On this page you will find a complete listing of NYSDOT's reference routes, sometimes referred to as "secret" routes because their route numbers are not posted for the general motoring public. However, they are an important component of the State's highway system.

The routes are listed by the DOT Region (jurisdictional division of the State) in which they lie, since their numbering system is based on these divisions. It is worthwhile to note that there is no reference route (with the forgivable exception of SR 907A - Cross Island Parkway) that exists in two or more Regions.

This information was compiled primarily from the 1998 Highway Sufficiency Ratings manual, which is published annually by the Planning Bureau at NYSDOT, and which gives a variety of statistics for all numbered touring routes and all reference routes in the State, whether DOT-maintained or otherwise. Corrections and additions are welcomed.

Please select a region:

• Region 1 - Albany, Essex, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren and Washington Counties
• Covers the Capital District, Saratoga-Champlain and Upper Hudson Valley areas (Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Glens Falls, Saratoga Springs, Catskill, Ticonderoga)
• Region 2 - Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery and Oneida Counties
• Covers the Central, Mohawk Valley, and South-Central Adirondack areas (Utica, Amsterdam, Gloversville, Rome)
• Region 3 - Cayuga, Cortland, Onondaga, Oswego, Seneca and Tompkins Counties
• Covers the Eastern Finger Lakes area (Syracuse, Ithaca, Oswego, Cortland, Auburn, Seneca Falls)
• Region 4 - Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Wayne and Wyoming Counties
• Covers the Western Finger Lakes and Genesee Valley areas (Rochester, Geneva, Batavia, Warsaw, Newark, Geneseo)
• Region 5 - Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara Counties
• Covers the Niagara Frontier and Southwestern areas (Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Lockport, Jamestown, Olean)
• Region 6 - Allegany, Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga and Yates Counties
• Covers the Western & Central Southern Tier areas (Elmira, Corning, Hornell, Wellsville, Penn Yan, Watkins Glen)
• Region 7 - Clinton, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties
• Covers the North Country and Northern Adirondack areas (Plattsburgh, Watertown, Ogdensburg, Massena)
• Region 8 - Columbia, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster and Westchester Counties
• Covers the Middle & Lower Hudson Valley areas (Yonkers, Newburgh, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, Hudson, White Plains)
• Region 9 - Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie and Sullivan Counties
• Covers the Eastern Southern Tier, Central-Leatherstocking and Catskill areas (Binghamton, Oneonta, Norwich, Monticello)
• Region 10 - Nassau and Suffolk Counties
• Covers Long Island
• Region 11 - Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens and Richmond Counties
• Covers New York City