New York State Route 28
New York State Route 28 is a state highway extending for in the shape of a "C" between the Hudson Valley city of Kingston and southern Warren County in the U.S. state of New York. Along the way, it intersects several major routes, including Interstate 88, U.S. Route 20, and the New York State Thruway twice. The southern terminus of NY 28 is at NY 32 in Kingston and the northern terminus is at US 9 in Warrensburg. In Kingston, NY 28 is co-designated as Interstate 587 from its southern terminus at NY 32 to the roundabout linking it to the Thruway.
NY 28 was originally assigned in 1924, to an alignment extending from Colliersville in the south to Utica in the north via Ilion. From Colliersville to Cooperstown, the highway followed its current routing ; north of Cooperstown, NY 28 was routed along several state highways that now have other designations. The route was extended south to Kingston and north to Warrensburg as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York. At the same time, NY 28 was realigned between Cooperstown and Mohawk to follow its modern routing. Other than minor realignments in Kingston, Oneonta, Herkimer, and Oneida County, NY 28 has remained the same to this day.
Route description
Ulster County
NY 28's southern terminus is with NY 32 in the city of Kingston. The route heads north, then northwest on Colonel Chandler Drive, a four-lane freeway. The roadway is also designated and signed as I-587, which begins at NY 32 as well. Although Colonel Chandler Drive is built to Interstate Highway standards, it has no intermediary interchanges. After crossing over the Esopus Creek into Ulster, I-587 terminates at a roundabout that links I-587 and NY 28 to the New York State Thruway at exit 19.West of I-87, the route becomes a four-lane undivided road and crosses the Blue Line of Catskill Park and becomes the Onteora Trail. Not long afterward, the highway meets US 209 by way of a cloverleaf interchange. Past US 209, the highway becomes a four-lane divided highway and enters a rural area as it heads northwest into the center of the state park.
Near the eastern tip of the Ashokan Reservoir, in the town of Kingston, NY 28 intersects the eastern terminus of NY 28A. West of NY 28A, NY 28 continues towards the north and west along the northern edge of the reservoir. In West Hurley, the route intersects the southern terminus of NY 375. It proceeds along the reservoir to its western end in the town of Olive community of Boiceville, where NY 28A reconnects to the route. Here the mountains begin to loom over the road, with Mount Tremper dominating the view to the north as the route continues along Esopus Creek into the town of Shandaken after passing the southern terminus of NY 212 at Mount Pleasant. At Phoenicia, the largest settlement since Kingston, NY 214 reaches its southern terminus at the highway.
Past Phoenicia, the surrounding slopes become steeper as the road and creek curve around Panther Mountain, one of the Catskill High Peaks, to the south. At Allaben, the Shandaken Tunnel crosses under the road, bringing water from Schoharie Reservoir into the creek. The road and creek start bending to the south to the hamlet of Shandaken, where the town hall on the south side of the road is followed by the southern terminus of NY 42's northern segment. As NY 28 continues trending southwest, the valley becomes less developed. Balsam Mountain, another High Peak, looms ahead.
The northern terminus of NY 42's southern segment marks the small hamlet of Big Indian, after which Esopus Creek crosses for the last time, turning south to its source at Winnisook Lake. The road begins a sustained climb over the next two miles paralleling an Esopus tributary, Birch Creek, up to Pine Hill. At the road to Belleayre Ski Center, in Highmount, the last junction before it leaves the Catskill Park and enters Delaware County, it is for the first time signed as a north–south route.
Delaware and Otsego counties
Across the county line in Middletown, the highway shifts towards the west. NY 28 begins a concurrency with NY 30 in Margaretville, with the routes paralleling the East Branch of the Delaware River. After crossing the Delaware River, the route ends its concurrency with NY 30, and NY 28 continues northwest through Andes as Main Street and Delaware Avenue. In the village of Delhi, the highway becomes known as Andes Road and has a short concurrency with NY 10 in the village center. North of Delhi, it continues north towards the hamlet of Meredith, proceeding west past the hamlet. In Franklin, NY 28 makes a 90-degree turn to the north at the roundabout intersection with the eastern end of NY 357.Once in Otsego County, it traverses an s-curve before veering to the east to follow the southern bank of the Susquehanna River through the town of Oneonta. The route initially connects to the city of Oneonta, which is located across the river from NY 28, via Main Street. Shortly afterward, NY 28 meets NY 23. The route turns north, overlapping NY 23 along the four-lane James F. Lettis Highway. The two routes cross the River and enter the Oneonta city limits before separating at I-88 exit 15. NY 23 continues north on the arterial, while NY 28 joins I-88 eastward out of the city.
