{{Short description|state highway in New York, U.S.}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2018}} {{Infobox road |state=NY |type=NY |route=308 |map={{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-lat=41.9483 |frame-long=-73.8591|zoom=10|type=line|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/New York State Route 308}}}} |map_custom=yes |map_notes=Map of the Rhinebeck area with NY 308 highlighted in red |map_alt=NY 308 follows a southwest–northeast alignment from US 9 in Rhinebeck, a village located across the Hudson River from the city of Kingston, to NY 199 southeast of Red Hook. It intersects NY 9G just east of Rhinebeck. |length_mi=6.19 |length_round=2 |length_ref= |established=1930{{cite book |author = Automobile Legal Association |year = 1930 |title = Automobile Green Book: Road Reference and Tourists' Guide of All States East of Mississippi River, Eastern Ontario, Quebec and Maritime Provinces |location = Boston |publisher = Scarborough Motor Guide Co. |edition = 1930–1931 |oclc = 24448978 }} The 1930–1931 edition shows New York state routes prior to the [[1930 renumbering (New York)|1930 renumbering]].{{cite book |author = Automobile Legal Association |year = 1931 |title = Automobile Green Book: Road Reference and Tourists' Guide of All States East of Mississippi River, Eastern Ontario, Quebec and Maritime Provinces |location = [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] |publisher = Scarborough Motor Guide Co. |edition = 1931–1932 |oclc = 1051679017 }} |direction_a=West |terminus_a={{jct|state=NY|US|9}} in [[Rhinebeck (village), New York|Rhinebeck]] |junction={{jct|state=NY|NY|9G}} in [[Rhinebeck, New York|Rhinebeck]] |direction_b=East |terminus_b={{jct|state=NY|NY|199}} in [[Red Hook, New York|Red Hook]] |counties=[[Dutchess County, New York|Dutchess]] |previous_type=NY |previous_route=307 |next_type=NY |next_route=309 }} '''New York State Route 308''' ('''NY 308''') is a short [[state highway]], {{convert|6.19|mi|2}} in length, located entirely in northern [[Dutchess County, New York|Dutchess County]], in the [[U.S. state]] of [[New York (state)|New York]]. It is a major [[collector road]] through a mostly rural area, serving primarily as a shortcut for traffic from the two main north–south routes in the area, [[U.S. Route 9 in New York|U.S. Route 9]] (US 9) and [[New York State Route 9G|NY 9G]], to get to [[New York State Route 199|NY 199]] and the [[Taconic State Parkway]]. The western end of NY 308 is located within [[Rhinebeck (village), New York|Rhinebeck]]'s [[Rhinebeck Village Historic District|historic district]], a {{convert|2.6|sqmi|km²|adj=on}} [[historic district]] comprising 272 historical structures. The highway passes near the Dutchess County Fairgrounds, several historical landmarks, and briefly parallels the Landsman [[Kill (body of water)|Kill]]. Artifacts found near Lake Sepasco, near NY 308's eastern terminus at [[Rock City, New York|Rock City]], date to about 1685, when the Sepasco [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] built the Sepasco Trail from the Hudson River, eastward through modern-day Rhinebeck (then Sepasco or Sepascoot) to the lake, following roughly NY 308 and its side roads. The trail remained until 1802, when part of the [[Ulster and Delaware Turnpike]]—also known as the Salisbury Turnpike—was chartered over the trail and extended from [[Salisbury, Connecticut]] to the [[Susquehanna River]] at or near the Town of Jericho (now [[Bainbridge (town), New York|Bainbridge]]). NY 308 was designated as part of the [[1930 renumbering (New York)|1930 renumbering of New York state highways]], incorporating a portion of the former Ulster and Delaware Turnpike. The route originally extended from [[Milan, New York|Milan]] westward to [[Rhinecliff, New York|Rhinecliff]] to serve a ferry landing on the [[Hudson River]]. It was truncated to US 9 in the 1960s, but its former routing to Rhinecliff is still state-maintained as an unsigned [[reference route (New York)|reference route]]. The highway was also intended to cross the Hudson via the [[Kingston–Rhinecliff