Contents

Interstate 90 in New York

Interstate 90
Map of New York with I-90 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NYSTA and NYSDOT
Length	385.48 mi[1] (620.37 km)
Existed	August 14, 1957[2]–present
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
West end	I-90 at the Pennsylvania state lineinRipley
Major intersections	US 219inWest Seneca I-190inBuffalo I-290 in Buffalo I-390 / NY 253 / NY 15inHenrietta I-81 near Syracuse I-88 / NY 7inRotterdam I-87 / New York Thruway / NY 910FinAlbany I-787 in Albany Berkshire ConnectorinSchodack Taconic State ParkwayinChatham
East end	I-90 / Mass Pike at the Massachusetts state line in Canaan
Location
Country	United States
State	New York
Counties	Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Madison, Oneida, Herkimer, Montgomery, Schenectady, Albany, Rensselaer, Columbia
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future New York Highways Interstate US State Reference Parkways
← NY 89A → NY 90

Interstate 90 (I-90) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Seattle, Washington, to Boston, Massachusetts. In the US stateofNew York, I-90 extends 385.48 miles (620.37 km) from the Pennsylvania state lineatRipley to the Massachusetts state line at Canaan, and is the second-longest highway in the state after New York State Route 17 (NY 17). Although most of the route is part of the tolled New York State Thruway, two non-tolled sections exist along I-90 (the first, situated outside of Buffalo, is included in the Thruway system; the second, situated in the Capital District, is not part of the Thruway system and links Albany and its eastern suburbs). Within New York, I-90 has a complete set of auxiliary Interstates, which means that there are Interstates numbered I-190 through I-990 in the state, with no gaps in between. For most of its length in New York, I-90 runs parallel to the former Erie Canal route, NY 5, US Route 20 (US 20) and the CSX Transportation railroad mainline that traverses the state.

I-90 was assigned in 1957 as part of the establishment of the Interstate Highway System. In New York, it was overlaid on the preexisting New York State Thruway from Pennsylvania to Albany, from where it would have continued to Massachusetts on a new freeway that bypassed the Berkshire Connector to the north. Ultimately, the freeway was built from the Thruway mainline in Albany to the Berkshire Connector in Schodack, and I-90 was assigned to the segment of the connector east of the proposed freeway. The Albany–Schodack freeway was completed in stages during the 1960s and 1970s and fully open by 1977.

Route description[edit]

New York State Thruway[edit]

West of Albany, I-90 in New York is designated along the mainline of the New York State Thruway. The Thruway begins at the Pennsylvania state lineinChautauqua County, following the shore of Lake Erie northeast and passes through the town of Cheektowaga, a large suburbofBuffalo directly east of the city. Two auxiliary routes, I-190 (leading to Niagara Falls and connecting into Canada as Ontario Highway 405) and I-290 (a northerly bypass of Buffalo) connect with I-90 here. Both auxiliary routes provide access between I-90 and Canada's largest city, Toronto. East of Erie County, the Thruway turns east and passes through the suburbs of several major cities in Upstate New York, generally following the path of the Erie Canal. It passes south of Rochester and north of Syracuse, which are served by three auxiliary Interstate Highways: I-490 and I-390 connect to Rochester, while I-690 leads to Syracuse.^[3] The speed limit, enforced by the New York State Police, is 65 mph (105 km/h) along most of this stretch.^[4]

East of Syracuse, the Thruway follows the Erie Canal and, later, the Mohawk River into the Mohawk Valley toward Utica, where I-90 skirts the northern edge of downtown and meets I-790, a short route leading into the city's center. Farther east, the freeway indirectly serves the canal and riverside cities of Little Falls (via NY 169) and Amsterdam (NY 30) on its way to Schenectady, where I-890 splits from the Thruway and serves as the connection to the city center. It rejoins I-90 in Albany County, where I-90 leaves the mainline of the Thruway at exit 24 in Albany, which is signed for I-87 north and I-90 east. Here, the route designation of the Thruway changes from I-90 east to I-87 south. Traffic intending to continue on I-90 or reach I-87 north must exit the Thruway here. Exit numbers and mile markers for I-90 reset after exiting.^[3]

