that NY 434 serves in Broome County's progressively widening river valley. It becomes a major commercial strip as it proceeds northeastward through the community, a trait that NY 434 retains throughout the Binghamton suburbs. Just east of Vestal's central business direct, the highway intersects NY 26 at a partial cloverleaf interchange just south of NY 26's full cloverleaf with NY 17. Past NY 26, the Southern Tier Expressway heads across the Susquehanna River, leaving NY 434 as the primary highway on the river's south bank. The strip malls and plazas along NY 434 become progressively larger in size as the highway heads east, leading to two large shopping malls at a junction with Sycamore Street about east of the hamlet of Vestal. The pair of plazas feature several national chain stores, such as Walmart, Target, Sam's Club, and Lowe's, and a handful of others are located nearby at various points along NY 434. Continuing on, the route reaches the campus of Binghamton University, located adjacent to a trumpet interchange that links NY 434 to NY 201, a north–south freeway connecting the college to Johnson City on the north bank of the Susquehanna. The route remains on an easterly path to the edge of the campus, where it turns southeast to directly run alongside the river for the first time. At this point, the businesses begin to taper off, giving way to dense residential neighborhoods as the road crosses into the Binghamton city limits. NY 434 remains a four-lane divided highway for its first in the city, following the Susquehanna River along the north edge of a vast neighborhood that comprises the south half of Binghamton. It soon approaches the vicinity of downtown Binghamton, where the route connects to Pennsylvania Avenue by way of an interchange located across the river from the city's center. Another grade-separated junction with Conklin Avenue follows, at which point NY 434 turns northward and crosses the river into downtown as State Street. On the north bank of the river, NY 434 meets NY 363, a freeway linking downtown to the Southern Tier Expressway north of the city. NY 434 continues on, narrowing to two divided then undivided lanes for its final two blocks as it passes the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena and ends at a junction with US 11 (Court Street). History Origins When the first set of posted routes in New York were assigned