New York State Route 18F
New York State Route 18F is a 15.77 km long state highway in northwestern Niagara County, New York. The southernmost point of the route is the junction with the New York State Route 104 and the Robert Moses State Parkway east of the Village of Lewiston. The northern endpoint is the intersection with New York State Route 18 in the vicinity of Four Mile Creek State Park in Porter. NY 18F is substantially parallel with NY 18, but takes a more westerly course. NY 18F is the only surviving branch of the NY Route 18 and was once even part of the State Route.
Route description
Officially starts NY 18F on the eastern edge of Lewiston at the connection point between NY 104 and the Robert Moses State Parkway. The signs for the NY 18F exists already but further south at the intersection of NY 104 and NY 18 south of the village. According to the signs run NY 18F and NY 104 from NY 18 north to the junction with Moses Parkway together. The Seaway Trail, which leads to the NY 104 along from Niagara Falls towards Lewiston, NY 18F follows westward into to Lewiston, on the route of Ridge Road, the Center Street is called here. At the 4th Street, NY 18F bends to the north and follow the road until the junction with the Oneida Street. NY 18F then turns left and runs two blocks on the Oneida Street before it strikes again a northern direction out of the city on the 2nd Street.
North of the city limits, NY 18F is the closest road to the Niagara River - this is reflected in the street names, Lower River Road. On the way north on the east bank of the River NY 18F runs parallel to the Robert Moses State Parkway and NY 18 in Stella Niagara NY 18F meets the Fletcher Road, the first road north of Lewiston, which connects all these three highways together. NY 18F then passes through the western edge of the Joseph Davis State Park south of Youngstown in the Town Porter. In Youngstown NY 18F is the Main Street and crosses the center of the village of the western terminus of New York State Route 93 at the northern edge of the settlement NY 18F leads past the south entrance to Fort Niagara State Park, the State Route leaves are off. NY 18F performs the Jackson Street and then north past the Lake Road to the park.
Near the shore of Lake Ontario, NY 18F crosses to Fort Niagara leading branch line of the Robert Moses State Parkway by an incomplete connection point at which only the driveway to the west is possible; the access road to the eastward road is carried further east on NY 93 in Youngstown or the NY 18. After the ascent NY 18F turns east and leads along the lakeshore. The State Route then turns south again, via the Parkway across and then ends at NY 18 in the vicinity of Four Mile Creek State Park in Porter.
The section between Center Street in Lewiston and Youngstown is maintained by the Niagara County as County Road 907.
History
Between Lewiston and Youngstown today's NY 18F was once known as NY 34 signposted. In the 1930 renumbering of NY 34 was part of a much extended NY 18, which followed the course of today's NY 18F. 1949, the course of NY 18 was reorganized and today's route between Lewiston and Porter fixed, whereas the distance to the river for NY 18F was.
NY 18F is the only remaining branch route of NY 18 Originally, when the New York State Route 18 is still stretched as far as Pennsylvania, were the State Routes assigned 18A to 18D branch lines south of Lewiston, while the New York State Route 18E a branch line within Lewiston was, which connected the town with the former Lewiston- Queenston Bridge. When at the beginning of the 1960s, NY 18 was truncated to the section up to Lewiston, NY NY 18A to 18D were either renumbered or incorporated into existing at that time State Routes. The NY 18E in Lewiston was deleted from the street directory as the original Lewiston- Queenston Bridge was demolished.