Route 17: Every Kid’s Favorite Highway

By BoroPark24 Staff
Thousands of families will be heading up the mountains today to spend the summer months in the Catskills. They will travel on Route 17, look out at the scenery, and count down as the exit numbers get lower.
Route 17, which is 397 miles long, was first constructed between 1949 and 1962, when tourism in the Catskills exploded and the rural roads that were in place then couldn’t accommodate the many cars heading upstate every summer.
The first segment of the highway, which stretched from Fair Oaks to Goshen, opened in 1951, and additional segments were added over the next few years.
After its completion to its current length, NY-17 stands as the longest state route in New York, spanning through 11 counties and extending into a portion of Pennsylvania.
Unfortunately, many accidents occur on this road due to the high traffic volume. Drivers are urged to exercise extra caution at all times of the day and in all weather conditions.
While many travelers know this highway as a parking lot due to heavy traffic during the summer weeks causing significant delays at certain times of the day, the savvy ones know to travel during the less busy hours.