For much of its length, US 9W is a two-lane surface road. However, some stretches in New Jersey and New York widen to four lanes, and much of the highway in Orange County is like an expressway even if not so designated.
New Jersey US 9W begins as a four-lane road. Heading north on Fletcher Avenue (from Kelby Street intersection, near the
George Washington Bridge) in
Fort Lee, US 9W occupies the
right-of-way of the
Palisades Interstate Parkway (PIP) to Lemoine Avenue, the northern terminus of
Route 67. US 9W exits the right-of-way, turning north onto Lemoine Avenue, later Sylvan Avenue, in
Englewood Cliffs, where it passes the headquarters of
Ferrari of North America,
Unilever, and
CNBC. As the roadway enters Tenafly from Englewood Cliffs, it reduces to a two lane roadway from four lanes. It continues to parallel the PIP to its west as they progress northward along the west bank of the
Hudson River until reaching the border with New York. Both roads run very near the top of
the Palisades, occasionally offering views of New York City and the river. Lemoine Avenue is heavy with commercial development in the Coytesville section of Fort Lee, but, as the road runs into Englewood Cliffs, it transitions to corporate office buildings. Into the affluent community of
Alpine in the state's northeastern corner, it becomes more residential. Near
Norwood, just south of the state line, US 9W crosses under the parkway and enters New York. Before the construction of the PIP, US 9W used to follow a route through the State Line Lookout at the New Jersey–New York border which is now accessible only from the parkway. The entire route of US 9W in New Jersey is within
Bergen County.
New York Rockland County Across the state line, US 9W continues in
Palisades as Highland Avenue, a two-lane road through mostly residential suburban surroundings. It passes
Columbia University's
Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and then
Tallman Mountain State Park. Bending westward to
Sparkill, it meets
NY 340. It returns to the riverside at
Piermont, where it takes the name Broadway Avenue. Running due north, it enters
Nyack and meets with the
New York State Thruway (
I-87 and
I-287) just west of the
Tappan Zee Bridge. It then runs along the thruway to the east terminus of
NY 59 in downtown Nyack, where it becomes North Highland Avenue once again. North of
Upper Nyack, it passes Rockland Lake through
Valley Cottage and then
Rockland Lake State Park. Alongside the park, it crosses town lines again.
NY 303 reaches its north end just after the park and, after a tight curve
NY 304, reaches its northern terminus as well. US 9W then returns to the riverside briefly, trending away from it into
Haverstraw under the name Congers Avenue. The village is followed immediately by
West Haverstraw, where
US 202 comes in at an oblique angle and joins US 9W, creating the first
concurrency along the route. The combined highways head north from the Haverstraws as South, then North, Liberty Drive, passing
Stony Point Battlefield. They return to the Hudson at Tomkins Cove, where the Hudson River
National Defense Reserve Fleet was moored from 1947 to 1971. Between Tomkins Cove and Jones Point there are two large ships anchor surrounding a monument alongside the road that marks the spot which is just across from
Indian Point Energy Center in
Buchanan. At Jones Point, the road curves and bends above the river as it works its way around
Dunderberg Mountain, the southernmost peak of the
Hudson Highlands and part of
Bear Mountain State Park. At Iona Island, it levels out again briefly and then US 9W/US 202 climbs to the heart of the state park at Bear Mountain Inn and Hessian Lake, where the
Appalachian Trail crosses beneath the road in the only artificial tunnel along its entire route. The
Orange County line is crossed just before Bear Mountain Circle.
