{{Short description|State highway in western New York, US}} {{Use American English|date=April 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox road |state=NY |type=NY |route=77 |maint=NYSDOT and Genesee County |map={{maplink-road}} |map_custom=yes |map_notes=Map of western New York with NY 77 highlighted in red |length_mi=46.28 |length_ref=<ref name="2008tvr" /> |established=1930<ref name="gb" /> |direction_a=South |terminus_a={{jct|state=NY|NY|78|NY|98}} in Java |junction={{jct|state=NY|US|20A}} in Sheldon<br>{{jct|state=NY|US|20}} in Darien<br>{{jct|state=NY|I-Toll|90|NYST}} in Pembroke |direction_b=North |terminus_b={{jct|state=NY|NY|31}} in Lockport |counties=Wyoming, Genesee, Niagara |previous_type=NY |previous_route=76 |next_type=NY 1927 |next_route=77A }} '''New York State Route 77''' ('''NY 77''') is a north–south state highway in the western part of New York in the United States. The highway runs for {{convert|46.28|mi|2}} across mostly rural areas from an intersection with NY 78 and NY 98 in the Wyoming County town of Java to a junction with NY 31 near the city of Lockport in Niagara County. It connects to several of the region's major east–west roads, including U.S. Route 20 (US 20) and the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90 or I-90). In southwestern Genesee County, the route takes on added importance as it provides the most direct route between the Thruway and Darien Lake, Western New York's largest amusement park.
The route was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York to the portion of its modern routing north of US 20A. Over the next 30 years, NY 77 was truncated and extended several times, moving the south end of the route to various locations in Wyoming and Genesee counties. Throughout this time, NY 77 always extended at least as far south as Corfu. It arrived at its current alignment {{circa|1961}}.
==Route description== left|thumb|NY 77 north from NY 78/NY 98 in Java Center NY 77 begins at a somewhat complicated four-way intersection with NY 78 and NY 98 in Java Center, a hamlet within the Wyoming County town of Java. Here, NY 78 heads east–west through the junction while NY 98 enters the intersection from the south and turns to follow NY 78 east toward an area known as Five Corners. NY 77, meanwhile, continues due north on the path set by NY 98 south of this point. The highway gradually descends through the open fields of Wyoming County, loosely paralleling the Arcade and Attica Railroad for {{convert|4|mi|0}} to the railroad's end outside of North Java. Past this point, NY 77 heads into the town of Sheldon, where it crosses US 20A near the northern town line. In the adjacent town of Bennington, the route serves the small hamlet of the same name, situated around NY 77's junction with NY 354.<ref name="bing">{{bing maps |url=http://binged.it/1M0QVzE |title=overview map of NY 77 |accessdate=July 12, 2015}}</ref>
North of Bennington hamlet, the highway traverses some swampy areas on its way into Genesee County, where it crosses the Norfolk Southern Railway's Southern Tier Line at a grade crossing just south of the Darien hamlet of Darien Center. In the small community, located southeast of Darien Lakes State Park, NY 77 intersects the cross-state US 20. Not far to the north of Darien Center is Darien Lake, a sprawling amusement park located on the east side of the highway. The road, however, remains a two-lane highway as it continues north to the town of Pembroke and the village of Corfu, where it intersects NY 33. NY 77 crosses another major east–west route, NY 5, at a junction {{convert|2|mi|1}} north of Corfu known locally as Brick House Corners.<ref name="bing" /> right|thumb|NY 77 southbound at the junction with NY 33 in Corfu Just beyond that junction, the truck stops and toll plaza associated with exit 48A of the New York State Thruway (I-90) come into view as the road dips slightly in elevation. After connecting to the Thruway's toll plaza, the highway makes its first major bend, turning northeast to pass over the Thruway. Past the Thruway, it once again continues in a more northerly fashion to the hamlet of Indian Falls, a community located on the northern bank of the Tonawanda Creek. NY 77 crosses the creek here, and the falls that give the hamlet its name are visible from the road. North of the falls, the surrounding land becomes mostly fields once again as the route resumes a due north alignment into the town of Alabama. At the small hamlet of Basom, NY 77 intersects Bloomingdale Road, a local road serving the nearby Tonawanda Indian Reservation<ref name="bing" /> that was once part of NY 267.<ref>{{cite map |title=New York |publisher=Exxon |year=1979 |cartography=General Drafting}}</ref>
