U.S. Route 9W
U.S. Route 9W is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the states of New Jersey and New York. It begins in Fort Lee, New Jersey, as Fletcher Avenue crosses the US 1/9, US 46, and Interstate 95 approaches to the George Washington Bridge, and heads north up the west side of the Hudson River to US 9 in Albany, New York. As its "W" suffix indicates, US 9W is a westerly alternate route of US 9 between the two locations. US 9W directly serves three cities—Newburgh, Kingston, and Albany—and enters the vicinity of several others. As the route heads north, it connects to several highways of regional importance, including I-84, US 209, New York State Route 23, and US 20. Much of US 9W parallels the New York State Thruway and NY 32; additionally, the latter overlaps with US 9W in four locations.
Route description
For much of its length, US 9W is a two-lane surface road. However, some stretches in New Jersey and New York widen to four lanes, and much of the highway in Orange County is like an expressway even if not so designated.New Jersey
US 9W begins as a four-lane road. Heading north on Fletcher Avenue in Fort Lee, US 9W occupies the right-of-way of the Palisades Interstate Parkway to Lemoine Avenue, the northern terminus of Route 67. US 9W exits the right-of-way, turning north onto Lemoine Avenue, later Sylvan Avenue, in Englewood Cliffs, where it passes the headquarters of Ferrari of North America, Unilever, and CNBC. As the roadway enters Tenafly from Englewood Cliffs, it reduces to a two lane roadway from four lanes. It continues to parallel the PIP to its west as they progress northward along the west bank of the Hudson River until reaching the border with New York. Both roads run very near the top of the Palisades, occasionally offering views of New York City and the river.Lemoine Avenue is heavy with commercial development in the Coytesville section of Fort Lee, but, as the road runs into Englewood Cliffs, it transitions to corporate office buildings. Into the affluent community of Alpine in the state's northeastern corner, it becomes more residential. Near Norwood, just south of the state line, US 9W crosses under the parkway and enters New York. Before the construction of the PIP, US 9W used to follow a route through the State Line Lookout at the New Jersey–New York border which is now accessible only from the parkway.
The entire route of US 9W in New Jersey is within Bergen County.
New York
Rockland County
Across the state line, US 9W continues in Palisades as Highland Avenue, a two-lane road through mostly residential suburban surroundings. It passes Columbia University's Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and then Tallman Mountain State Park. Bending westward to Sparkill, it meets NY 340.It returns to the riverside at Piermont, where it takes the name Broadway Avenue. Running due north, it enters Nyack and meets with the New York State Thruway just west of the Tappan Zee Bridge. It then runs along the thruway to the east terminus of NY 59 in downtown Nyack, where it becomes North Highland Avenue once again. North of Upper Nyack, it passes Rockland Lake through Valley Cottage and then Rockland Lake State Park.
Alongside the park, it crosses town lines again. NY 303 reaches its north end just after the park and, after a tight curve NY 304, reaches its northern terminus as well.
US 9W then returns to the riverside briefly, trending away from it into Haverstraw under the name Congers Avenue. The village is followed immediately by West Haverstraw, where US 202 comes in at an oblique angle and joins US 9W, creating the first concurrency along the route.
The combined highways head north from the Haverstraws as South, then North, Liberty Drive, passing Stony Point Battlefield. They return to the Hudson at Tomkins Cove, where the Hudson River National Defense Reserve Fleet was moored from 1947 to 1971. Between Tomkins Cove and Jones Point there are two large ships anchor surrounding a monument alongside the road that marks the spot which is just across from Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan.
At Jones Point, the road curves and bends above the river as it works its way around Dunderberg Mountain, the southernmost peak of the Hudson Highlands and part of Bear Mountain State Park.
At Iona Island, it levels out again briefly and then US 9W/US 202 climbs to the heart of the state park at Bear Mountain Inn and Hessian Lake, where the Appalachian Trail crosses beneath the road in the only artificial tunnel along its entire route. The Orange County line is crossed just before Bear Mountain Circle.