Albany and Rensselaer counties[edit]

The Albany–Schodack section of I-90—the only portion of I-90 in New York that is not part of the Thruway system—begins concurrent with I-87 and heads southeast from Thruway exit 24. Now a toll-free highway, I-90 and I-87 continue to exits 1N and 1S, which are for I-87 and NY 910F, respectively. Located off exit 1S and NY 910F, an unsigned spur of the Northway leading to Western Avenue (US 20), is Crossgates MallinGuilderland. I-90 proceeds eastward, meeting Washington Avenue at an interchange connecting to the University of Albany, SUNY, a state university, eastbound and Fuller Road (CR 156) westbound.^{[citation needed]}

Exits 3 and 4, located 0.6 miles (0.97 km) apart in an area bounded by Washington and Central (NY 5) avenues, lead to the W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus and the New York State Police Academy (exit 3) and to the Crosstown Arterial (NY 85 at exit 4). I-90 subsequently crosses over NY 5 and passes north of Westgate Plaza as it connects to Everett Road (CR 155). The freeway continues along the northern edge of Albany to exit 5A,^{[citation needed]} a large trumpet interchange originally built to serve I-687.^[5] After that project was canceled, it was repurposed as an exit for Corporate Woods Boulevard. East of exit 5A, I-90 passes by slightly more residential areas ahead of a stack interchange with US 9 one mile (1.6 km) north of downtown Albany. Albany Memorial Hospital is located just north of the exit on US 9.^{[citation needed]}

Not far to the east of US 9 is a second stack interchange, connecting I-90 to I-787 in the industrial northeasternmost section of the city of Albany. At this point, I-90 turns to the southeast and follows the Patroon Island Bridge over the Hudson River and into Rensselaer County. Across the river, I-90 becomes the Rensselaer County Veterans Memorial Highway and passes through much less developed areas. In its first 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in the county, the freeway meets Washington Avenue at the northern edge of the city of Rensselaer and the west end of NY 43 in the town of North Greenbush, southwest of US 4 and Defreestville. South of NY 43, I-90 and US 4 follow parallel routings into East Greenbush, where I-90 directly connects to US 4 at exit 9.^{[citation needed]}

I-90 heads southeastward across an undeveloped, forested section of the county, crossing over NY 151 and entering the town of Schodack, where it meets Miller Road, a connector between I-90 and the concurrent routes of US 9 and US 20. The freeway and the overlapping US Routes follow similar routings to Schodack Center, at which point I-90 finally connects to US 9 and US 20 at exits 11E and 11W. I-90 heads due south from this point, passing over NY 150 and paralleling US 9, which splits from US 20 at Schodack Center. The routes cross paths again at exit 12 just north of where I-90 rejoins the Thruway system at exit B1 of the Berkshire Connector.^{[citation needed]}

Berkshire Connector[edit]

I-90 heads southeast on the connector, meeting the north end of the Taconic State Parkway in the Columbia County town of Chatham at exit B2 and NY 22 at exit B3 in the town of Canaan one mile (1.6 km) from the Massachusetts state line. The Berkshire Connector ends at the state line; however, I-90 continues southeast into Massachusetts as the Massachusetts Turnpike.^[3]

History[edit]