Not far from Basom, NY 63 comes in from the east and turns north onto NY 77, starting the only concurrency along the latter route. This ends {{convert|1.5|mi|1}} further north in the hamlet of Alabama, where NY 77 turns to the west as NY 63 takes over the northbound route.<ref name="bing" /> The portion of NY 77 from NY 63 to the Niagara County line is maintained by Genesee County as part of CR 12, which continues east of NY 63 along Lewiston, Lockport and North Byron Roads to CR 7 northeast of the village of Elba. This section of NY 77 is the only part that is not maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT).<ref name="inventory">{{cite web |url=https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-repository2/INV_2010-03-02_genesee.csv |title=Genesee County Inventory Listing |date=March 2, 2010 |publisher=New York State Department of Transportation |format=CSV |accessdate=December 13, 2010}}</ref> left|thumb|NY 77 at the junction with NY 63 in Alabama West of NY 63, NY 77 follows Lewiston Road northwest along the southwestern edge of Oak Orchard Swamp and the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. As it heads into Niagara County, NY 77 continues to trend slightly northward, running along the northern fringe of the Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area. About {{convert|6|mi|0}} northwest of the county line is the hamlet of McNalls,<ref name="bing" /> which served as the southern terminus of the 1930s incarnation of NY 359.<ref name="1930map" /> The route continues on to the eastern suburbs of the city of Lockport, where NY 77 ends at an intersection with NY 31 near the community of Nottingham Estates.<ref name="bing" />
==History== <!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:South end NY 77 in Java Center.jpg|right|thumb|Present day southern terminus of NY 77 at intersection with NY 78/NY 98 in Java Center]] --> The northernmost {{convert|3.5|mi|1}} of modern NY 77 between Gasport Road at McNalls and what is now NY 31 east of Lockport was originally designated as part of a spur of Route 30, an unsigned legislative route,<ref name="1920book">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sj4CAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA545 |author=New York State Department of Highways |title=Report of the State Commissioner of Highways |year=1920 |publisher=J. B. Lyon Company |location=Albany, NY |page=545 |accessdate=May 10, 2010}}</ref> by the New York State Legislature in 1914.<ref>{{cite book |author=State of New York Department of Highways |title=The Highway Law |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mBksAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA81 |accessdate=November 28, 2010 |year=1913 |publisher=J.B. Lyon Company |location=Albany, NY |pages=80–81}}</ref><ref name="1919book">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hZ4AAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA82 |author=State of New York Commission of Highways |title=The Highway Law |year=1919 |publisher=J. B. Lyon Company |location=Albany, NY |pages=82–84 |accessdate=May 10, 2010}}</ref> On March 1, 1921, the spur became part of an extended Route 20.<ref name="1921book">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6pE4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA42 |author=New York State Legislature |title=Laws of the State of New York passed at the One Hundred and Forty-Fourth Session of the Legislature |chapter=Tables of Laws and Codes Amended or Repealed |year=1921 |publisher=J. B. Lyon Company |location=Albany, NY |pages=42, 59 |accessdate=May 10, 2010}}</ref> When the first set of posted routes in New York were assigned in 1924, all of legislative Route 20 west of Rochester was designated as part of NY 3.<ref>{{cite news |title=New York's Main Highways Designated by Numbers |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 21, 1924 |page=XX9}}</ref><ref>{{cite map |title=Official Map Showing State Highways and other important roads |year=1926 |publisher=State of New York Department of Public Works |cartography=Rand McNally and Company}}</ref> In the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, NY 3 was realigned between Lockport and Gasport to follow modern NY 31. Its former routing from Lockport to McNalls became part of NY 77, a new route assigned in the renumbering that began at US 20 (now US 20A) in Sheldon and passed through Corfu, Alabama, and McNalls on its way to NY 3 in Lockport.<ref name="gb">''Automobile Legal Association (ALA) Automobile Green Book'', 1930–31 and 1931–32 editions, (Scarborough Motor Guide Co., Boston, 1930 and 1931). The 1930–31 edition shows New York state routes prior to the 1930 renumbering</ref><ref name="1930map">{{cite map |title=Road Map of New York |year=1930 |publisher=Standard Oil Company of New York |cartography=General Drafting}}</ref>