Back in the town of Oneonta, the overlap between NY 28 and I-88 continues along the northern bank of the Susquehanna toward the hamlet of Emmons, where the expressway meets County Route 47 at exit 16. The overlap ends at exit 17 in Milford; however, NY 28 remains in close proximity to the Susquehanna River, which turns northward at the interchange. Roughly north of I-88, the highway passes over NY 7 with no access between the two. After another, the route meets D.K. Lifgren Drive, a connector providing access between Routes 7 and 28. North of Goodyear Lake, a body of water situated north of Lifgren Drive, the highway parallels the Susquehanna to the village of Milford, where it intersects the southern terminus of NY 166.
The highway continues northward along the banks of the Susquehanna to the village of Cooperstown, home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Inside the village, the route is initially known as Chestnut Street. Two blocks from the business district of the village, it intersects NY 80, which occupies Chestnut Street north of this point. Both routes turn west, overlapping each other as the routes leave the village. The portion of the highway between the southern border of the village of Cooperstown and the northern intersection with Grove Street is maintained by the village, and is the only section of the route not maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation. Routes 28 and 80 head towards the northwest, passing by the now-abandoned Cooperstown Airport. In Otsego, the NY 28/80 concurrency ends at the intersection of NY 205. NY 28 continues northward as it passes Canadarago Lake. In Richfield Springs, the highway has a concurrency with US 20 for. North of US 20, the highway exits Otsego County.
Herkimer and Oneida counties
In German Flatts, NY 28 becomes Columbia Street and intersects the western terminus of NY 168. In Mohawk, NY 28 intersects and has a brief overlap with NY 5S. After crossing the Mohawk River, NY 28 becomes Mohawk Street and meets I-90 at exit 30. In the village of Herkimer, NY 28 has a concurrency with NY 5. North of NY 5, NY 28 begins to parallel the West Canada Creek. In Middleville, it intersects the western terminus of NY 29 and the northern terminus of NY 169. The highway executes a 90-degree turn at the three-route junction. NY 28 continues towards the north paralleling the West Canada Creek. In Poland, NY 28 begins a wrong-way concurrency with NY 8.In Deerfield, Oneida County, NY 28 splits from NY 8. NY 28 crosses the West Canada Creek and leaves Oneida County for about, then re-crosses the creek and enters Oneida County again. In Trenton, NY 28 joins NY 12 northward toward Barneveld. In Barneveld, NY 12 and NY 28 intersect NY 365. NY 28 splits from NY 12 in Remsen and heads toward the northeast, passing through numerous lakes and reservoirs. In Forestport, it enters Adirondack Park as it parallels the Adirondack Mountains.
NY 28 briefly reenters Herkimer County, but does not have any major junctions. NY 28 passes the Fulton Chain Lakes, among several other large lakes, as it winds through the Adirondack Park.
Hamilton and Warren counties
The Fulton Chain Lakes which NY 28 has been following extend into Hamilton County. The highway soon reaches the settlement of Long Lake as it passes south of Raquette Lake. In the hamlet of Blue Mountain Lake, the route begins a wrong-way concurrency with NY 30; the concurrency ends in the hamlet of Indian Lake. East of NY 30, NY 28 begins to shift towards the south.NY 28 enters Warren County paralleling the Hudson River. In North Creek, it intersects the eastern terminus of NY 28N. The highway continues towards the south opposite to its original course. In Wevertown, it intersects NY 8. It continues towards the southeast paralleling the Hudson River and in Warrensburg, NY 28 comes to an end at a "Y" intersection with US 9.