The east–west corridor I-90 follows across New York has always been major, followed by the Genesee Trail (1790s), Erie Canal (1825), New York Central Railroad (1853), and later the Yellowstone Trail (1912), which became US 20 and NY 5.^{[original research?]} It was planned as part of a nationwide toll road system as early as 1938.^[6] Exactly which cities would be served changed over the years, but it was the state of New York that made the decision in 1942, when they passed a law for the construction of a New York City–Albany–Buffalo–Pennsylvania "thruway". This highway, passing Utica, Syracuse, and Rochester on its path between Albany and Buffalo, would provide construction jobs in the post-World War II period.^[7] The Berkshire Thruway, a branch east from near Albany to Massachusetts, was authorized in 1944, completing the east–west route across the state.^[8] However, construction, which began in 1946, proceeded very slowly, with only one four-mile (6.4 km) portion open by 1950, when a law created the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) to operate the route as a toll road. Construction then progressed much more rapidly, especially after 1954, when the authority was allowed to issue bonds not backed by the state (thus having higher interest rates).^[9] The roadway was completed between Buffalo and Albany in 1954,^[10] to New York City in 1956,^[11] to Pennsylvania in 1957,^[12] and to Massachusetts in 1959.^[13]

In the meantime, the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act was enacted in 1956, promising a toll-free network of Interstate Highways throughout the nation. The Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) commissioner soon announced that the toll road met all federal Interstate Highway standards,^[14] and, on August 14, 1957, most of the mainline of the Thruway was incorporated into the system as part of I-87 and I-90. Most of the connecting Massachusetts Turnpike was also included, but a more northerly alignment, avoiding the Berkshire Thruway, was proposed by the states of New York and Massachusetts for I-90 through Albany past PittsfieldtoEast Lee, Massachusetts.^[2][15] This alignment would be about 30 percent shorter than the all-toll alignment and would provide relief to the four-lane Castleton Bridge on the Berkshire Thruway, which had been built narrower than the rest of the system because of the planned parallel alternate.^[16] The BPR objected to the duplication, which would cost over $90 million (equivalent to $773 million in 2023^[17]), and refused to approve this alignment.^[18] The eventual route ran southeast from Albany to the Berkshire Thruway at the Nassau interchange, providing Albany with an alternate route and additional bridge but not offering any savings in distance and creating a "toll trap" for drivers accessing the Taconic State Parkway from Albany.^[19]

Construction on the route of I-90 through Albany began c. 1963, with both ends at existing Thruway interchanges: exit 24, which crossed the Adirondack Northway (I-87) at a cloverleaf interchange and connected to Washington Avenue in western Albany, and exit B1, which connected to US 9 near Nassau.^[20][21] Work on the freeway began at the Northway and progressed southeasterly to the Berkshire Connector in Rensselaer County. The portion between the Northway and Everett Road was opened to traffic in the mid-1960s^[22][23] while the piece extending from Everett Road to US 4 east of Rensselaer was completed in the early 1970s.^[24][25] The last section of the highway was completed to US 9 and US 20inSchodack Center c. 1974^[26][27] and finished by 1977.^[28] The Northway cloverleaf was rebuilt in the late 1980s.^[29][30]

In 1999, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and NYSTA discussed redesignating the Berkshire Connector as I-90 and redesignating the non-toll part of I-90 from Thruway exit 24 to exit B1 on the connector as I-88. The section of the Thruway between exits 25 and 24 would then be codesignated as both I-90 and I-88. This was never implemented.^[31]

Exit list[edit]

The mileposts below for the non-Thruway section follow actual signage, where mile 0.00 is located at exit 24 of the Thruway.

All exits in New York use sequential numbering.^[32][33]

