NY12E becomes known as Market Street. It heads north as a two-lane residential street,[3] passing the NRHP-listed John Borland House[7] on its way to the south bank of the St. Lawrence River. Here, it intersects with Broadway, an east–west village street connecting to CR6 west of the village. NY12E turns northeastward on Broadway, passing through the Broadway Historic District and serving the NRHP-listed Vincent LeRay House.[8][9] Two blocks from Market Street, NY12E intersects with James Street, which leads to Wolfe Island via Horne's Ferry.[3] At its north end, the ferry connects to what was once Highway 95 in Ontario, Canada.[10] Past James Street, NY12E follows Broadway through a commercial area that continues to the eastern village limits.[3]
St. Lawrence River corridor
Outside of the village of Cape Vincent, NY12E loses the Broadway moniker, passing St. Vincent of Paul Cemetery and a mobile home park as it runs northeastward along the St. Lawrence River. About 3 miles (4.8km) from the village, the route passes an intersection with Carleton Drive, which serves a ferry linking Carleton Island to the river's south bank. After Carleton Drive, the route continues northeast through the town of Cape Vincent, passing another mobile home park and Burnham Point State Park. The route continues on, entering the adjacent hamlets of Sunnybank and Millins Bay. In the latter, NY12E intersects with CR7, a riverside highway serving a small community located between the river and NY12E.[3]
NY12E at NY12, its northern terminus, in Clayton
At the northern end of Millins Bay, CR7 merges back into NY12E, and the latter highway continues along the St. Lawrence River through the northern reaches of the town. Not far from the eastern town line, the route intersects with CR9 (Sand Bay Road) and passes the Cape Vincent Correctional Facility and Cedar Point State Park, located on opposite sides of the highway. After the correctional facility, NY12E crosses into the town of Clayton, where the route remains a two-lane rural riverside highway. Roughly 2 miles (3.2km) into the town, the route bends slightly to the east and intersects with the northern terminus of CR4 (Fish Pond Road), which intersected NY12E back in the town of Cape Vincent.[3]
Past the junction with CR4, NY12E bends back to the northeast, passing more riverside residences and a handful of farms before entering the village of Clayton. In the village, NY12E becomes known as State Street as it crosses over an inlet from the St. Lawrence River. The bridge over the waterway brings the route into Clayton's downtown portion, where it intersects with NY12 (James Street). This intersection serves as the northern terminus of NY12E, as State Street continues northeastward as part of NY12.[3]
In the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, NY3 was rerouted to exit Watertown to the east on its modern alignment. The former alignment of NY3 from Watertown to Clayton was redesignated as NY12E.[2] At the same time, an alternate route of NY12E extending from the modern junction of NY12E and NY180 to downtown Watertown along the northern bank of the Black River was designated as NY12F.[14] The alignments of NY12E and NY12F east of what is now NY180 were swapped c.1939, placing both routes on their current alignments.[15][16]
The signed southern terminus of NY12E at the junction of NY12F and Bridge Street in Brownville
On August1, 1979, maintenance of NY12E between Bridge Street in Brownville and the Watertown city line was transferred from the state of New York to Jefferson County as part of a larger highway maintenance swap between the two levels of government. In return, the state assumed maintenance of Bridge Street in Brownville and the town of Hounsfield, among other highways.[17] Following the swap, the segment of NY12E between Bridge Street and the Watertown city limits became concurrent with CR190[18][19] while Bridge Street became NY971H, an unsigned reference route.[20] The section of NY12E within the city of Watertown was locally maintained.[19]
NY12E was re-aligned between 2008 and 2012 to follow Bridge Street in Brownville to an intersection with NY12F.[20]
