New York State Route 187
State highway in Erie County, New York, US

New York State Route 187 (NY 187) is a short state highway located entirely in Erie County, New York, in the United States. It serves as the southern end of the busy Transit Road in the town of Elma. Its southern terminus is at Quaker Road (U.S. Route 20A or US 20A) and its northern terminus at US 20 where that highway becomes Transit Road. Unlike much of the rest of Transit, which is mostly designated as part of NY 78, the NY 187 portion is lightly trafficked, two-lane and largely undeveloped. NY 187 was assigned in the early 1940s and was previously part of NY 78.
Route description
NY 187 begins at an intersection with US 20A (Quaker Road) as a continuation of County Route 553 (CR 553). It takes on CR 553's name, Transit Road, and progresses northward as a two-lane road. The highway serves the nearby Bob-O-Link Golf Course prior to entering a stretch of fields in Orchard Park, where it intersects with CR 460 (Milestrip Road), the eastward continuation of NY 179. The route continues on, loosely paralleling Cazenovia Creek and intersecting Michael and Willardshire roads (CR 365 and CR 377, respectively) before passing the Harvest Hill Golf Course in Elma. NY 187 soon intersects with Reserve Road, an east–west connection from US 20 eastbound, before turning to the northwest and terminating at its own junction with US 20.
The public source identifies “New York State Route 187” as state highway in Erie County, New York, US. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around York, State and Route.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “New York State Route 187”, the useful work is to connect “state highway in Erie County, New York, US” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 26, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q2486394. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “New York State Route 187”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow New York State Route 187 primary sources, New York State Route 187 archive and York research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “New York State Route 187”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “New York State Route 187” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.