Bridge]] until plans were changed to involve other routes and the site for the bridge was moved about {{convert|3|mi|0}} upriver. ==Route description== [[File:Downtown Rhinebeck, NY.jpg|right|thumb|NY 308's western terminus at US 9 in downtown Rhinebeck|alt=A street corner in a developed urban area with two-story ornate brick buildings and busy tree-line sidewalks under a blue sky. Traffic lights governing the intersection are red.]] NY 308 begins from its western terminus at an intersection with US 9 in the [[Dutchess County, New York|Dutchess County]] village of [[Rhinebeck (village), New York|Rhinebeck]], at about {{convert|200|ft|m}} in elevation.{{cite map |author = United States Geological Survey |author-link = United States Geological Survey |work = [[The National Map]] |title = Elevation Point Query Service |publisher = United States Geological Survey |access-date = November 29, 2018 |url = https://nationalmap.gov/epqs/pqs.php?x=-73.91258&y=41.92687&units=Feet&output=json |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181129001226/https://nationalmap.gov/epqs/pqs.php?x=-73.91258&y=41.92687&units=Feet&output=json |archive-date = November 29, 2018 |url-status = live }} It is within the [[Rhinebeck Village Historic District]], a {{convert|1670|acre|km²|adj=on}} [[historic district]] that contains 272 buildings in a variety of [[architectural style]]s dating from over 200 years of the settlement's history.{{cite web |first = Marilyn |last = Hatch |title = Rhinebeck Village Walking Tour |url = http://www.rhinebeckchamber.com/history/walktour.asp |publisher = Rhinebeck Chamber of Commerce |access-date = November 18, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070107063835/http://www.rhinebeckchamber.com/history/walktour.asp |archive-date = January 7, 2007 }} One of those buildings, the [[Beekman Arms Inn]], at the corner of routes 9 and 308, claims to be the oldest continuously-operated inn in the United States.{{cite news |first = Harold |last = Faber |title = What's doing in: The Hudson Valley |date = April 14, 1991 |newspaper = [[The New York Times]] |access-date = July 20, 2008 |url = https://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/14/travel/what-s-doing-in-the-hudson-valley.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091026221227/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/14/travel/what-s-doing-in-the-hudson-valley.html |archive-date = October 26, 2009 |url-status = live }} founded in 1766.{{cite web |author = Historical Hotels of America |title = Beekman Arms & Delamater Inn |publisher = National Trust for Historic Preservation |access-date = May 15, 2008 |url = http://www.historichotels.org/hotel/Beekman_Arms |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110517200258/https://www.historichotels.org/hotels-resorts/beekman-arms-and-delamater-inn/ |archive-date = May 17, 2011 |url-status = live }} The highway proceeds eastward on East Market Street for its first half-mile (800 m), passing at first two blocks of stores, then Rhinebeck's village and town halls, followed by residences. It merges with South Street where the Landsman Kill begins to parallel it closely on the south side. Between the stream and NY 308, just past this junction, is the [[Jan Pier House]], another of Rhinebeck's National Register-listed properties. [[File:NY 308 in Rhinebeck 4.jpg|thumb|left|View east along NY 308 east of Rhinebeck|alt=A group of cars, seen from behind, traveling down a slightly curved two-lane paved road with a double-yellow stripe in the middle through an area of small fields and trees, in summertime. There are metal guardrails along the sides, longer on the left than the right, and an entranceway on the right further down with a stone and wood sign. Next to the road in the foreground of the image is a small white on blue metal sign promoting the adopt-a-highway program, with a smaller white on green metal sign with numbers and letters further down the signpost.]] After passing Wynkoop Lane on the north NY 308 leaves the village and enters the [[Rhinebeck (town), New York|Town of