New York State Thruway
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New York Thruway Trailblazer |
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New York State Thruway (Interstate 87) looking east from Nordkop Mountain, Suffern, New York |
The
New York State Thruway (officially the
Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway) is a limited-access
toll highway in the
U.S. state of
New York. Built in the
1950s by the State of New York in order to connect the major cities of New York, it is the longest toll road in the United States, with the 496-mile (793 km) mainline extending from the
Pennsylvania/New York State border in the west to
the Bronx in the east. In
1958 it was incorporated into the
Interstate Highway System as portions of
Interstate 87,
Interstate 287,
Interstate 90,
Interstate 84, and
Interstate 190. It is operated by the
New York State Thruway Authority.
From west to east, the Thruway begins as Interstate 90 along
Lake Erie on the
Pennsylvania border in
Chautauqua County. It follows the lake shore northeast and passes along the eastern side of
Buffalo. Across northern New York, it roughly parallels the route of the
Erie Canal, passing north of
Batavia, south of
Rochester, north of
Syracuse, and north of
Utica before following the valley of the
Mohawk River to
Albany.
South of Albany, it continues as the southern portion of Interstate 87, roughly paralleling the
Hudson River to the river's west, passing near
Kingston,
New Paltz, and
Newburgh. South of
Harriman, it follows the valley of the
Ramapo River until its junction near the
New Jersey border with
Interstate 287, which it joins, then cuts east across
Rockland County. It connects with the New York segment of the
Garden State Parkway then crosses the Hudson on the
Tappan Zee Bridge. On the east side of the Hudson it continues south through
Westchester County to the Bronx. Exit numbers start at Exit 1 at the Bronx/Westchester County line and end at Exit 61 at the Pennsylvania/New York border.
The highway employs both open-system and closed-system tolling. From the Bronx/Westchester County line to the
New York State Highway 17 exit, an open system (coin-drop) is used. From there northward, a closed system is employed where drivers must obtain tickets which show their point of entry and the cost of traveling from there to their desired point of exit. Upon exiting the Thruway, the ticket must be surrendered and the appropriate toll must be paid. Two separate closed systems are used — one between NY 17 and Buffalo (with an inclusive spur route) and another from Buffalo to Exit 61.
A toll
superhighway connecting the major cities of New York State which would become part of a larger nationwide highway network was first proposed in
1949. The following year, the
New York State Legislature passed the
Thruway Authority Act creating the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA), an independent
public corporation, which would build and manage the turnpike. The project was to be financed through
toll revenue bonds and self-liquidating by receipt of tolls, rents, concessions, and other income. The act also stipulated NYSTA adopt a hybrid system of tolls, with barrier tolls collected in urban areas, and long-distance tickets issued in rural areas.
The thruway opened in sections in the mid
1950s. The first section, between
Lowell and
Rochester, opened on
June 24,
1954. The last section of 426 mi (681 km) mainline between Buffalo and the Bronx was completed on
August 31,
1956. The total cost was 600 million dollars, financed by the sale of 972 million dollars of bonds. At the time, it was the longest toll road in the world.
In
1957, the mainline was extended 70 mi (112 km) west from Buffalo along
Lake Erie to the
Pennsylvania border. From 1957 to
1960, several spurs of the road were built to connect the road to turnpikes in the neighboring states of
Connecticut and
Massachusetts. In
1958, sections of the Thruway were given the current designations as part of the Interstate Highway System.
In
1964, the New York State Legislature officially renamed the Thruway in honor of former governor
Thomas E. Dewey. The official designation is, however, rarely used in reference to the road.
In August
1993, the NYSTA became the first agency to implement the
E-ZPass electronic toll collection system. By December
1996 it was implemented at all toll barriers on the Thruway.
In
1997, the construction
bond used to build the Thruway had been paid off, and all tolls along the Thruway were supposed to be abolished. However, the
New York State Legislature voted to maintain the tolls. This action has engendered regional hostility within the state, particularly from the upstate counties which see the maintenance of the toll as a regional-based tax and that the tolls help maintain the economic disparity between the poor, rural upstate and the rich, urban downstate.
On June 28 and June 29, 2006, the New York State Thruway closed a 120.3 mile stretch of the road from Exit 25A (Schenectady, I-88) to Exit 34A (East Syracuse, I-481) due to major flooding on the road.
Mainline
Interchanges from beginning (southeast) to end (northwest)
| Mile | Exit | Road | Destination!Notes |
|---|
End Thruway.
