NY 304 begins as a two-lane surface road at the New Jersey–New York border in
Pearl River. South of the border is
Montvale in
Bergen County, in which NY 304 continues as
County Route 503 (CR 503), known as Kinderkamack Road in Bergen County. From its southern terminus at the state border to its interchange with Washington Ave about a half a mile up, it is also known as Pearl Street. NY 304 quickly becomes a four-lane surface road intersecting
CR 33 and
CR 30 in Pearl River. CR 33 provides a link to the downtown business district of Pearl River via Central Avenue. After its intersection with CR 30, NY 304 becomes a four-lane
freeway. The freeway has interchanges with Crooked Hill Road (northbound only) and CR 33 (Middletown Road) in Pearl River and
NY 59 in
Nanuet. The latter exit indirectly connects NY 304 with the
PIP and the
New York State Thruway (
Interstate 87 or I-87 and
I-287). At its intersection with former
NY 59A (West Nyack Road), NY 304 reverts to a four-lane surface road. Just north of West Nyack Road, NY 304 passes over the Thruway and the PIP, here less than apart. NY 304 does not connect to either of the highways; instead, the Thruway and the PIP connect to each other by way of a large
cloverleaf interchange along the eastern side of NY 304. The route continues north, entering the hamlet of
New City as the highway intersects
CR 27 (Germonds Road). NY 304 provides a link to the downtown business district of New City at its intersection with Main Street one block to the north. North of this location, NY 304 becomes a four-lane
expressway. The road then becomes a
two-lane expressway at a junction with
CR 80. Finally, after crossing
CR 23 in north New City, NY 304 makes its final push toward its northern terminus at an intersection with
US 9W just inside the
Haverstraw town line. The intersection between NY 304 and US 9W is less than one mile (1.6 km) north of the intersection of
NY 303 and US 9W, which also serves as NY 303's northern terminus. ==History==