NY 77 was extended south to Arcade {{circa|lk=no|1933}}, following its modern alignment to Java Center and overlapping with NY 98 (via Chaffee and Curriers Roads, both part of NY 98 at the time) between Java Center and Arcade.<ref>{{cite map |title=Texaco Road Map – New York |publisher=Texas Oil Company |year=1932 |cartography=Rand McNally and Company}}</ref><ref>{{cite map |title=Texaco Road Map – New York |publisher=Texas Oil Company |year=1933 |cartography=Rand McNally and Company}}</ref> The extension was short-lived, however, as NY 77 was truncated northward to NY 33 in Corfu {{circa|lk=no|1939}}. Around the same time, NY 98 was realigned to use East Arcade Road between Arcade and NY 78 in Java.<ref>{{cite book |last=Thibodeau |first=William A. |title=The ALA Green Book |edition=1938–39 |year=1938 |publisher=Automobile Legal Association}}</ref><ref name="1939map">{{cite map |title=New York |publisher=Standard Oil Company |year=1939 |cartography=General Drafting}}</ref> NY 77 was reextended southward to Java Center in the late 1950s<ref>{{cite map |title=New York with Special Maps of Putnam–Rockland–Westchester Counties and Finger Lakes Region |publisher=Esso |cartography=General Drafting |edition=1958 |year=1958}}</ref><ref name="1960map">{{cite map |title=New York and New Jersey Tourgide<!--sic--> Map |publisher=Gulf Oil Company |cartography=Rand McNally and Company |year=1960}}</ref> and along modern NY 98 to the junction of Cattaraugus and East Arcade Roads (the latter then part of NY 98) near Arcade {{circa|lk=no|1961}}.<ref name="1960map" /><ref>{{cite map |title=New York and Metropolitan New York |publisher=Sunoco |cartography=H.M. Gousha Company |year=1961 |edition=1961–62}}</ref> NY 98 was realigned in the early 1960s to follow NY 77 between Arcade and Java Center, resulting in the truncation of NY 77 back to Java Center once again.<ref>{{cite map |title=New York and Metropolitan New York |publisher=Sinclair Oil Corporation |year=1962 |cartography=Rand McNally and Company}}</ref><ref>{{cite map |title=New York and Metropolitan New York |publisher=Sinclair Oil Corporation |year=1964 |cartography=Rand McNally and Company}}</ref>
==NY 77A== NY 77A was a spur of NY 77 in the vicinity of Basom in Genesee County. It was assigned {{circa|lk=no|1935}}<ref>{{cite map |title=Road Map of New York |publisher=Texas Oil Company |year=1934 |cartography=Rand McNally and Company}}</ref><ref>{{cite map |title=Road Map & Historical Guide – New York |publisher=Sun Oil Company |year=1935 |cartography=Rand McNally and Company}}</ref> and supplanted by an extended NY 267 in the late 1930s.<ref name="1939map" /><ref>{{cite map |title=Shell Road Map – New York |publisher=Shell Oil Company |year=1937 |cartography=H.M. Gousha Company}}</ref>
==Major intersections== {{NYinttop|length_ref=<ref name="2008tvr">{{cite web |url=https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/Traffic%20Volume%20Report%202008.pdf |title=2008 Traffic Volume Report for New York State |date=June 16, 2009 |format=PDF |page=131 |publisher=New York State Department of Transportation |accessdate=January 31, 2010}}</ref>}} {{NYint |county=Wyoming |cspan=3 |location=Java |mile=0.00 |road={{jct|state=NY|NY|78|NY|98}} |notes=Southern terminus; hamlet of Java Center }} {{NYint |location=Sheldon |mile=8.32 |road={{jct|state=NY|US|20A|city1=East Aurora|city2=Warsaw|areadab2=village}} |notes=Hamlet of Persons Corners }} {{NYint |location=Bennington |mile=13.10 |road={{jct|state=NY|NY|354|city1=Attica|areadab1=village|city2=Cowlesville}} |notes=Hamlet of Bennington }} {{NYint |county=Genesee |cspan=6 |location=Darien |mile=17.57 |road={{jct|state=NY|US|20|city1=Avon|areadab1=village|city2=Alden|areadab2=village|city3=Buffalo}} |notes=Hamlet of Darien Center }} {{NYint |location=Corfu |mile=21.79 |road={{jct|state=NY|NY|33|name1=Main Street}} }} {{NYint |location=Pembroke |lspan=2 |mile=24.06 |road={{jct|state=NY|NY|5|city1=Buffalo|city2=Akron|city3=Batavia}} }} {{NYint |mile=24.76 |type=etc |road={{jct|state=NY|I-Toll|90|NYST|city1=Buffalo|city2=Albany}} |notes=Exit 48A (I-90 / Thruway) }} {{NYint |location=Alabama |lspan=2 |mile=29.82 |type=concur |road={{jct|state=NY|NY|63|dir1=south|city1=Oakfield|areadab1=village|city2=Batavia}} |notes=Southern terminus of NY 63 / NY 77 overlap }} {{NYint |mile=31.31 |type=concur |road={{jct|state=NY|NY|63|dir1=north|city1=Medina}} |notes=Northern terminus of NY 63 / NY 77 overlap; hamlet of Alabama }} {{NYint |county=Niagara |location=Lockport |area=town |mile=46.28 |road={{jct|state=NY|NY|31}} |notes=Northern terminus }} {{Jctintbtm|keys=concur,etc}}
==See also== *{{Portal-inline|U.S. roads}}
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
==External links== {{commons category|New York State Route 77}} {{Attached KML}} {{NYSR external links|type=N|nyroutes=yes|termini=yes|route=77}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:New York State Route 077}} 077 Category:Transportation in Niagara County, New York Category:Transportation in Genesee County, New York Category:Transportation in Wyoming County, New York