County	Location[33]	mi[34][33]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Chautauqua	Ripley	496.00	798.23	–	I-90 west – Erie New York Thruway begins	Continuation into Pennsylvania
		494.92	796.50	61	Shortman Road (NY 950D) – Ripley
		488.50	786.16	Ripley Toll Gantry (western end of closed toll system)
	Town of Westfield	485.00	780.53	60	NY 394 – Westfield, Mayville
	Town of Dunkirk	467.74	752.75	59	NY 60 – Dunkirk, Fredonia
	Hanover	455.54	733.12	58	ToUS 20 / NY 5 – Silver Creek, Irving	Access to Lakeshore Hospital
Erie	Evans	446.60	718.73	Angola Service Area
		444.87	715.95	57A	Eden, Angola
	Town of Hamburg	436.22	702.03	57	NY 75 – Hamburg, East Aurora
		432.45	695.96	56	US 62 / NY 179 (Mile Strip Road) – Blasdell, Orchard Park	Orchard Park not signed westbound
	Lackawanna	431.15	693.87	Lackawanna Toll Gantry (eastern end of closed toll system)
	West Seneca	429.47	691.16	55	US 219 south / Ridge Road – Lackawanna, West Seneca	No eastbound access to US 219; Ridge Road not signed eastbound; northern terminus of US 219
		427.94	688.70	54	NY 16 / NY 400 south – West Seneca, East Aurora	Northern terminus of NY 400
	Cheektowaga	426.17	685.85	53	I-190 north – Downtown Buffalo, Canada, Niagara Falls	Southern terminus of I-190
		424.92	683.84	52A	William Street
		423.19	681.06	52	Walden Avenue – Cheektowaga, Buffalo	Signed as exits 52E (east) and 52W (west)
		421.57	678.45	51	NY 33 – Buffalo, Buffalo Niagara International Airport	Signed as exits 51E (east) and 51W (west)
		420.93	677.42	50A	Cleveland Drive	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
	Cheektowaga–Amherst town line	420.34	676.47	50	I-290 west – Niagara Falls	Eastern terminus of I-290; interchange formerly served NY 5[35]
	Amherst	418.15	672.95	Williamsville Toll Gantry (western end of closed toll system)
	Cheektowaga–Amherst town line	417.27	671.53	49	NY 78 – Depew, Buffalo Niagara International Airport
	Lancaster	411.60	662.41	Clarence Service Area (westbound)
Genesee	Pembroke	401.72	646.51	48A	NY 77 – Pembroke, Medina
		397.00	638.91	Pembroke Service Area (eastbound)
	Town of Batavia	390.13	627.85	48	NY 98 – Batavia
	Town of Le Roy	379.10	610.10	Toll Gantry (E-ZPassorToll by Mail)
		378.56	609.23	47	I-490 east / NY 19 – Le Roy, Rochester	Western terminus of I-490
		375.20	603.83	Ontario Service Area (westbound)
Monroe	Chili	368.80	593.53	Toll Gantry (E-ZPassorToll by Mail)
	Henrietta	365.30	587.89	Scottsville Service Area (eastbound)
		362.44	583.29	46	I-390 – Rochester, Corning	Exit 12 on I-390
	Town of Pittsford	358.10	576.31	Toll Gantry (E-ZPassorToll by Mail)
Ontario	Town of Victor				NY 96	Replaced by exit 45 c. 1970[36]
		350.99	564.86	45	I-490 west – Rochester, Victor	Victor not signed westbound; eastern terminus of I-490
		349.20	561.98	Seneca Service Area (westbound)
		348.00	560.05	Toll Gantry (E-ZPassorToll by Mail)
	Farmington	347.13	558.65	44	NY 332 south – Canandaigua, Victor	Victor not signed eastbound; northern terminus of NY 332
	Town of Manchester	340.70	548.30	Toll Gantry (E-ZPassorToll by Mail)
		340.15	547.42	43	NY 21 – Manchester, Palmyra
		336.90	542.19	Clifton Springs Service Area (eastbound)
	Town of Phelps	327.10	526.42	42	NY 14 – Geneva, Lyons
Seneca	Junius	323.60	520.78	Junius Ponds Service Area (westbound)