Rhinebeck]]; the surrounding area becomes more rural, with more [[woodlot]]s and fields. Following the intersection with [[County Route 101 (Dutchess County, New York)|County Route 101]] (CR 101, known as Violet Hill Road) NY 308 turns northeast. Another half-mile takes it to its grade-separated intersection with [[New York State Route 9G|NY 9G]], the only state highway NY 308 crosses. After the interchange, it crosses Landsman Kill for the last time, then gradually turns east into a rural area. Between US 9 and NY 9G, NY 308 carries an [[average annual daily traffic|average]] of about 6,000 vehicles per day. East of NY 9G, the [[traffic|traffic volume]] drops to about 3,500 vehicles per day.{{cite web |author = New York State Department of Transportation |url = https://www.dot.ny.gov/tdv |title = Traffic Data Viewer |year = 2015 |publisher = New York State Department of Transportation |access-date = November 28, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180901011453/https://www.dot.ny.gov/tdv |archive-date = September 1, 2018 |url-status = live }}{{cite web |author = New York State Department of Transportation|url = https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/applications/traffic-data-viewer/traffic-data-viewer-repository/TDV_Shapefile_AADT_2015.zip |title = TDV Shapefile AADT 2015 |year = 2015 |publisher = New York State Department of Transportation |access-date = November 28, 2018 }} Several small lakes surround NY 308 as it intersects [[County Route 52 (Dutchess County, New York)|CR 52]], Salisbury Turnpike, in the hamlet of [[Eighmyville, New York|Eighmyville]], {{convert|1.1|mi}} east of Route 9G, and subsequently turns northeast again for the next two miles (3.2 km), crossing a large area of open fields in a level area, passing between two large hills of at least {{convert|400|ft|m}}.{{cite map |author = United States Geological Survey |work = The National Map |url = https://viewer.nationalmap.gov/advanced-viewer/viewer/index.html?extent=-8234252.1282%2C5146386.6625%2C-8214684.2489%2C5154059.0292%2C102100 |publisher = United States Geological Survey |access-date = November 29, 2018 |title = Advanced Viewer }} After passing Sepasco Lake on the east, NY 308 turns east once again at Old Rock City Road. It passes just to the south of the Red Hook Golf Club before coming to an end at [[New York State Route 199|NY 199]] in [[Rock City, New York|Rock City]], a hamlet within the town of [[Milan, New York|Milan]] that is situated just east of where the Milan, [[Red Hook, New York|Red Hook]], and [[Rhinebeck (town), New York|Rhinebeck]] town lines converge.{{Google maps |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=from:+E%20Market%20St/RT-308%20@41.926860,%20-73.912580+to:+RT-308%20@41.970313,%20-73.821096 |access-date=March 1, 2008}} The elevation at the east terminus is {{convert|330|ft|m}}{{cite map |author = United States Geological Survey |work = The National Map |title = Elevation Point Query Service |publisher = United States Geological Survey |access-date = November 29, 2018 |url = https://nationalmap.gov/epqs/pqs.php?x=-73.82157&y=41.97032&units=Feet&output=json }} ==History== ===Native Americans and old roads=== As indicated by artifacts recovered close to the road in Milan and in other areas along the [[Hudson River]], the earliest inhabitants of the northern Dutchess County region were the [[Mohicans]], a [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] nation, about 3,000 years ago.{{cite web |author = Milan Concerns Committee |title = History |publisher = Milan Concerns Committee |access-date = July 14, 2008 |url = http://www.milanconcerns.com/history/history.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080828195819/http://www.milanconcerns.com/history/history.html |archive-date = August 28, 2008 |url-status = live }} The range of the Mohicans extended from northern Dutchess County to the southern tip of [[Lake Champlain]], and from the [[Catskill Mountains]] to the [[Berkshires]] in [[Massachusetts]]. The total population of the Mohicans was estimated at 8,000 during the time of first contact with the [[European ethnic groups|Europeans]], although only 800 remained after the [[American Revolution]].