45-599: Interstate 481 ( I-481 ) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway that serves as an eastern bypass of Syracuse, New York , in the US. It begins at its parent, I-81 , in the city's southern end and travels through the eastern Syracuse suburbs of Jamesville , DeWitt , and Cicero before rejoining I-81 in the suburb of North Syracuse . Upon crossing I-81 in North Syracuse, I-481 continues northwest to Fulton and Oswego as New York State Route 481 (NY 481). I-481
90-568: A loop route ) completely surrounds a metropolitan city, and it is often connected with multiple junctions to other routes. Unlike other auxiliary Interstate Highways (and by extension, all primary Interstate Highways ), beltways do not have termini; however, they have a place where the highway mileage resets to zero. Beltways are also preceded by an even number in the first digit. Some examples of beltways include: Interstate 90 in New York Interstate ;90 ( I-90 )
135-420: A bend to the north, crossing east of Butternut Creek Golf Course as it crosses into the town of DeWitt . In DeWitt, I-481 enters an interchange (exit 87) with NY 5 and NY 92 (East Genesee Street) just west of the hamlet of Lyndon. After the junction, I-481 continues bending to the northeast, crossing the west end of Old Erie Canal State Park and east of White Chapel Memory Gardens before entering
180-459: A large interchange with the eastern terminus of I-690 . Just north of the interchange, I-481 crosses over NY 290 (Manlius Center Road) and CSX Transportation 's DeWitt Yard. A short distance after the railroad, I-481 enters exit 90, which connects to Kirkville Road ( CR 53 ). After the interchange with CR 53, I-481 continues northward through DeWitt, paralleling Fly Road ( CR 77 ). A short distance later, I-481 crosses over
225-763: 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. West of Albany , I-90 in New York
270-492: A subset of highways within the United States' Interstate Highway System . The 323 auxiliary routes generally fall into three types: spur routes , which connect to or intersect the parent route at one end; bypasses , which connect to the parent route at both ends; and beltways , which form a circle that intersects the parent route at two locations. Some routes connect to the parent route at one end but to another route at
315-446: A typical 3-digit Interstate Highway, bypasses usually have both its two termini junctioned with another Interstate highway. Bypass routes are preceded by an even number in the first digit. Examples include: In the case of an auxiliary Interstate highway which has both ends at Interstates but not the same Interstate, some states treat these as bypasses while others treat these as spurs—see Spur route above. A beltway (also known as
360-647: Is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Seattle, Washington , to Boston, Massachusetts . In the US state of New York , I-90 extends 385.48 miles (620.37 km) from the Pennsylvania state line at Ripley 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
405-720: Is designated along the mainline of the New York State Thruway . The Thruway begins at the Pennsylvania state line in Chautauqua County , following the shore of Lake Erie northeast and passes through the town of Cheektowaga , a large suburb of Buffalo 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 ,
450-578: 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 Mall in Guilderland . I-90 proceeds eastward, meeting Washington Avenue at an interchange connecting to
495-608: Is part of the Veterans Memorial Highway , which extends northward onto NY 481. Future plans call for I-481 to be decommissioned by a reroute of I-81 onto the freeway. I-481 begins at I-81 's exit 82 (exit 1A on I-81), a directional T interchange in the South Valley section of the city of Syracuse . Immediately crossing under NY 173 , I-481 proceeds eastward alongside Rock Cut Road (unsigned County Route 103 [CR 103]), which meets
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#1732798821161540-499: 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
585-423: Is usually one of the following: Examples include: Sometimes, a three-digit Interstate Highway branches off from another three-digit Interstate Highway. These spurs do not connect directly with their parent highways, but are associated with them via the three-digit highways they do intersect with. Examples include: A bypass route may traverse around a city, or may run through it with the mainline bypassing. In
630-608: 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. 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 while the piece extending from Everett Road to US 4 east of Rensselaer
675-621: The Massachusetts Turnpike . 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 . It was planned as part of a nationwide toll road system as early as 1938. Exactly which cities would be served changed over
720-735: The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT)'s application to reroute I-81 over I-481 around the east side of Syracuse and redesignate I-81 through Syracuse as I-81 Bus, pending concurrence from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The I-481 designation will be eliminated once these route changes have been completed. The entire route is in Onondaga County . Auxiliary Interstate Highway Auxiliary Interstate Highways (also called three-digit Interstate Highways ) are
765-553: The New York State Thruway ( I-90 ) and enters exit 91, a trumpet interchange leading to exit 34A of the Thruway. A short distance after the Thruway, I-481 enters a partial cloverleaf interchange with NY 298 (Collamer Road). The freeway continues northeast, crossing over East Taft Road ( CR 18 ) in DeWitt before bending northwest into the town of Cicero . In Cicero, I-481 enters an interchange (exit 95) with Northern Boulevard ( CR 82 ). A short distance to
810-772: The University of Albany, SUNY , a state university, eastbound and Fuller Road ( CR 156 ) westbound. 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
855-592: 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. Construction on the route of I-90 through Albany began c. 1963 , with both ends at existing Thruway interchanges: exit 24, which crossed
900-641: 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. The Albany– Schodack section of I-90—the only portion of I-90 in New York that
945-599: 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
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#1732798821161990-503: The Thruway system at exit B1 of the Berkshire Connector . 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
1035-673: 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. The speed limit, enforced by the New York State Police , is 65 mph (105 km/h) along most of this stretch. East of Syracuse,