Orange County The circle marks the northern terminus of the PIP and the junction with
US 6. US 202 leaves US 9W to join US 6 here and cross the
Bear Mountain Bridge. North of the circle, US 9W continues as a four-lane surface road, crossing
Popolopen Creek and affording views of the similarly named Torne. It passes first the historic
Fort Montgomery, then enters the small hamlet of
the same name, distinguished by a post office, gas station, and some other small businesses. After becoming a four-lane
expressway,
NY 218 (
Storm King Highway), the former route of US 9W, forks off to the right, carrying traffic to
Highland Falls and the
U.S. Military Academy (USMA) at
West Point. US 9W then starts to climb the highlands above the village and the academy. The following exit is also for NY 218, which joins US 9W for just north of the village. It leaves the highway at the northern terminus of
NY 293 to run alongside
Storm King Mountain. viewed from US 9W just before passing over
Crow's Nest From here, US 9W continues its ascent, offering sweeping views over the river and highlands, with an overlook available to northbound drivers. The surrounding land is all woods, part of the vast USMA property. After passing Crow's Nest, Storm King and the rocky cliff faces of Butter Hill dominate the northward view. Another parking lot allows travelers to stop and sightsee, as well as
hike the Stillman Trail up the two peaks. After Storm King, the road begins a long descent into the town of
Cornwall, where it becomes a two-lane surface road before becoming a four-lane
arterial road. Just outside the village of
Cornwall-on-Hudson and the fields of
New York Military Academy, NY 218 ends its loop. Shortly afterward, the division ends, although the road remains four lanes as it enters the town of
New Windsor. It descends again where
Breakneck Ridge and
Bull Hill tower across the river. Traffic begins to slow down at
the center of town, where
NY 94 ends its journey across the county. After this traffic light, the road begins to narrow. Once across
Quassaick Creek and into
Newburgh, it is Robinson Avenue, a wide urban arterial with parking along the sides. It ascends gently past
Delano-Hitch Stadium and the associated park to the center of its passage across Newburgh, the intersection with Broadway. Here
NY 17K has its eastern terminus, and
NY 32, the other main surface route west of the Hudson, begins its first concurrency with US 9W. Passing Broadway School, a former elementary school which is in the process of being converted into the City of Newburgh Court House, the two routes head into a more residential sector of the city, marked by
Frederick Law Olmsted-designed
Downing Park. The road's climb continues until the North campus of Newburgh Free Academy, where it starts to descend to the busy exit at
I-84, visible ahead, just west of the
Newburgh–Beacon Bridge. This junction, also including
NY 52, is the city's northern limit. Immediately after it, NY 32 leaves to the northwest while US 9W continues northward. It passes
Powelton Club, part of the affluent community of
Balmville, the first of several within the town of
Newburgh that US 9W will pass. Middle Hope follows, as the road becomes a two-lane route with a rural feel. Development continues along the road, but there are increasingly large unbroken fields or
woodlots and, finally, in the northern reaches of the town,
orchards. At Roseton, past the access road to the nearby powerplants, the highway reaches the county line just past the turnoff to the
Gomez Mill House, the earliest surviving Jewish home in the U.S.
Ulster County Traffic is slowed when it passes through the hamlet of
Marlboro, but otherwise there is little change in US 9W until it widens to four lanes again just south of the
Mid-Hudson Bridge approach overpass. At this point,
US 44 and
NY 55 join the highway from the east. The road becomes a busy commercial strip for the next mile to the concurrency's end, where NY 44 and NY 55 go down into
Highland. The four lanes continue, however, for several more miles until well past the eastern terminus of
NY 299, the road that carries traffic west toward the thruway and
New Paltz. About north of that intersection, the road returns to two lanes through
West Park and
Esopus, passing primarily through largely undeveloped, primarily wooded countryside. It becomes more built up at
Port Ewen, just south of Kingston, which it enters by crossing
Rondout Creek via the
John T. Loughran Bridge and becoming a four-lane
expressway known as Frank Koenig Boulevard. It runs right through Kingston this way and meets NY 32 again at the city's northern boundary. Turning left, US 9W's second concurrency with NY 32 is only long as it almost immediately turns right onto East Chester Street. The road widens again, becoming a busy commercial strip. At the freeway interchange ahead for the
Kingston–Rhinecliff Bridge,
US 209 comes to its northern end and
NY 199 its western. In
Lake Katrine, the road begins to narrow and traffic lightens. US 9W stays on a straight northward course, following alongside
Esopus Creek but not crossing it, until it veers northeast to merge, once again, with NY 32. This third concurrency finally brings the road over Esopus Creek and into the riverside village of
Saugerties. Here, US 9W follows Partition Street and then Main Street when the routes part again, with NY 32 carrying
NY 212 out of this junction. As Malden Avenue, the highway continues north alongside the river once again, passing through the hamlet of
Malden-on-Hudson on its way up into
Greene County.
Greene County and north In
Catskill, US 9W meets with
NY 23A, then
NY 385 at its southern terminus, and then, north,
NY 23. In
Coxsackie, US 9W meets this time with the northern terminus of NY 385, as well as the eastern terminus of
NY 81. In
West Coxsackie, US 9W meets with the
New York State Thruway (
I-87). Further north, the route meets
NY 144, and in the village of
Ravena, it meets
NY 143.
NY 396 meets US 9W in
Selkirk. After briefly joining with NY 32 again, US 9W meets
I-787 south of Albany. Immediately thereafter,
NY 443 joins US 9W until Madison Avenue (
US 20), where NY 443 ends. US 9W, however, continues on, meeting with
NY 5 (junction not signed on NY 5) before ending at
US 9 (
Clinton Avenue). ==History==