New York State Route 240

New York State Route 240 (NY 240) is a 51.64-mile (83.11 km) state highway in western New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 242 in the Ellicottville community of Ashford Junction in northern Cattaraugus County. Its northern terminus is at a junction with NY 324 and Interstate 290 (I-290) in Amherst in northern Erie County. The route passes through the villages of Springville and Orchard Park, where it meets NY 39 and U.S. Route 20A (US 20A), respectively. Much of NY 240 between Concord and Aurora follows the west branch of Cazenovia Creek. The northern part of NY 240 in Erie County, named Harlem Road, is a major north–south route through the suburbs east of the city of Buffalo.

From its southern terminus at NY 242 to the hamlet of Glenwood in the town of Colden, NY 240 is a state highway in name only as the roadway is maintained by the highway departments of Cattaraugus and Erie counties. Within Cattaraugus County, NY 242 is co-designated as County Route 32 (CR 32). CR 32 is the only route that has a marked concurrency with a state route in the county. At the county line, it becomes County Route 198 and, later, County Route 30 before becoming state-maintained in Glenwood. A section between CR 198 and CR 30 is also designated as part of CR 27.

NY 240 was first designated in the renumbering of state highways in New York in 1930 from NY 39 in Springville to NY 18 near downtown Buffalo. The portion between Springville and Ashford was a section of NY 62 and Harlem Road was unnumbered. The section south of CR 16 in West Valley was a portion of NY 242. NY 240 instead used Abbott Road and South Park Avenue to get to Buffalo, which got extended to NY 5 in the 1930s. NY 240 was realigned south to Ellicottville in the mid-1960s, after numerous bypasses and realignments had been done by the State of New York Department of Public Works. NY 240 was realigned onto Harlem Road c. 1962. The former alignment to Buffalo is now designated as NY 950M, a reference route.

NY 240 begins at an intersection with NY 242 in the town of Ellicottville along the western leg of a railroad wye near Beaver Meadows Creek. NY 240 proceeds northward alongside Beaver Meadows Creek co-designated as County Route 32 (CR 32; West Valley Road). The routes proceed northward through Ellicottville as a two-lane roadway through dense forestry, bending northward along the creek and a nearby railroad track. The dense forestry remains for several miles, before bending northeast into an intersection with Fancy Tract Road. NY 240 and CR 32 continue northeast as the dense woods retreat for residences before bending northwest away from Beaver Meadows Creek. After bending northward once more, the routes cross through large fields and past several houses along West Valley Road.

Continuing north, NY 240 and CR 32 intersect with the eastern terminus of CR 75 (Beaver Meadows Road). The routes continue winding northward, crossing the town line into the town of Ashford at Town Line Road. At that junction, the routes bend northwest again, passing a stretch of residences before intersecting with the western terminus of CR 16 (Roszyk Hill Road). At CR 16, NY 240 and CR 32 bend north, becoming a residential street as it enters the hamlet of West Valley. In West Valley, the routes intersect with the terminus of CR 53 (Ashford Hill Road).

Through West Valley, the route remains residential, quickly leaving the hamlet. North of West Valley, NY 240 and CR 32 intersect with the eastern terminus of CR 86 (Thornwood Drive). Crossing through another long stretch of residences, the routes cross a railroad track at-grade, where they turn to the northwest, paralleling the tracks until turning north and away once again. NY 240 and CR 32 bend northwest at Fox Valley Road, intersecting with the eastern terminus of CR 86-2 (Buttermilk Road) and the eastern terminus of CR 55 (Gooseneck Road) in Ashford. After CR 55, the routes bend northwest once again, crossing as a two-lane road through wide fields.

At Twichell Road, NY 240 and CR 32 make a large bend to the west, crossing through Ashford before turning northeast and northwest. On the northwestern stretch, the route remains rural, crossing an intersection with Bond Road, where the route turns north along West Valley Road. NY 240 and CR 32 continue north through Ashford, intersecting with Beech Tree Road, where they cross Cattaraugus Creek just west of the Bigelow Bridge. After crossing the bridge, NY 240 enters Erie County and the town of Concord.

Upon crossing into Erie County and the town of Concord, NY 240 remains county-maintained, now co-designated as unsigned CR 198. Now known as South Vaughn Street, the route proceeds northwest, intersecting with the eastern terminus of CR 62 (Cattaraugus Road). After this junction, NY 240 and CR 198 wind northeast through Concord as a two-lane rural road. The route bends northward, entering the village of Springville, where it intersects with NY 39 (East Main Street / Creek Road). After Springville, NY 240 and CR 198 re-enter the town of Concord, returning the two-lane rural roadway it was prior to entering Springville. Intersecting with the eastern terminus of CR 412 (North Street), the routes continue north through Concord, intersecting with CR 410 (Middle Road).