New York State Route 417

NY 417 begins at the Seneca Allegany Casino, just south of the exit 20 interchange with the Southern Tier Expressway (I-86 and NY 17) in Salamanca, a city wholly located within the Allegany Indian Reservation. After merging with R. C. Hoag Drive (Old Route 17), the highway heads east as Broad Street, crossing through the city's business district and intersecting the south end of NY 353 and paralleling the Allegheny River as it passes through the mostly residential central portion of the city. NY 417 changes names to Clinton Street after crossing Main Street, and subsequently intersects U.S. Route 219 (US 219) eight blocks later at Parkway Drive (exit 21 of I-86). US 219 joins NY 417 here, and the two routes head northeast across a long bridge carrying Clinton Street across the Allegheny River. On the north bank, Clinton Street merges with Wildwood Avenue, at which point US 219 and NY 417 join the latter for five blocks to a junction with Central Avenue. US 219 leaves NY 417 here, following Central Avenue out of the city while NY 417 continues east as part of US 219 Business.

NY 417 westbound with US 219 Business in Carollton

Not far to the east of US 219, US 219 Business and NY 417 leave Salamanca upon crossing over Great Valley Creek, which serves as the boundary between Salamanca and the hamlet of Kill Buck. The concurrency continues eastward through Kill Buck and into reservation land within the bounds of Great Valley, transitioning to forests and otherwise undeveloped areas as the highway turns south to follow the eastern edge of the Allegheny River valley. The river, the valley, and the road all turn back to the east in the adjacent town of Carrollton, where US 219 Business leaves NY 417 to continue south toward I-86 exit 23 and on to Limestone and Bradford, Pennsylvania. NY 417 continues to follow the Allegheny River and the nearby Southern Tier Expressway (STE) to the hamlet of Vandalia, the easternmost point of the reservation. Continuing into the town of Allegany, NY 417 indirectly intersects with I-86 and NY 17 at exist 24. From there, it passes through the village of Allegany and serves the campus of St. Bonaventure University before entering the city of Olean, the largest community along its length.

In Olean, NY 417 initially follows State Street across a heavily commercialized area before entering a more residential portion of the city. It continues to run past a handful of smaller businesses to Olean's downtown district, where it meets NY 16 at Union Street. East of here, NY 417 diverges from the STE as it crosses over Olean Creek and follows the Allegheny River into the slightly less populated town of Portville. The route continues for about 5 miles (8.0 km) to the village of Portville, the site of a brief concurrency with NY 305. NY 417's southeast heading continues east of the small village, taking the road away from the river and into Allegany County.

The first 2 miles (3.2 km) of NY 417 in Allegany County traverses isolated, undeveloped areas as it runs along the base of a large valley surrounding Oswayo Creek, a tributary of the Allegheny River. It continues to the small hamlet of Ceres, where NY 417 skirts the Pennsylvania state line closely enough to serve as the de facto northern end of Pennsylvania Route 44, which officially begins about 100 feet (30 m) to the south of the junction. From Ceres, it turns to the northeast, utilizing a smaller valley formed by the Little Genesee Creek, itself a branch of Oswayo Creek. The 7-mile (11 km) valley leads NY 417 to the village of Bolivar, where NY 275 begins at NY 417 in the village center and heads north toward Friendship.

Southbound on the divided highway carrying NY 19 and NY 417 around Wellsville

NY 417, meanwhile, leaves Bolivar to the east, winding its way northeastward across the mountains of the Southern Tier to its next large community, the village of Wellsville. The route enters the community, located in the Genesee River valley, from the west on Bolivar Road. It runs across the northwestern part of Wellsville and crosses the Genesee River before meeting NY 19 at a junction northwest of the village's center. NY 417 turns south here, following NY 19 along a four-lane divided highway that runs along the Genesee River and bypasses much of the village's central business district. The highway and the overlap both end just southeast of downtown Wellsville, at which point NY 417 continues northeastward through the residential eastern section of the village on Andover Road.

About 2 miles (3.2 km) from the village center, the development along NY 417 ceases as the route progresses generally northeastward through the narrow valley of Dyke Creek, closely paralleling the main line of the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad (WNYP). After another 7 miles (11 km), NY 417 comes to the village of Andover, where NY 21 begins its long trip north toward the Finger Lakes. The WNYP also heads north here to follow NY 21 to the city of Hornell; however, NY 417 continues east along Dyer Creek for another 2 miles (3.2 km) to the Steuben County line.

In Steuben County, NY 417 begins to climb the headwall of the Dyer Creek valley, reaching an elevation of 2,300 feet (701 m) above sea level at the Greenwood hamlet of West Greenwood. The route descends into a ravine known as Cole Hollow shortly afterward,[8] where it intersects NY 248 north of the hamlet of Greenwood. Past NY 248, the route winds its way through Woodward Hollow[8] to the town of Jasper and a junction with NY 36, another major north–south route, at a junction west of the hamlet of Jasper. NY 36 overlaps with NY 417 to the outskirts of the community, at which point it splits from NY 417 and heads toward Hornell. NY 417, meanwhile continues southeast through Jasper and follows Tuscarora Creek toward Woodhull.

NY 417 westbound approaching downtown in the village of Addison

Beyond Jasper, the road meanders through a valley surrounding Tuscarora Creek, heading generally eastward to a larger gully containing the Canisteo River and the village of Addison. Just north of the village center, the route crosses over the river and intersects Front Street, which once carried NY 17F and later NY 432 into the village.[9][10] Outside of Addison, NY 417 follows the Canisteo River and the Norfolk Southern Railway's Southern Tier Line into the adjacent town of Erwin, where it connects to I-99 and US 15 at an interchange northwest of the confluence of the Canisteo and Tioga Rivers. At this point, the railroad and NY 417 turn northeast to follow I-99/US 15 and the Tioga River into the hamlet of Gang Mills, a western suburb of Corning.

In Gang Mills, NY 417 crosses the Southern Tier Line on an overpass and connects to I-99/US 15 twice: once in the community itself and again northeast of Gang Mills at Robert Dann Drive. The route continues past Robert Dann Drive on South Hamilton Street, crossing over the Cohocton River and reconnecting to the Southern Tier Expressway at exit 44, a complex semi-directional T interchange that also connects I-86 and NY 17 to I-99 and US 15. From here, the route proceeds into the village of Painted Post as North Hamilton Street, serving two blocks of mostly commercial properties before terminating at an intersection with NY 415.