{{cite web |author = Valatie Library |title = The Mohicans of Columbia County |publisher = Valatie Library |access-date = July 15, 2008 |url = http://www.valatielibrary.org/mohicans.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080518032311/http://valatielibrary.org/mohicans.htm |archive-date = May 18, 2008 |url-status = dead }} Artifacts were also recovered along the shore of Lake Sepasco{{snd}}a small lake NY 308 passes near its eastern terminus, including ancient arrowheads displayed at the Museum of Rhinebeck History in October 2000.{{cite web |first = Nancy V. |last = Kelly |title = October 2000 Chamber Line |year = 2000 |publisher = Rhinebeck Chamber of Commerce |access-date = July 15, 2008 |url = http://www.rhinebeckchamber.com/newsletter/0010.pdf |format = PDF |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060520215510/http://www.rhinebeckchamber.com/newsletter/0010.pdf |archive-date = May 20, 2006 |url-status = dead }} A group of these Native Americans were, in deeds and correspondence, known as the Sepasco Indians, a name specific to Native Americans in the Sepasco area (modern-day Rhinebeck). The word ''Sepasco'' probably originated from the tribe's word for little river or stream, ''sepuus'', which is believed to have referred to the Landsman Kill. By 1685, a trail known as the Sepasco Trail was formed by them and was routed from the Hudson River, eastward through the present-day Village of Rhinebeck, ending at Lake Sepasco.{{cite web |first = Nancy V. |last = Kelly |title = September 2000 Chamber Line |year = 2000 |publisher = Rhinebeck Chamber of Commerce |access-date = July 15, 2008 |url = http://www.rhinebeckchamber.com/newsletter/0009.pdf |format = PDF |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060520220114/http://www.rhinebeckchamber.com/newsletter/0009.pdf |archive-date = May 20, 2006 |url-status = dead }} The trail from the Village of Rhinebeck to Lake Sepasco follows roughly modern-day NY 308, in some areas slightly to the south, where the highway's side roads are curved in a pattern similar to that of the Sepasco Trail.{{cite book |first = Evan T. |last = Pritchard |title = Native New Yorkers: The Legacy of the Algonquin People of New York |year = 2002 |edition = 1st |location = San Francisco |publisher = Council Oak Books |isbn = 978-1-57178-107-9 |page = 453 |ref = harv }} It is possible that the trail as a whole existed as a spur of an ancient path that stretched from Rhinebeck to today's [[Cornwall, Connecticut]].{{harvp|Pritchard|2002|p= 289}}. [[File:Sepasco Indian Trail plaque.JPG|right|thumb|A plaque at the intersection of NY 308 and US 9, placed in 1922, marks the crossing of the Kings Highway and the former Sepasco Trail.|alt=Close-up view of a plaque briefly describing the history of the adjacent road.]] The trail remained intact until 1802, when part of the Ulster and Delaware Turnpike was chartered over it "for improving and making a road from the west line of the Town of Salisbury in the State of Connecticut to the Susquehannah{{sic}} River at or near the Town of Jericho [present-day [[Bainbridge (town), New York|Bainbridge]]]".{{cite book |author = State of New York |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=e637shhPEdMC&pg=PA113 |title = Laws of the State of New York |volume = Vol. III |year = 1804 |location = Albany, NY |publisher = Charles R. and George Webster |page = 113 }} The portion of the Ulster and Delaware Turnpike east of the [[Hudson River]] was also commonly known as the Ulster and Salisbury Turnpike. The turnpike crossed the river by way of the Kingston–Rhinecliff Ferry and used modern Rhinecliff Road and West Market Street to the village center of Rhinecliff, then followed roughly modern NY 308 to the hamlet of [[Eighmyville, New York|Eighmyville]].