Interstate 87 continues south into New York City as Major Deegan Expressway. |
|---|
| 0.48 | 1 | Hall Place, McLean Avenue | Yonkers | Hall Place, northbound; McLean Avenue, southbound. |
| 1.42 | 2 | Yonkers Avenue | Yonkers | Northbound Exit/ Southbound Entrance. |
| 1.77 | 3 | Mile Square Road | Yonkers | Northbound Exit/ Southbound Entrance. |
| 2.18 | 4 | Cross County Parkway | Tibbetts Brook Park, Mount Vernon | No trucks. |
| 2.70 | 5 | NY 100 - Central Park Avenue | White Plains | Northbound Exit & Entrance. |
| 4 | 6 | Tuckahoe Road | Yonkers, Bronxville |
| 5.14 | 6A | Corporate Drive | Ridge Hill | Northbound Exit/ Southbound Entrance. |
| 5.47 | Yonkers Toll Barrier |
|---|
| 7.84 | 7 | NY 9A | Ardsley | Northbound Exit / Southbound Entrance. |
| 10.33 | 7A | Saw Mill River Parkway Northbound | Yonkers, Katonah | No trucks. Southbound Exit/ Northbound Exit & Entry. |
| 11.31 | 8A | NY-119 | Saw Mill River Parkway |
| 11.31 | 8 | I-287 East - Cross-Westchester Expressway | Rye, Port Chester - To I-95 (New England Thruway, Connecticut Turnpike), I-684 | I-287 West joins I-87 North. |
| 12.85 | 9 | US 9 | Tarrytown | Originally planned to include Interstate 487. |
| 13.07 | Tappan Zee Bridge | Toll southbound. |
|---|
| 16.75 | 10 | US 9W | Nyack, South Nyack | Southbound Entry / Northbound Entry & Exit. |
| 17.42 | 11 | US 9W
NY 59 | Nyack, West Nyack |
| 18.76 | 12 | NY 303 | Congers, West Nyack |
| 20.94 | 13 | Palisades Interstate Parkway | George Washington Bridge, Bear Mountain Bridge | No trucks. |
| 22.80 | 14 | NY 59 | Spring Valley, Nanuet |
| 23.53 | 14A | To Garden State Parkway | New Jersey | No trucks across the state line. |
| 24.31 | Toll barrier - Trucks only. |
|---|
| ~26 | 14B | Airmont Road | Suffern, Montebello |
| 30.15 | 15 | I-287 South to NJ 17 East | New Jersey | I-287 East joins I-87 South. NY/NJ 17 Joins I-87 North. |
| 31.35 | 15A | NY 59 East
NY 17 West | Sloatsburg | NY 17 joins I-87 South. NY 59 Western Terminus. Major rest areas in both directions near Sloatsburg/Ramapo, connected by a pedestrian bridge over the highway. Northbound Rest Area has a designated "prayer area" primarily used by observant Jews en route from NYC area to the Catskills. |
| 45.12 | 16 | NY 17 (Future I-86) | Includes US 6(Long Mountain Parkway). |
| Harriman Toll Barrier--Begin major closed system (tickets/EZ Pass). |
|---|
| 60.10 | 17 | NY 300 to I-84 | Newburgh | Direct I-84 interchange under construction. |
| 76.01 | 18 | NY 299 | New Paltz |
| 91.37 | 19 | I-587 To NY 28, NY 199, and US 209 | Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge | I-587 multiplexes with NY 28, however it is not signed on mainline guide signs.Cancelled Interstate 85 from Pennsylvania would have followed the current alignment of US 209 through Kingston. |
| 101.25 | 20 | NY 32 | Saugerties |
| 113.89 | 21 | NY 23 | Catskill, Cairo |
| 124.53 | 21B | NY 81 & US 9W | Coxsackie |
| 133.60 | 21A | Berkshire Extension to I-90 East | To Massachusetts Turnpike | Remain on closed system if you exit. |
| 134.93 | 22 | NY 396, NY 144 | Selkirk |
| 141.92 | 23 | I-787 North
Riverfront Route | To US 9W | Was also planned to include a connection between I-787 and the Adirondack Northway at US 20 |
| 148.15 | 24 | I-90 West - Thruway Mainline
I-87 North - Adirondack Northway | - Montreal | Exit 24 coming from the southeast |
I-90 East - To Berkshire Extension
I-87 South - Thruway Mainline | Exit 24 coming from the northwest |
| Interstate 87 North leaves and Interstate 90 West joins Thruway mainline. |
|---|
| 153.83 | 25 | I-890 To NY 7 and NY 146 | Schenectady |
