New York State Route 30A is a state highway in New York, running from near the Schoharie County village of Schoharie to the Fulton County hamlet of Riceville, south of the village of Mayfield.

Route description

South of the Mohawk River, Route 30A is a rural, winding two-lane highway with narrow shoulders. North of the Mohawk, NY 30A is more modern, with wider shoulders and more gentle curves.

Schoharie County

Route 30A begins between the village of Schoharie and Interstate 88. As NY 30 bears off to the right and heads uphill, 30A continues straight ahead. Southbound Route 30 traffic must stop at this intersection.
30A accesses I-88 at exit 23, a standard diamond interchange. This exit also serves as the access to NY 30. North of I-88, 30A meets NY 7, turning left for a concurrency. After leaving Route 7, 30A passes through the hamlet of Central Bridge.
30A then reaches U.S. Route 20 in Sloansville. This is the easternmost point of US 20 being a divided four-lane highway. Also in Sloansville is the southern terminus of NY 162, which runs concurrently with 30A for less than a mile before splitting off to the west.

Montgomery County

thumb|Signage at NY 30A's intersection with NY 29
Route 30A continues northward through the town of Glen. In the hamlet of the same name, the western terminus of NY 161 is met. Traffic must slow down considerably, as the highway weaves around old structures at this location.
30A continues north, entering the village of Fultonville as Main Street, intersecting NY 5S and accessing the Thruway. Crossing the Mohawk River/Erie Canal, 30A enters Fonda as Bridge Street, passing by the Fonda Speedway and Fonda Fairgrounds before overpassing a railway and meeting NY 5 for another concurrency. After the split, 30A heads north as Broadway and uphill. A northbound passing lane is present on two steep ascents as 30A approaches Fulton County.

Fulton County

Route 30A passes by one of the New York State Empire Zones before entering Johnstown. Within Johnstown and Gloversville, 30A is known as “The Arterial”. Johnstown's Arterial includes direct access to several retailers, known in the city as Comrie Avenue. In Gloversville, the Arterial has no access other than through existing intersections to its share of retailers. Most Gloversville-based retailers are accessed after 30A leaves Gloversville proper, although the highway is associated with the city until after crossing State Street and NY 349. After that, the highway becomes rural again, entering the town of Mayfield. Short of the Mayfield village and the Adirondack Park, Route 30A ends at Route 30 adjacent to the hamlet of Riceville. As at 30A's southern terminus, northbound Route 30 traffic must stop at this intersection.

History

The portion of modern Route 30A from Fonda north to Mayfield was originally designated as part of NY 54 in the 1920s, and followed city streets in Johnstown and Gloversville. In the 1930 renumbering, this segment of NY 54, as well as the remainder of what is now Route 30A south to Schoharie, was designated as part of NY 30. By 1935, Route 30 was rerouted between Schoharie and Mayfield to follow its current alignment through Amsterdam while the former routing of NY 30 through Fonda, Johnstown, and Gloversville was renumbered to New York State Route 148. Former Route 148 was then renumbered to Route 30A between 1952 and 1967.
In 1956-1957, the Arterial Highway was built routing Route 30A onto its present alignment through Gloversville and Johnstown, through to the northern terminus. Johnstown's portion of the Arterial includes direct access to businesses, due to the city having purchased access rights from New York State.

Major intersections