U.S. Route 4 (US 4) is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from East Greenbush, New York, to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In the U.S. state of New York, US 4 extends from an intersection with US 9 and US 20 in East Greenbush to the Vermont state line northeast of Whitehall. While the remainder of US 4 east of New York is an east–west route, US 4 in New York is signed north–south due to the alignment the route takes through the state. The portion of the route between Waterford and Whitehall is part of the Lakes to Locks Passage, an All-American Road.

US 4 was assigned in 1926 and initially extended from Glens Falls to the Vermont border near Whitehall by way of Hudson Falls. The route utilized part of NY 30, a highway assigned in 1924. US 4 was extended southward to its present terminus in East Greenbush as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York.

Route description

East Greenbush to Schuylerville

US 4 begins at the concurrency of US 9 and US 20 in East Greenbush. Heading northward, it has an interchange with I-90, continuing northward into Troy. In Troy, it passes by Hudson Valley Community College as well as the headquarters of the 42nd Infantry Division. US 4 then heads downhill, passing the historic South End Tavern as Burden Avenue, named for the historic Burden Iron Works. Later, US 4 assumes Fourth Street, which splits into parallel one-way streets (Third Street handles southbound traffic from downtown). At Congress Street, in the middle of the Central Troy Historic District with St. Paul's Episcopal Church on the corner, it intersects NY 2. Once through downtown, the streets meet and pass by the Green Island Bridge, later passing under the Collar City Bridge and into Lansingburgh.
After Lansingburgh, US 4 turns left to cross the Hudson River on the Troy-Waterford Bridge, entering Waterford, joining with NY 32 to head north together west of the Hudson. After Mechanicville, US 4 and NY 32 split, and US 4 passes by the Battles of Saratoga and the Saratoga National Cemetery. NY 32 joins again to pass through Schuylerville.

Schuylerville to Vermont line

Route 4 begins to run along the Champlain Canal after Schuylerville, passing through the hamlets of Northumberland and Starks Knob. At a crossing over the Hudson River, Routes 4 and the concurrent Route 32 split in different directions. Route 4, which is now on the other side of the Hudson, continues northward through Fort Miller, and crosses the River once more. The route then enters Fort Edward, where it becomes concurrent with New York State Route 197.
With the Hudson River to its west, Route 4 heads northward once again, leaving Route 197 behind. Not far after Fort Edward, the highway enters Hudson Falls, where it turns into a local road. There, it heads through downtown, intersecting with New York State Route 196, and soon afterwards, New York State Route 254. Route 4 makes a sudden curve to the northeast, heading through the rural regions for the rest of its length.
There is one final intersection with Route 32, but they do not become concurrent and Route 4 heads to the northeast. The route passes through Kingsbury and soon after, becomes concurrent with New York State Route 149. The two routes head into Fort Ann, where they split, with Route 149 heading westward. After passing Battle Hill, Route 22 merges in from Comstock. There are several hills before the intersection where the two roads split in Whitehall. Route 4 continues along its final stretch after Route 22, passing fields and such to the state line, where it continues into Vermont.

History

Old roads

In 1924, what is now US 4 from Mechanicville to Bemis Heights, from Schuylerville to Northumberland, and from Hudson Falls to the Vermont state line, was designated as New York State Route 30. Between Bemis Heights and Schuylerville, NY 30 followed the routing of modern NY 32. North of Northumberland, NY 30 followed modern NY 32 to Glens Falls, then used the present NY 254 routing to reconnect to the current US 4 alignment in nearby Hudson Falls. South of Mechanicville, US 4 was part of NY 6 from Mechanicville to Waterford, and unnumbered from Waterford to East Greenbush.
In the 1926 U.S. Highway plan, US 4 was assigned to then-NY 30 between Glens Falls and Vermont. In the 1930 renumbering, modern US 4 from Hudson Falls to Schuylerville became part of NY 32B while the segment from Schuylerville to north of Mechanicville was designated New York State Route 32A. The Mechanicville-Waterford portion became part of NY 32. US 4 was later truncated to Hudson Falls, then extended south to East Greenbush on its current alignment in the mid-1930s.

Designations

US 4 is designated the Turning Point Trail beginning at the intersection of US 4 and the eastern boundary of the village of Whitehall, in the county of Washington, continuing west on US 4 to the intersection of US 4 and NY 22 in the village of Whitehall, then continuing south on US 4, and terminating at the intersection of US 4 and the northern boundary of the city of Mechanicville, in the county of Saratoga.

Major intersections