Bear Mountain Bridge. History The origins of Seven Lakes Drive date as far back as the 1920s, by which time the basis for the modern road was in place from the southern tip of Lake Kanawauke to the banks of the Hudson River. At its south end, the highway connected to Johnstown Road, which continued southwest to Sloatsburg and northeast to Lake Welch. The section of Johnstown Road southwest of this point was also known as Stony Brook Drive, named for its proximity to Stony Brook, a tributary of the Ramapo River. Stony Brook and Seven Lakes drives were renamed Seven Lakes Parkway . Although the road's name has since reverted to Seven Lakes Drive, the Seven Lakes Parkway name is still used by NYSDOT for the section owned by PIPC and designated NY 987E. In 1960, the state of New York made plans to construct a extension of Seven Lakes Drive leading southwest from Kanawauke Circle to Sloatsburg. As planned, it would be built in the then-Stony Brook Drive corridor as a straighter alternative to the original highway. The new road was completed in 1962, lessening or eliminating several curves that existed in the old route. Most of what was originally Stony Brook Drive was dismantled as part of the route's construction; however, a section near Sloatsburg was left intact and renamed Johnsontown Road. The road only connects to Seven Lakes Drive at its west end; the east end of the highway is at a cul-de-sac adjacent to where Seven Lakes Drive merges into Stony Brook Drive's old right-of-way. The portion of Johnsontown Road outside of the Sloatsburg village limits is now maintained by Rockland County as CR 97. Major intersections See also List of county routes in Rockland County, New York (76–118A) References External links Parkways in New York (state) Transportation in Rockland County, New York Transportation in Orange County, New York Bear Mountain State Park Harriman State Park (New York)