swap between the state and Orange County. The new north–south state highway became part of an extended NY 300, which made a 90-degree turn at Cronomer Valley and proceeded south to Vails Gate, briefly overlapping NY 207 in the vicinity of Lake Washington. This change roughly doubled the length of NY 300 (from ) and also resulted in the re-signing of NY 300 from an east–west route to a north–south route. The original east–west orientation of NY 300 is reflected in the mileage given on the route's reference markers. Mileposts on the highway begin at the route's original western terminus at NY 208 in Wallkill and increase as the route heads east and south toward Vail Mills. As such, the markers on the route run contrary to the New York State Department of Transportation's standard practice of inventorying a north–south route from south to north. The section concurrent with NY 207 was relocated slightly when it was widened just east of the Thruway. The former right-of-way is still visible in the woods just north of the roadway. Road names The original street names for the north–south section of NY 300 still enjoy wide local usage even though both the United States Postal Service and the local governments no longer recognize them as valid road names. Since the adoption of the 911 emergency system in 1997, the entire length of the road is now referred to officially as "Route 300", with the old names of Plattekill Turnpike, Union Avenue Extension, Union Avenue and Temple Hill Road being suppressed by the local governments and by the U.S. Postal Service. The name Route 300 has even replaced the old name North Plank Road west of Cronomer Valley, even though the name is retained by the Postal Service east of that intersection. The large signs on Interstate 84 still refer to NY 300 as Union Avenue, however, even though local and official use of this name has been suppressed for the past decade. I-84/Thruway junction When the New York State Thruway opened near Newburgh in 1955, exit 17 was a standard trumpet interchange that connected to Union Avenue and NY 17K. Interstate 84 was opened north and east of the junction in 1963 and west of the junction in 1969. No direct connection was built between I-84 and the Thruway, forcing traffic to utilize a short stretch of Union Avenue. At the time the