Dirt road cuts through a glorious country landscape
Unpaved public roads in Orleans: Culvert Road in Shelby
Culvert Road in Shelby, as it looks heading north in the fall.
SHELBY – Yesterday I posted an article about Clark Mills Road in Carlton, what I assumed was one of the last few remaining unpaved public roads in Orleans County.
I asked readers to send me information on where more of these roads are located in the county. I’ve received a lot of tips. Looks like there are at least 10 of them.
A couple people mentioned a section of Culvert Road, going north from Route 31A. I was out that way earlier today and I wanted to take a look.
Here’s Culvert Road heading south, not far from the Ridgeway town line.
It’s a glorious fall day and the scene would make for a nice country post card with a field of corn waiting to harvested on one side of the road.
The unpaved section runs about 0.7 mile in the town of Shelby. Once you get to Ridgeway, the pavement begins. If you cross Route 31 going north you will discover one of the great marvels of Orleans County: the Canal Culvert. It is reputed to be the only road that goes under the Erie Canal.
The unpaved section in Shelby is a bumpy ride. But that didn’t stop a delivery truck from roaring past me when I stopped for a photo at about 11:30 a.m.
Photos by Tom Rivers
