ˌɛnwˈaɪ tˈuːhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi wʌz ɐsˈaɪnd æz pˈɑːɹt ʌvðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi ɹᵻnˈʌmbɚɹɪŋ ʌv stˈeɪt hˈaɪweɪz ɪn nˈuː jˈɔːɹk tʊ ɐ ʃˈɔːɹt ɹˈoʊdweɪ kənˈɛktɪŋ ˌɛnwˈaɪ sˈɛvəntˌiːn, ðˈɛn ɐn ætɡɹˈeɪd hˈaɪweɪ, tə ðə nˈaʊsəbmˈɜːdʒd hˈæmlɪts ʌv kˈoʊld spɹˈɪŋ ænd kwˈeɪkɚ bɹˈɪdʒ ɐlˈɔŋ ðə wˈɛstɚn bˈæŋk ʌvðɪ ˈælɪɡhˌɛni ɹˈɪvɚ.
NY 280 was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York to a short roadway connecting NY 17, then an at-grade highway, to the now-submerged hamlets of Cold Spring and Quaker Bridge along the western bank of the Allegheny River.