	Tyre	320.41	515.65	41	NY 414 – Waterloo, Clyde
Cayuga	Montezuma	310.10	499.06	Port Byron Service Area (eastbound)
	Brutus	304.19	489.55	40	NY 34 – Weedsport, Auburn
Onondaga	Van Buren	294.60	474.11	Toll Gantry (E-ZPassorToll by Mail)
		291.30	468.80	Warners Service Area (westbound)
		289.53	465.95	39	I-690 east / NY 690 north – Syracuse, Fulton	Western terminus and exit 1 on I-690; southern terminus of NY 690
		288.80	464.78	Toll Gantry (E-ZPassorToll by Mail)
	Salina	285.95	460.19	38	CR 57 – Liverpool, Syracuse
		283.79	456.72	37	Electronics Parkway – Liverpool, Syracuse	Signed for Liverpool westbound, Syracuse eastbound
		283.40	456.09	Toll Gantry (E-ZPassorToll by Mail)
		282.93	455.33	36	I-81 – Watertown, Binghamton, Syracuse Airport	Exit 25A on I-81; future business loop of I-81
		281.30	452.71	Toll Gantry (E-ZPassorToll by Mail)
	DeWitt	279.40	449.65	DeWitt Service Area (eastbound)
		278.93	448.89	35	NY 298 / NY 635 – Syracuse, East Syracuse
		277.50	446.59	Toll Gantry (E-ZPassorToll by Mail)
		276.58	445.11	34A	I-481 – Syracuse, Oswego, Chittenango	Exit 6 on I-481; signed for Oswego westbound, Chittenango eastbound
	Town of Manlius	276.10	444.34	Toll Gantry (E-ZPassorToll by Mail)
Madison	Sullivan	266.20	428.41	Chittenango Service Area (westbound)
	Canastota	261.50	420.84	34	NY 13 – Canastota, Chittenango, Oneida	Signed for Chittenango westbound, Oneida eastbound
Oneida	Verona	252.71	406.70	33	NY 365 – Verona, Oneida, Rome	Signed for Oneida westbound, Rome eastbound
	Westmoreland	244.00	392.68	Oneida Service Area (eastbound)
		243.37	391.67	32	NY 233 – Westmoreland, Rome	Rome not signed eastbound
	Utica	232.85	374.74	31	I-790 west / NY 8 / NY 12 – Utica, Rome	Rome not signed eastbound; eastern terminus of I-790
Herkimer	Schuyler	227.00	365.32	Schuyler Service Area (westbound)
	Village of Herkimer	219.70	353.57	30	NY 28 – Herkimer, Mohawk
	Danube	210.62	338.96	29A	NY 169 – Little Falls, Dolgeville
		209.90	337.80	Indian Castle-Iroquois Service Area
Montgomery	Town of Canajoharie	194.10	312.37	29	NY 10 – Canajoharie, Sharon Springs	Access via NY 5S
	Root			Mohawk Valley Welcome Center (westbound)
	Fultonville	182.17	293.17	28	NY 30A – Fultonville, Fonda	Access to Fulton County Airport
	Florida–Amsterdam line	173.59	279.37	27	NY 30 – Amsterdam
	Florida	171.80	276.49	Mohawk Service Area (eastbound)
		168.20	270.69	Pattersonville Service Area (westbound)
Schenectady	Rotterdam	162.22	261.07	26	I-890 east to NY 5 / NY 5S – Schenectady, Scotia	Western terminus and exit 1B on I-890; access to NY 5 via NY 890
		161.00	259.10	Toll Gantry (E-ZPassorToll by Mail)
		158.82	255.60	25A	I-88 west to NY 7 – Schenectady, Binghamton	Eastern terminus of I-88
		157.80	253.95	Toll Gantry (E-ZPassorToll by Mail)
Albany	Guilderland	153.83	247.57	25	I-890 west / NY 7toNY 146 – Schenectady	Eastern terminus of I-890
		152.80	245.91	Guilderland Service Area (eastbound)
	Albany–Guilderland line	149.60	240.76	Toll Gantry (eastern end of closed toll system)
		148.15 0.00	238.42 0.00	24	I-87 south / New York Thruway south to Mass Pike east – New York City	Eastern end of Thruway concurrency; western end of I-87 concurrency; exit number not signed westbound
				1	I-87 north to US 20 (Western Avenue) – Albany International Airport, Montreal, Saratoga	Access to US 20 via NY 910F; signed as exits 1S (US 20) and 1N (I-87); eastern end of I-87 concurrency