{{cite book |first = Mary Robinson |last = Sive |title = Lost Villages: Historic Driving Tours in the Catskills |year = 1998 |location = Delhi, NY |publisher = Delaware County Historical Association |isbn = 978-1-892289-00-1 |page = 33 }} It continued east from there using part of [[County Route 52 (Dutchess County, New York)|CR 52]] to eventually connect with [[New York State Route 199|NY 199]]. A bronze plaque attached to a large boulder was erected in November 1922 by Chancellor Livingston Chapter of the [[Daughters of the American Revolution]] on the property of the Beekman Arms, that marked the crossing of the Kings Highway (present-day US 9) and the Ulster and Salisbury Turnpike.{{cite book |first = Robert B. |last = Ludy |title = Historic Hotels of the World: Past and Present |year = 1927 |publisher = David McKay |location = Philadelphia |page = 112 }} Still existent, it reads "This stone marks the crossing of the Kings Highway and the Sepasco Indian Trail, later named the Ulster and Salisbury Turnpike, over which traveled the Connecticut Pioneers to their new homes in [[western New York]]."{{cite book |first = Raymond C. |last = Houghton |title = A Revolutionary War Road Trip on US Route 9: Spend a Revolutionary Day |year = 2003 |publisher = Cyber Haus |isbn = 978-1-931373-12-8 |page = 64 }} ===Designation=== The NY 308 designation was assigned as part of the [[1930 renumbering (New York)|1930 renumbering of New York state highways]]. At the time, it extended from the Rhinecliff ferry landing to Rock City in the town of [[Milan, New York|Milan]].{{cite map |title = Road Map & Historical Guide: New York |author = Sun Oil Company |author-link = Sun Oil Company |year = 1935 |author2 = Rand McNally and Company |author2-link = Rand McNally and Company |scale = |location = |section = }}{{full citation needed|date=November 2018}} West of US 9, NY 308 continued to follow the old turnpike alignment to Hutton Street, where it connected to the Kingston–Rhinecliff Ferry.{{cite map |author = United States Geological Survey |title = New York – Rhinebeck Quadrangle (southwestern portion) |year = 1939 |scale = 1:62,500 |series = 15 Minute Series |type = Topographic map |location = Reston, VA |publisher = United States Geological Survey |url = http://docs.unh.edu/NY/rhin39sw.jpg |access-date = April 21, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090225144702/http://docs.unh.edu/NY/rhin39sw.jpg |archive-date = February 25, 2009 |url-status = live }} In 1947, the ferry was the only crossing of the Hudson River between [[Catskill (village), New York|Catskill]] (the [[Rip Van Winkle Bridge]]) and [[Poughkeepsie (city), New York|Poughkeepsie]] (the [[Mid-Hudson Bridge]])—a distance of {{convert|36|mi|0}}—and the only one serving the Kingston area.{{cite map |title = Official Highway Map of New York State |author1 = State of New York Department of Public Works |author-link = State of New York Department of Public Works |year = 1947 |edition = 1947–1948 |author2 = General Drafting |author2-link = General Drafting |scale = |location = Albany |publisher = State of New York Department of Public Works |section = }}{{full citation needed|date=November 2018}} [[File:Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge.jpg|left|thumb|The Kingston–Rhinecliff Bridge|alt=Panorama of a bridge over a wide river with mountains visible in the distance.]] Initial plans for the [[Kingston–Rhinecliff Bridge]], a structure that replaced the ferry between the two locations, called for the bridge to span the Hudson River between downtown Kingston (at Kingston Point) and the village of [[Rhinebeck (village), New York|Rhinebeck]] along a corridor similar to that of NY 308. Due to political and economic factors, the bridge site was moved {{convert|3|mi|0}} upstream (northward). The bridge, then partially complete, opened to traffic on February 2, 1957, at which time the ferry service between Kingston and Rhinecliff was terminated.{{cite web |url = http://www.nysba.state.ny.us/bridgepages/KRB/KRBpage/krb_page.htm |author = New York State Bridge Authority |author-link = New York State Bridge Authority |publisher = New York State Bridge Authority |title = The 'George Clinton' Kingston–Rhinecliff Bridge |access-date = November 6, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100925145124/http://www.nysba.state.ny.us/bridgepages/KRB/KRBpage/krb_page.htm |archive-date = September 25, 2010 }} However, NY 308 continued to extend west to Rhinecliff up to the 1960s, when it was truncated to [[U.S. Route 9 in New York|US 9]] in the village of Rhinebeck.