Orange County
The circle marks the northern terminus of the PIP and the junction with US 6. US 202 leaves US 9W to join US 6 here and cross the Bear Mountain Bridge. North of the circle, US 9W continues as a four-lane surface road, crossing Popolopen Creek and affording views of the similarly named Torne. It passes first the historic Fort Montgomery, then enters the small hamlet of the same name, distinguished by a post office, gas station, and some other small businesses.After becoming a four-lane expressway, NY 218, the former route of US 9W, forks off to the right, carrying traffic to Highland Falls and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. US 9W then starts to climb the highlands above the village and the academy. The following exit is also for NY 218, which joins US 9W for just north of the village. It leaves the highway at the northern terminus of NY 293 to run alongside Storm King Mountain.
File:West Point from 9@.JPG|left|thumb|The USMA viewed from US 9W just before passing over Crow's Nest
From here, US 9W continues its ascent, offering sweeping views over the river and highlands, with an overlook available to northbound drivers. The surrounding land is all woods, part of the vast USMA property. After passing Crow's Nest, Storm King and the rocky cliff faces of Butter Hill dominate the northward view. Another parking lot allows travelers to stop and sightsee, as well as hike the Stillman Trail up the two peaks.
After Storm King, the road begins a long descent into the town of Cornwall, where it becomes a two-lane surface road before becoming a four-lane arterial road. Just outside the village of Cornwall-on-Hudson and the fields of New York Military Academy, NY 218 ends its loop. Shortly afterward, the division ends, although the road remains four lanes as it enters the town of New Windsor.
It descends again where Breakneck Ridge and Bull Hill tower across the river. Traffic begins to slow down at the center of town, where NY 94 ends its journey across the county. After this traffic light, the road begins to narrow. Once across Quassaick Creek and into Newburgh, it is Robinson Avenue, a wide urban arterial with parking along the sides.
It ascends gently past Delano-Hitch Stadium and the associated park to the center of its passage across Newburgh, the intersection with Broadway. Here NY 17K has its eastern terminus, and NY 32, the other main surface route west of the Hudson, begins its first concurrency with US 9W.
Passing Broadway School, a former elementary school which is in the process of being converted into the City of Newburgh Court House, the two routes head into a more residential sector of the city, marked by Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Downing Park. The road's climb continues until the North campus of Newburgh Free Academy, where it starts to descend to the busy exit at I-84, visible ahead, just west of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. This junction, also including NY 52, is the city's northern limit.
Immediately after it, NY 32 leaves to the northwest while US 9W continues northward. It passes Powelton Club, part of the affluent community of Balmville, the first of several within the town of Newburgh that US 9W will pass. Middle Hope follows, as the road becomes a two-lane route with a rural feel. Development continues along the road, but there are increasingly large unbroken fields or woodlots and, finally, in the northern reaches of the town, orchards. At Roseton, past the access road to the nearby powerplants, the highway reaches the county line just past the turnoff to the Gomez Mill House, the earliest surviving Jewish home in the U.S.
Ulster County
Traffic is slowed when it passes through the hamlet of Marlboro, but otherwise there is little change in US 9W until it widens to four lanes again just south of the Mid-Hudson Bridge approach overpass. At this point, US 44 and NY 55 join the highway from the east. The road becomes a busy commercial strip for the next mile to the concurrency's end, where NY 44 and NY 55 go down into Highland. The four lanes continue, however, for several more miles until well past the eastern terminus of NY 299, the road that carries traffic west toward the thruway and New Paltz.About north of that intersection, the road returns to two lanes through West Park and Esopus, passing primarily through largely undeveloped, primarily wooded countryside. It becomes more built up at Port Ewen, just south of Kingston, which it enters by crossing Rondout Creek via the John T. Loughran Bridge and becoming a four-lane expressway known as Frank Koenig Boulevard.
It runs right through Kingston this way and meets NY 32 again at the city's northern boundary. Turning left, US 9W's second concurrency with NY 32 is only long as it almost immediately turns right onto East Chester Street. The road widens again, becoming a busy commercial strip. At the freeway interchange ahead for the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, US 209 comes to its northern end and NY 199 its western.
In Lake Katrine, the road begins to narrow and traffic lightens. US 9W stays on a straight northward course, following alongside Esopus Creek but not crossing it, until it veers northeast to merge, once again, with NY 32.
This third concurrency finally brings the road over Esopus Creek and into the riverside village of Saugerties. Here, US 9W follows Partition Street and then Main Street when the routes part again, with NY 32 carrying NY 212 out of this junction. As Malden Avenue, the highway continues north alongside the river once again, passing through the hamlet of Malden-on-Hudson on its way up into Greene County.