| 158.82 | 25A | I-88 | Schenectady, Binghamton |
| 162.22 | 26 | I-890 To NY 5S | Schenectady |
| 173.59 | 27 | NY 30 | Amsterdam |
| 182.17 | 28 | NY 30A | Fultonville, Fonda |
| 194.1 | 29 | NY 10 | Canajoharie, Sharon Springs |
| 210.62 | 29A | NY 169 | Little Falls, Dolgeville |
| 219.70 | 30 | NY 28 | Herkimer, Mohawk |
| 232.85 | 31 | I-790 To NY 8 and NY 12 | Utica |
| 243.37 | 32 | NY 233 | Westmoreland, Rome |
| 252.71 | 33 | NY 365 | Verona, Rome |
| 261.5 | 34 | NY 13 | Canastota |
| 276.58 | 34A | I-481; NY 481 | Syracuse, Oswego |
| 278.93 | 35 | NY 298 | Syracuse, East Syracuse |
| 282.93 | 36 | I-81 | Watertown, Binghamton |
| 283.79 | 37 | Electronics Parkway | Syracuse, Liverpool |
| 285.95 | 38 | Onondaga CR 57 | Syracuse, Liverpool |
| 289.53 | 39 | I-690; NY 690 | Syracuse, Fulton |
| 304.19 | 40 | NY 34 | Auburn, Hannibal |
| 320.41 | 41 | NY 414 | Waterloo, Clyde |
| 327.1 | 42 | NY 14 | Geneva, Lyons |
| 340.15 | 43 | NY 21 | Manchester, Palmyra |
| 347.13 | 44 | NY 332 | Canandaigua, Victor |
| 350.99 | 45 | I-490 - Eastern Expressway | Rochester, Victor |
| 362.44 | 46 | I-390 | Rochester, Corning |
| 378.56 | 47 | I-490 - Western Expressway; NY 19 | Rochester, Le Roy |
| 390.13 | 48 | NY 98 | Batavia, Albion |
| 401.72 | 48A | NY 77 | Pembroke, Medina |
| 417.27 | 49 | NY 78 | Depew, Lockport |
| 419.69 | Williamsville Toll Barrier. End major closed system (tickets/EZ Pass). |
|---|
| 419.60 | 50 | I-290 - Youngmann Expressway | Buffalo bypass. To I-190. |
| 420.7 | 50A | Cleveland Drive | Eastbound Exit, Westbound Entrance |
| 421.57 | 51 | NY 33 - Kensington Expressway | Downtown Buffalo, Rochester | To Buffalo Niagara International Airport |
| 423.19 | 52 | Walden Avenue | New York State Reference Route 952Q |
| 424.92 | 52A | William Street |
| 426.17 | 53 | I-190 - Niagara Thruway | Canadian border. |
| 427.94 | 54 | NY 400; Aurora Expressway TO NY 16 | West Seneca, East Aurora |
| 429.47 | 55 | US 219 - Springville Expressway | Springville, Salamanca | (Future I-67) |
| 430.51 | Begin minor closed system (tickets/EZ Pass). |
|---|
| 432.45 | 56 | NY 179 | Blasdell |
| 436.22 | 57 | NY 75 | Hamburg |
| 444.87 | 57A | Eden Evans Center Road | Eden, Angola | TO US 20 and NY 5(Angola). TO US 62(Eden). |
| 455.54 | 58 | NY 438 | Irving, Gowanda | Cattaraugus Indian Reservation |
| 467.74 | 59 | NY 60 | Dunkirk, Fredonia |
| 485 | 60 | NY 394 | Westfield, Mayville | Former NY 17 |
| 494.51 | End minor closed system (tickets/EZ Pass). |
|---|
| 494.92 | 61 | Shortman Road | Ripley |
| 496.00 | End Thruway.
Interstate 90 continues west into Pennsylvania. |
|---|
Cross-Westchester Expressway
*00.00 Begins at the mainline interchange 8
*06.45 Exit 9A
Interstate 684*10.65 Interchange 12 New England Thruway (Interchange 21)
Interstate 95 (exit 12 is for southbound; main flow is northbound)
New England Thruway
Major interchanges:
*00.00 Starts from the
Bruckner Expressway; exit numbering begins with 8
*06.94 toll barrier (northbound only)
*13.71 Exit 21
Interstate 287 Cross Westchester Expressway (under NYSTA) to the
Thruway Mainline*15.01
Connecticut state line;
Connecticut Turnpike; exit numbering ends with 22
Garden State Parkway Connector
It is a 2.40 mile-long road that connects the Thruway with the
Garden State Parkway at the
New Jersey state line via interchange 14A. It is the only part of the Thruway system that prohibits commercial vehicles (the parkway prohibits commercial traffic north of Exit 105). The connector is toll free, but motorists continuing into New Jersey will encounter tolls along the Garden State Parkway mainline.
