New York State Route 28

New York State Route 28 (NY 28) is a state highway extending for 281.69 miles (453.34 km) in the shape of a "C" between the Hudson Valley city of Kingston and southern Warren County in the U.S. state of New York. Along the way, it intersects several major routes, including Interstate 88 (I-88), U.S. Route 20 (US 20), and the New York State Thruway twice. The southern terminus of NY 28 is at NY 32 in Kingston and the northern terminus is at US 9 in Warrensburg. In Kingston, NY 28 is co-designated as Interstate 587 from its southern terminus at NY 32 to the roundabout linking it to the Thruway (I-87).

NY 28 was originally assigned in 1924, to an alignment extending from Colliersville in the south to Utica in the north via Ilion. From Colliersville to Cooperstown, the highway followed its current routing (excluding minor realignments); north of Cooperstown, NY 28 was routed along several state highways that now have other designations. The route was extended south to Kingston and north to Warrensburg as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York. At the same time, NY 28 was realigned between Cooperstown and Mohawk to follow its modern routing. Other than minor realignments in Kingston, Oneonta, Herkimer, and Oneida County, NY 28 has remained the same to this day.

NY 28's southern terminus is with NY 32 (Albany Avenue) in the city of Kingston. The route heads north, then northwest on Colonel Chandler Drive, a four-lane freeway. The roadway is also designated and signed as I-587, which begins at NY 32 as well. Although Colonel Chandler Drive is built to Interstate Highway standards, it has no intermediary interchanges. After crossing over the Esopus Creek into Ulster, I-587 terminates at a roundabout that links I-587 and NY 28 to the New York State Thruway (I-87) at exit 19.

West of I-87, the route becomes a four-lane undivided road and crosses the Blue Line of Catskill Park and becomes the Onteora Trail. Not long afterward, the highway meets US 209 by way of a cloverleaf interchange. Past US 209, the highway becomes a four-lane divided highway and enters a rural area as it heads northwest into the center of the state park.

Near the eastern tip of the Ashokan Reservoir, in the town of Kingston, NY 28 intersects the eastern terminus of NY 28A. West of NY 28A, NY 28 continues towards the north and west along the northern edge of the reservoir. In West Hurley, the route intersects the southern terminus of NY 375. It proceeds along the reservoir to its western end in the town of Olive community of Boiceville, where NY 28A reconnects to the route. Here the mountains begin to loom over the road, with Mount Tremper dominating the view to the north as the route continues along Esopus Creek into the town of Shandaken after passing the southern terminus of NY 212 at Mount Pleasant. At Phoenicia, the largest settlement since Kingston, NY 214 reaches its southern terminus at the highway.

Past Phoenicia, the surrounding slopes become steeper as the road and creek curve around Panther Mountain, one of the Catskill High Peaks, to the south. At Allaben, the Shandaken Tunnel crosses under the road, bringing water from Schoharie Reservoir into the creek. The road and creek start bending to the south to the hamlet of Shandaken, where the town hall on the south side of the road is followed by the southern terminus of NY 42's northern segment. As NY 28 continues trending southwest, the valley becomes less developed. Balsam Mountain, another High Peak, looms ahead.

The northern terminus of NY 42's southern segment marks the small hamlet of Big Indian, after which Esopus Creek crosses for the last time, turning south to its source at Winnisook Lake. The road begins a sustained climb over the next two miles paralleling an Esopus tributary, Birch Creek, up to Pine Hill. At the road to Belleayre Ski Center, in Highmount, the last junction before it leaves the Catskill Park and enters Delaware County, it is for the first time signed as a north–south route.

Across the county line in Middletown, the highway shifts towards the west. NY 28 begins a concurrency with NY 30 in Margaretville, with the routes paralleling the East Branch of the Delaware River. After crossing the Delaware River, the route ends its concurrency with NY 30, and NY 28 continues northwest through Andes as Main Street and Delaware Avenue. In the village of Delhi, the highway becomes known as Andes Road and has a short concurrency with NY 10 in the village center. North of Delhi, it continues north towards the hamlet of Meredith, proceeding west past the hamlet. In Franklin, NY 28 makes a 90-degree turn to the north at the roundabout intersection with the eastern end of NY 357.