The origins of NY279 date back to the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York when all of modern NY279 was designated as part of New York State Route209, which continued south through Albion and west through West Barre to Shelby. NY209 was cut back to West Barre c.1931 and renumbered to NY279 in April1935 to eliminate numerical duplication with U.S. Route209, which was extended into New York at that time. NY279 was truncated to its current southern terminus north of Albion in the early 1950s. NY98, which originally followed Oak Orchard Road through Barre, was realigned to follow the easternmost segment of NY279's former routing on Quaker Hill Road.
In Carlton, NY279 deviates from its northwesterly routing and heads due west to serve the hamlet of Waterport situated on the Oak Orchard River. It intersects Eagle Harbor–Waterport Road (CR31) south of the community, then turns north toward the creek, becoming overlapped with CR103 at CR31. NY279 heads through Waterport and crosses the river at Waterport Pond (also known as Lake Alice), a widewaters formed by a dam along Oak Orchard River northeast of Waterport. On the northern bank of the pond, NY279 meets Oak Orchard River Road (CR49). The CR103 designation ends here and is replaced with CR104 as NY279 turns eastward onto Waterport Road.[4][6]
The route briefly follows the northern bank of the river, then veers north to serve Waterport Station, a small community centered around the former grade crossing between NY279 and the Hojack Line. Past Waterport Station, NY279 continues north through forested areas and cultivated fields to its northern terminus at a junction with NY18 near the Lake Ontario shoreline and south of Lakeside Beach State Park. Just east of the junction, NY18 intersects the western end of the Lake Ontario State Parkway.[4]
History
All of modern NY279 was originally designated as part of NY209, a route assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York. NY209 began at NY19 (now NY63) in Shelby and followed Fletcher Chapel, Hemlock Ridge, and West Barre Roads to Quaker Hill Road, where it turned north to meet NY98 at Oak Orchard Road. The two routes then embarked on an overlap through Albion to Gaines Road, at which point NY209 split off to the northwest toward the hamlet of Waterport.[2] NY209 was truncated eastward to West Barre c.1931.[2][7] When U.S. Route209 was extended into New York c.1935, NY209 was renumbered to NY279 to eliminate numerical duplication with the new U.S. Highway.[3][8]
In the early 1950s, NY279 was cut back to its junction with NY98 north of Albion. At the same time, NY98 was realigned in Barre to use NY279's former routing along Quaker Hill Road. The shift was part of a larger realignment of NY98 through the towns of Barre and Elba.[9][10] The remainder of NY279's former routing to West Barre is now maintained by Orleans County as County Route99.[11]
New York with Special Maps of Putnam–Rockland–Westchester Counties and Finger Lakes Region (Map) (1955–56ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1954.