	Albany–Guilderland– Colonie tripoint	0.80	1.29	2	Fuller Road (CR 156) / Washington Avenue (NY 910D west) – UAlbany	Signed for Fuller Road westbound, Washington Avenue eastbound
	Albany	1.85	2.98	3	State Offices
		2.19	3.52	4	NY 85 west – Slingerlands, Voorheesville	Eastern terminus of NY 85
		3.19	5.13	5	CR 155 (Everett Road)
		3.80	6.12	5A	Corporate Woods Boulevard	Formerly planned for I-687
		5.10	8.21	6	US 9 / Henry Johnson Boulevard – Loudonville, Arbor Hill
		6.16	9.91	6A	I-787 – Troy, Albany	Exit 5 on I-787; access to MVP Arena and Albany–Rensselaer station
Hudson River		6.41	10.32	Patroon Island Bridge
Rensselaer	Rensselaer	6.92	11.14	7	Washington Avenue – Rensselaer	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
	North Greenbush	7.73	12.44	8	NY 43 east – Defreestville	Western terminus of NY 43
	East Greenbush	9.47	15.24	9	US 4 – East Greenbush, Rensselaer
	Schodack	13.10	21.08	10	CR 54 (Miller Road) – Schodack Center, East Greenbush
		14.51	23.35	11	US 9 / US 20 – East Greenbush, Nassau	Signed as exits 11W (north/west) and 11E (south/east) eastbound
		19.57	31.49	12	US 9 – Hudson, Castleton-on-Hudson
		19.99	32.17	Exit B1 Toll Gantry (western end of closed toll system)
		20.39 6.58	32.81 10.59	B1	Berkshire Connector west to I-87 / New York Thruway – New York City, Buffalo	Western end of Berkshire Connector concurrency; exit number not signed eastbound
Columbia	Chatham	15.09	24.29	B2	Taconic State Parkway south to NY 295 – Chatham, East Chatham, Canaan	Northern terminus of Taconic State Parkway
	Canaan	18.1	29.1	Canaan Toll Gantry (eastern end of closed toll system)
		23.27	37.45	B3	NY 22 – Austerlitz, New Lebanon, West Stockbridge, Stockbridge
		24.28	39.07	–	I-90 east / Mass Pike east – Boston Berkshire Connector ends	Continuation into Massachusetts
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Electronic toll collection       Closed/former       Incomplete access

Auxiliary routes[edit]

• I-190 runs from I-90/NY Thruway along the Niagara Thruway/Expressway to its terminus at the Canadian border on the Lewiston–Queenston Bridge.
• I-290 runs from I-190 to I-90, and provides the fastest road link between Toronto and the Northeastern United States.
• I-390 runs from the Southern Tier Expressway (I-86/NY 17), travels 76 miles to Rochester and ends at I-490.
• I-490 serves the city of Rochester, and comprises part of the Inner Loop.
• I-590 serves the city of Rochester, and connects I-390 and I-490.
• I-690 serves the city of Syracuse and it s downtown.
• I-790 serves the city of Utica, and is concurrent with NY 5 during its whole 2.41 miles (3.88 kilometers)
• I-890 serves the city of Schenectady, and serves its downtown.
• I-990 is the highest number interstate in the whole system.

See also[edit]

• New York State Thruway

References[edit]

^ Martin, David J. (April 25, 1957). "Public Notice - New York State Thruway Authority". The Blasdell Frontier-Herald. Blasdell, New York. p. 7. Retrieved May 25, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interstate 90 in New York (state).

• Interstate 90 at Alps' Roads • New York Routes • Upstate New York Roads

Interstate 90
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