New York State Route 39

NY 39 begins at an intersection with US 20 at the southern extent of the town of Sheridan, located northeast of the village of Fredonia and southeast of the city of Dunkirk. Heading east, NY 39 passes farmland and other undeveloped areas as it intersects a number of Chautauqua County routes. The most notable of these is County Route 85 (CR 85),[4] which was once NY 428 north of where it meets NY 39 in the hamlet of Forestville.[5] Although NY 39 crosses many county routes as it makes its way across the towns of Sheridan and Hanover, it does not intersect another state-maintained route until it crosses into Cattaraugus County. Across the county line, NY 39 enters the hamlet of Perrysburg, centered around the route's junction with CR 58, locally known as North Road.[4] South of this point, CR 58 was once part of NY 353.[5]

US 62 and NY 39 through Gowanda

To the east, NY 39 briefly turns northward before following West Main Street eastward into the creekside village of Gowanda. It continues east to the village's business district, located adjacent to Cattaraugus Creek, where the route intersects US 62. The two routes form a northward concurrency, jointly occupying West Main Street to the bridge traversing Cattaraugus Creek a mere 60 yards (55 m) to the northeast, where the road name becomes East Main Street and the county becomes Erie County on the other side of the waterway. US 62 and NY 39 break from East Main Street 90 yards (82 m) later, following Buffalo Street northward through a mostly residential neighborhood. At the northern edge of the village, the two routes change direction again, turning east onto Sandhill Road. Buffalo Street continues to be a touring route, however, as NY 438 continues north on Buffalo Street toward the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation.[4]

NY 39 west of Springville

Outside of Gowanda, US 62 and NY 39 take on a more northerly routing to the town of Collins, where the two routes split in the town center. US 62 continues northward towards Buffalo on Gowanda–Buffalo Road while NY 39 takes Main Street east out of town. In Collins Center to the east, NY 39 intersects the southern terminus of the Sisson Highway, NY 75. Past the hamlet, NY 39 heads generally northeastward across 8 miles (13 km) of open areas to the village of Springville. West of the village, NY 39 meets the Southern Expressway (US 219) at an interchange. Not far to the east is a junction with the heavily commercialized Cascade Drive,[4] the newer of US 219's two former routings through Springville.[6]

NY 39 continues east past Cascade Drive and into the village, where it becomes Main Street. In the village's central business district, NY 39 crosses Buffalo Street,[4] US 219's original alignment through Springville.[7] The route continues on, meeting NY 240 at the eastern village line before proceeding into another rural area dominated by farmlands. From Springville to Yorkshire, NY 39 closely parallels the northern bank of Cattaraugus Creek as it heads to the northeast. The route crosses the creek 9 miles (14 km) later in the town of Sardinia, where it intersects NY 16 east of the town center. NY 16 and NY 39 come together for a brief overlap that leads NY 39 south across the creek and back into Cattaraugus County. They split just south of the creek in the town of Yorkshire, at which point NY 39 heads east for 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to enter Wyoming County.[4]

In the neighboring village of Arcade, NY 39 remains Main Street, acting as the primary east–west road through town. It crosses two railroad lines, the Buffalo Line that is owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway and operated by the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad and the Arcade and Attica Railroad (ARA), by way of two grade crossings immediately after entering the village. The route continues on through the lightly developed western half of Arcade, crossing the ARA a second time before both reach the more populated village center. Here, the railroad crosses NY 39 a third and final time before connecting to NY 98 at Liberty Street.[4] That route overlaps with NY 39 for a mere 300 yards (270 m) east to Water Street, where NY 98 resumes its northward trek toward Batavia. After another 0.5 miles (0.8 km), Arcade abruptly ends, giving way to more fields of farmland, a common sight along NY 39 from here eastward.[4]

NY 19 north and NY 39 east in Pike

About 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Arcade in the hamlet of Bliss, NY 39 intersects the southern terminus of NY 362, a short north-south connector linking NY 39 to NY 78. After another 5 miles (8 km), NY 39 connects to the north–south NY 19 outside of the hamlet of Pike. At this point, NY 39 turns to the northeast, a direction that it proceeds in for most of the remainder of its routing. The first 1 mile (1.6 km) of this stretch overlaps with NY 19, which eventually splits from NY 39 to proceed north to Lake Ontario. NY 39 continues on, connecting to the western terminus of NY 436 in the hamlet of Lamont before intersecting NY 19A southwest of the village of Castile.[4]

NY 19A, an easterly alternate route of NY 19, merges with NY 39, following the latter for 0.25 miles (0.40 km) to an unorthodox intersection southwest of the village. Heading west on NY 39, traffic is diverted onto a ramp leading to NY 19A, where commuters must turn left onto NY 19A to continue west on NY 39. Eastbound NY 39, however, has no such configuration, allowing eastbound traffic to remain on NY 39 through the intersection. Between Castile and the village of Perry, NY 39 assumes a slightly more northerly alignment, paralleling the edges of Silver Lake a half-mile to the northwest and Letchworth State Park 2 miles (3.2 km) to the southeast. Upon entering Perry, NY 39 shifts to a northeasterly alignment once again as it intersects NY 246 in the village center. East of the village, NY 39 switches counties for the final time as the road crosses into Livingston County.[4]

Northeast of where NY 39 enters the county but southwest of the village of Leicester, NY 39 intersects US 20A in an area known as Pine Tavern. The two routes fuse together and head northeast to Leicester, where they descend into a valley surrounding the Genesee River and form a short concurrency with NY 36 in the village center. NY 36 enters from the north and travels east along US 20A and NY 39 for 250 yards (230 m) prior to continuing south to Pennsylvania, leaving US 20A and NY 39 to continue east. They serve Cuylerville, a small hamlet on the outskirts of Leicester, before crossing over the Genesee River and climbing the eastern face of the valley to reach a junction with NY 63. Like NY 19A near Castile, NY 63 overlaps US 20A/NY 39 for just 0.25 miles (0.40 km) before it forks from the route at the southernmost point of the SUNY Geneseo campus.[4]

US 20A and NY 39 in the town of Geneseo

While NY 63 runs along the western edge of the college, US 20A and NY 39 follow the eastern edge of SUNY Geneseo northward to the village center. Here, the two routes meet Mary Jemison Drive, an east–west street that serves that the only connection between NY 39 west and NY 63 north. At the same intersection, US 20A and NY 39 turn east onto South Street; however, the concurrency terminates just one block later at Main Street. Here, NY 39 turns north, leaving US 20A to proceed east toward the Finger Lakes.[4]

Outside of Geneseo, NY 39 becomes Avon Road, a name it retains to the outskirts of the village of Avon. As it enters Avon, the farmlands give way to more developed, mostly residential areas. Now named Wadsworth Avenue, NY 39 passes west of a large Kraft Foods plant that occupies a large portion of southwestern Avon. North of the plant, the route heads past residential neighborhoods to the west and commercial establishments situated on the Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad (LAL) to the east. NY 39 ends about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from the plant at a junction with US 20 and NY 5 west of the center of Avon and just west of where those two routes cross the LAL at-grade.[4]