Interstate 84
Note that the one toll in
New York state, which is for the
Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, is run by the
New York State Bridge Authority (not a Thruway toll), which is also responsible for the bridge. The rest of I-84 in New York is a toll-free component of the Thruway.
There is no direct connection between the mainline (Interchange 17) and I-84 (Interchange 7). Both interchanges are with
NY-300. Motorists travelling between the two will encounter one intersection on NY-300 controlled by a traffic light. Improvements have brought both interchanges individually up to freeway standards, though at a loss to local traffic. The Thruway Authority has a
project in the works to build a direct interchange between I-84 and I-87, without compromising local access to either.
Berkshire Connector
Exits are numbered from west to east, in accordance with
AASHTO guidelines.
Niagara Thruway
*00.00 Begins at mainline interchange 53, spurring from
Interstate 90*00.53 northbound toll barrier (also known as the Kaisertown Toll Barrier)
*06.58 Exit 9
Peace Bridge to
Canada*08.00 southbound toll barrier (also known as the Black Rock Toll Barrier)
*13.33 Exit 16
Interstate 290 (New York)*14.26 northbound toll barrier (toll for the northbound lanes of the South
Grand Island Bridge over the
Niagara River)
*20.22 southbound toll barrier (toll for the southbound lanes of the North
Grand Island Bridge over the Niagara River)
*21.24 roadway continues as
Niagara Expressway (I-190) towards
Canada*Aside from the Garden State Parkway Connector, there are two sections of the Thruway that lack an Interstate designation. One is a very short portion, entirely within interchange 24, between the point where I-87 exits and the point where I-90 merges. The other is approximately six miles of the Berkshire Connector between exit 21A on the Mainline and exit B1, where the Berkshire Connector becomes I-90. This latter section includes the
Castleton Bridge.
*Altogether, 98.600% of regular highway mileage in the Thruway system has at least one Interstate designation:
**
Interstate 90 366.55 miles (Mainline and Berkshire extension)
**
Interstate 87 148.15 miles (Mainline)
**
Interstate 84 71.46 miles (includes
Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, maintained by the
New York State Bridge Authority)
**
Interstate 287 29.76 miles (Mainline, shared with 87, and Cross-Westchester Expressway)
**
Interstate 190 21.24 miles
**
Interstate 95 15.01 miles
*The ticket system once began at the Spring Valley barrier (which is currently a westbound-only commercial traffic toll); however, it was moved to Interchange 16 to make it possible to build simple toll-free interchanges in the stretch between the two. The toll plaza at Suffern was dismantled along with this change.
*Interchange 16 is a very strange interchange. It contains two distinct entities within the ticketed toll system, exit 16 and the Woodbury toll barrier (#15), limit of the ticket-controlled system. It also posseses a stand-alone toll (Harriman). From above, it looks like any other trumpet-style ticketed interchange, but there is a toll plaza across the mainline.
**Motorists remaining on the mainline pickup a #15 ticket or pay a #15 toll, at the toll barrier across the mainline.
**South-/East-bound travellers exiting at 16 pay an ordinary #16 toll, at the trumpet plaza.
**North-/West-bound travellers exiting at 16 pay the fixed-rate "Harriman" toll at the trumpet plaza.
**Traffic entering the Thruway at interchange 16 all pays the "Harriman" fixed-rate toll at the trumpet plaza. Traffic heading north/west must also stop at the mainline plaza to receive a discounted #16 ticket (with the "Harriman" toll subtracted from all of the prices).
*All highways maintained by the Thruway Authority lack little green New York State reference markers that exist on all
NYSDOT roads. The tenth-mile markers are also different from most in the rest of the state and the country (most state roads have just the reference markers, which include milage information, but many NYSDOT freeways have markers similar to the rest of the country). Rather than being green and white, they are often just a white background with blue numbers. The mile markers within the Thruway Authority bear the Thruway logo on the top and some sort of identifier for that highway (except for the mainline; some of them are: an I-84 shield for I-84 and CW for the Cross Westchester Expressway (I-287)).
*
NYC Roads: New York State Thruway*
New York State Thruway Authority*
Thruway Chronology 1942-2000*
The Thruway's entry in BBC h2g2*
Official Interchange Listing*
NY Traffic Court Directory
