New York State Route 104

New York State Route 104 (NY 104) is a 182.41-mile-long (293.56 km) east–west state highway in Upstate New York in the United States. It spans six counties and enters the vicinity of four cities—Niagara Falls, Lockport, Rochester, and Oswego—as it follows a routing largely parallel to the southern shoreline of Lake Ontario, along a ridge of the old shoreline of Glacial Lake Iroquois. The western terminus of NY 104 is an intersection with NY 384 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, while its eastern terminus is a junction with NY 13 in the town of Williamstown, Oswego County. The portion of NY 104 between Rochester and the village of Webster east of the city is a freeway known as the Keeler Street Expressway west of NY 590 and the Irondequoit–Wayne County Expressway east of NY 590; from Williamson to Oswego, NY 104 is a super two highway.

The majority of Ridge Road and modern NY 104 from the village of Red Creek to the town of Mexico were originally designated as part of Route 30, an unsigned legislative route, early in the 20th century. All of Ridge Road and its continuation through Oswego to the hamlet of Maple View gained a signed designation by 1926 and became part of U.S. Route 104 (US 104), a United States Numbered Highway extending from Niagara Falls to Maple View, c. 1935. US 104, which never connected to US 4, its implied parent route, was redesignated as NY 104 in June 1971. As part of the redesignation, NY 104 was extended east to NY 13 in Williamstown over what had been New York State Route 126.

The 104 designation, whether it be US 104 or NY 104, has shifted from surface streets to freeway and super twos, particularly from Rochester east to Oswego. The first such realignment occurred in the 1940s in Wayne County and was completed by the realignment of NY 104 onto the Irondequoit–Wayne County Expressway near Webster in the 1980s.

NY 104 begins at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. The Seaway Trail crosses NY 384 and follows NY 104 north on First Street for one block to the Niagara Scenic Parkway, where the byway and NY 104 veer onto Main Street. NY 104 follows Main Street through the city's largely commercial west side and intersects the northern or eastern terminus for US 62 (Ferry Avenue and Walnut Avenue) and US 62 Business (Pine Avenue). North of US 62 Business, the area becomes more residential as NY 104 meets NY 182 southeast of the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge. To the north, NY 104's name changes to Lewiston Road as it passes the south campus of Niagara University. Near the northern extent of the campus, NY 104 intersects the western terminus of NY 31, here named College Avenue. At the city limits, NY 104 meets the northbound Robert Moses State Parkway by way of a half-interchange. The portion of NY 104 between Third Street and the Lewiston town line is maintained by the city of Niagara Falls, and is the only part of NY 104 that is not maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation.

Now in the town of Lewiston, NY 104 comes within view of the Niagara River gorge and begins to run along its eastern rim. NY 104 meets the northernmost point of NY 61 at the northern campus of Niagara University. Past NY 61, the route passes by the Niagara Power Visitors Center and over the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant. On the opposite side of the plant, NY 104 connects with Interstate 190 (I-190) at exit 25 via Upper Mountain Road and passes under the eastern approach to the Lewiston–Queenston Bridge, which links I-190 with Ontario's Highway 405.

Past I-190, NY 104 begins to deviate from the Niagara River. It heads through a small neighborhood situated between the Moses Parkway and NY 104 and intersects the northern end of NY 265. North of this junction, NY 104 curves northeast to descend the Niagara Escarpment. As it heads downward in elevation, it intersects the western terminus of NY 18 by way of an interchange. As part of the same exit, NY 104 meets the parkway one more time as well as the southern terminus of NY 18F near the village of Lewiston. Here, the Seaway Trail leaves NY 104 to follow NY 18F. East of the exit, NY 104 intersects NY 18 again by way of another interchange.

East of Lewiston village, NY 104 follows Ridge Road through a sparsely populated area of Niagara County. Much of this portion of NY 104 is bordered on its southern end by the Tuscarora Indian Reservation. At the Lewiston hamlet of Dickersonville, the extents of the reservation head south, and development along NY 104 increases slightly. NY 104 meets the northern terminus of NY 429 at the Lewiston–Cambria town line and crosses over NY 425 at Streeters Corners. Just east of this location is an intersection with NY 93 in the community of Molyneaux Corners. The two routes form a concurrency east to Warrens Corners, a hamlet on the Cambria–Lockport town line, where NY 93 turns south to serve the city of Lockport.

NY 104 heads northeast through the extreme northwest corner of the town of Lockport to the town line, where it turns eastward to straddle the boundary between the towns of Lockport and Newfane. As it approaches the hamlet of Wrights Corners, the development along NY 104 increases substantially with the level peaking at the junction of NY 104 and NY 78. The two routes join for roughly 0.35 miles (0.56 km) into the town of Newfane before splitting north of the hamlet. Ridge Road continues northeast through a residential district, which gives way to open fields once more at Ridgewood. NY 104 turns east here, passing through the town of Hartland and intersecting the southern terminus of NY 148 and the northern terminus of NY 271. The route crosses into Orleans County at a junction with the southern terminus of NY 269, which straddles the county line.