Research


Scope and Content Note

This series consists of transmittal letters, receipt forms, and certificates of termination of temporary easements filed with the Division of the Land Office in the Department of State. Many of the temporary easements documented in the series had been acquired by the Department of Public Works to facilitate the construction of portions of the New York State Thruway, state highways routes, and other arterial highways. Others had been obtained to complete highway-railroad grade crossing elimination and flood protection projects.

Certificates of termination indicate the statute pursuant to which the easement was appropriated, name of the project for which the easment was obtained, and the map and parcel number documenting the location of the property in which the easment was located. Certificates formally surrendered property in which easment rights were acquired back to the affected property owner and extinguished all state rights to said property. The series also includes Public Service Commission orders and certificates withdrawing easements that were determined to be unnecessary for highway-railroad grade crossing elimination projects.