In 1948, the state of New York surveyed roads in the city of Norwich to determine which streets should be made state highways. The survey was part of a statewide effort to rebuild major through-traffic city streets as state-maintained arterial highways. Ultimately, however, the city was tasked with deciding which streets would be included in the arterial highway program. By 1951, the city of Norwich had proposed making Broad Street (NY 12) a state highway as part of the program. As an arterial highway, Broad Street would be widened by as much as , resulting in a wide road. The plan was opposed by the city's traffic commission in January 1951, which believed that the widening would negatively impact the city's appearance by requiring the removal of any landscaping between the road and its sidewalks, including roadside trees.