{{cite map |title = New York and Metropolitan New York |author1 = Sinclair Oil Corporation |author-link = Sinclair Oil Corporation |year = 1964 |author2 = Rand McNally and Company |scale = |location = |publisher = Sinclair Oil Corporation |section = }}{{full citation needed|date= November 2018}}{{cite book |url = http://www.greaternyroads.info/pdfs/state70.pdf |format = PDF |title = Official Description of Touring Routes in New York State |date = January 1, 1970 |author = State of New York Department of Transportation |author-link = State of New York Department of Transportation |location = Albany, New York |publisher = Traffic and Safety Division, New York State Department of Transportation |oclc = 19293841 |access-date = April 21, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090225122503/http://www.greaternyroads.info/pdfs/state70.pdf |archive-date = February 25, 2009 |url-status = live }} The section of former NY 308 west of US 9 is now designated as NY 982M, an unsigned [[reference route (New York)|reference route]].{{cite map |url = http://gis.ny.gov/gisdata/quads/drg24/dotpreview/index.cfm?code=y47 |title = Kingston Digital Raster Quadrangle |author = New York State Department of Transportation |year = 1989 |scale = 1:24,000 |location = Albany |publisher = New York State Department of Transportation |type = Topographic map |access-date = January 20, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140521222220/http://gis.ny.gov/gisdata/quads/drg24/dotpreview/index.cfm?code=y47 |archive-date = May 21, 2014 |url-status = live }} ==Major intersections== {{NYinttop|length_ref={{cite book |author = Highway Data Services Bureau |url = https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/Traffic%20Data%20Report%202008.pdf |title = 2008 Traffic Data Report for New York State |date = June 16, 2009 |format = PDF |page = 291 |publisher = [[New York State Department of Transportation]] |access-date = October 13, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120927022429/https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/Traffic%20Data%20Report%202008.pdf |archive-date = September 27, 2012 |url-status = live }}|county=Dutchess}} {{NYint |location=Rhinebeck |area=village |lspan=2 |mile=0.00 |mspan=2 |road=West Market Street ([[List of reference routes in New York#Region 8|NY 982M]]) |notes=Continuation past US 9 }} {{NYint |mile=none |road={{jct|state=NY|US|9|name1=Mill Street / Montgomery Street|extra=hospital}} |notes=Western terminus }} {{NYint |location=Rhinebeck |area=town |mile=1.82 |road={{jct|state=NY|NY|9G|NYST||road=[[Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge|Kingston Bridge]]|to2=yes|city1=Poughkeepsie|location2=[[Germantown (town), New York|Germantown]]}} }} {{NYint |location=Red Hook |mile=6.19 |road={{jct|state=NY|NY|199|Parkway|Taconic|to2=yes}} |notes=Eastern terminus }} {{NYintbtm}} ==See also== *{{Portal-inline|Hudson Valley}} *{{Portal-inline|U.S. roads}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Further reading== {{refbegin}} * {{cite book |first = Shirley W. |last = Dunn |title = The Mohicans and Their Land: 1609–1730 |year = 1994 |publisher = Purple Mountain Press |isbn = 978-0-935796-49-0 }} * {{cite book |first = Henry Noble |last = MacCracken |year = 1956 |title = Old Dutchess Forever! |location = New York |publisher = Hastings House }} * {{cite book |first = James H. |last = Smith |title = History of Dutchess County |year = 1882 |publisher = D. Mason & Co }} {{refend}} ==External links== {{Commons category|New York State Route 308}} {{Attached KML}} {{NYSR external links|type=N|nyroutes=yes|termini=yes|route=308}} {{Featured article}} [[Category:State highways in New York (state)|308]] [[Category:Transportation in Dutchess County, New York]] [[Category:Rhinebeck, New York]]