Route information | ||||
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Maintained by NYSDOT, Erie County, and the cities of Buffalo and Olean | ||||
Length | 79.19 mi[1] (127.44 km) | |||
Existed | 1924[2]–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | PA 646 at the Pennsylvania state line in Allegany | |||
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North end | NY 5 in Buffalo | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | New York | |||
Counties | Cattaraugus, Erie | |||
Highway system | ||||
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New York State Route 16 (NY 16) is a state highway in western New York, in the United States. It runs from the Pennsylvania state line, where it is one of the highest highways in the state in elevation, to downtown Buffalo. NY 16 is a major route through Erie County, despite the construction of the paralleling NY 400 freeway from East Aurora. In Cattaraugus County it also plays an important role, serving as the major connection from Olean to the Southern Tier Expressway (Interstate 86 or I-86 and NY 17). Between those two areas, and indeed for much of its length, it is a two-lane rural road.
NY 16 initially ended in Olean when it was assigned in 1924. It was extended south to the Pennsylvania state line in the early 1930s; however, it initially overlapped NY 17 east to Portville, where it connected to Pennsylvania by way of modern NY 305. NY 16's current alignment south of Olean was originally designated as New York State Route 16A around this time. NY 16 was rerouted to follow the routing of NY 16A south of Olean in August 1962.