1080-419: 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. The BPR objected to the duplication, which would cost over $ 90 million (equivalent to $ 773 million in 2023 ), and refused to approve this alignment. The eventual route ran southeast from Albany to
1125-583: 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
1170-426: 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. I-90 heads southeastward across an undeveloped, forested section of
1215-548: The current route of I-81 will be redesignated as I-81 Business (I-81 Bus). As part of the project, both interchanges between I-81 and I-481 would be reconstructed. The ramps would be expanded to carry more traffic to account for the increased traffic. Also as part of the project, I-481 would be expanded to three lanes each way between exits 89 (I-690) and 90 (Kirkville Road); to three lanes northbound between exits 90 and 91 (I-90); and to three lanes southbound between exits 96 (I-81) and 95 (Northern Boulevard). Construction
1260-719: The exit on US 9. 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
1305-462: The freeway at exit 83 heading east. I-481 crosses out of Syracuse and into the town of Onondaga , paralleling Rock Cut Road into Clark Reservation State Park . The Interstate Highway makes a bend to the northeast, crossing over tracks used by the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway and entering exit 85, which connects to Jamesville Road ( CR 7 ). After exit 2, I-481 makes
1350-399: The highway to be constructed was the portion between Jamesville Road and NY 5 . Work on this portion of the freeway began c. 1963 and was completed and opened to traffic by 1965. Construction of I-281, and later I-481, initially progressed northward from NY 5. The segment between Lyndon and I-690 was opened to traffic in the early 1970s, while the piece between I-690 and
1395-422: The northern edge of Albany to exit 5A, a large trumpet interchange originally built to serve I-687 . 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
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1440-433: The numbers can repeat from state to state along their route, but they will not repeat within a state. There are three states that have no auxiliary Interstate Highways: Alaska, Arizona, and New Mexico. North Dakota has an auxiliary route, but it is unsigned , and Wyoming's does not meet Interstate Highway standards. Auxiliary Interstates are divided into three types: spur , loop , and bypass routes. The first digit of
1485-687: The other end; some states treat these as spurs while others treat them as bypasses. Like the primary Interstate Highways , auxiliary highways meet Interstate Highway standards (with rare exceptions ). The shorter auxiliary routes branch from primary routes; their numbers are based on the parent route's number. All of the supplement routes for Interstate 95 (I-95) are designated with a three-digit number ending in "95": I-x95. With some exceptions, spur routes are numbered with an odd hundreds digit (such as I-395 ), while bypasses and beltways are numbered with an even hundreds digit (such as I-695 ). Because longer Interstates may have many such supplemental routes,
1530-495: The south end of Syracuse, the highway was originally designated as I-281. North of the thruway, modern I-481 was initially part of "Relocated Route 57", a proposed limited-access highway extending from NY 57 in Fulton to the thruway in DeWitt via North Syracuse . All of I-281 and the segment of Relocated Route 57 east of I-81 in North Syracuse were redesignated as I-481 on January 1, 1970. The first section of
1575-422: The standard numbering guidelines exist for a number of reasons. In some cases, original routes were changed, extended, or abandoned, leaving discrepancies in the system. In other cases, it may not be possible to use the proper number because the limited set of available numbers has been exhausted, causing a "non-standard" number to be used. A spur route 's number usually has an odd number for its first digit. It
1620-503: The state (thus having higher interest rates ). The roadway was completed between Buffalo and Albany in 1954, to New York City in 1956, to Pennsylvania in 1957, and to Massachusetts in 1959. 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
1665-635: 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
1710-521: The three digits usually signifies whether a route is a bypass, spur, or beltway. The last two digits are derived from the main Interstate Highway. For instance, I-115 contains an odd number in the first digit (1), which indicates that this freeway is a spur. The last two digits signify the highway's origin. In this case, the "15" in I-115 shows that it is a supplement to I-15 . Exceptions to
1755-438: The thruway was completed by 1977. To the southwest, the section of I-481 from I-81 to Jamesville Road was finished in the early 1980s, finally connecting I-481 to its parent. The last portion of the route from the thruway to I-81 in North Syracuse was completed south of NY 298 by 1985 and finished by 1990. As part of the demolition and replacement of I-81 through Downtown Syracuse , I-481 will be redesignated as I-81, while
1800-510: The toll road met all federal Interstate Highway standards , 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 Pittsfield to East Lee, Massachusetts . This alignment would be about 30 percent shorter than
1845-466: The west in the town of North Syracuse , I-481 enters exit 96, a cloverleaf interchange with exit 11 on I-81. At this junction, the designation of I-481 ends while NY 481 continues northwestward toward Oswego . What is now I-481 was originally proposed as parts of two separate highways bypassing the city of Syracuse . From the New York State Thruway ( I-90 ) in DeWitt southwest to I-81 in
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1890-428: 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. The Berkshire Thruway , a branch east from near Albany to Massachusetts ,
1935-525: Was authorized in 1944, completing the east–west route across the state. 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
1980-498: Was completed in the early 1970s. The last section of the highway was completed to US 9 and US 20 in Schodack Center c. 1974 and finished by 1977. The Northway cloverleaf was rebuilt in the late 1980s. 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
2025-623: Was expected to start in mid-2020 and take five years to complete. However, in May 2021, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the project would not commence until the following year. At this time, the New York state government allocated $ 800 million to the "community grid" plan. In preparation for the reconstruction/relocation of I-81 around Syracuse, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), at its annual Spring Meeting in May 2021, conditionally approved
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