Interstate 87
Map of the northeastern United States with I-87 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NYSTA and NYSDOT
Length:	333.49 mi[2] (536.70 km)
Existed:	August 14, 1957[1] – present
Major junctions
South end:	I-278 in The Bronx
	I-95 / US 1 in The Bronx I-287 in Elmsford / Hillburn Palisades Parkway in Nanuet G.S. Pkwy. in Chestnut Ridge NY 17 near Harriman I-84 near Newburgh NY 28 near Kingston I-90 in Albany US 11 near Champlain
North end:	A-15 at the Canadian border in Champlain
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business Numbered highways in New York Interstate • U.S. • N.Y. (former) • Reference • County ← NY 86A NY 87 →

Interstate 87 (I-87) is a 333.49-mile (536.70 km) Interstate Highway located entirely within New York in the United States. I-87 is the longest intrastate Interstate Highway in the Interstate Highway System. Its southern end is at the Bronx approaches of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in New York City, and its northern end is at the Canadian border in Champlain, where it continues into Quebec as Autoroute 15. I-87 connects with I-95 in New York City; New York State Route 17 (NY 17; future I-86) near Harriman; I-84 near Newburgh; and I-90 in Albany. The portion of I-87 between the New York City line and Albany is part of the New York State Thruway. North of Albany, I-87 is known as the Adirondack Northway.

Route description[link]

Major Deegan Expressway[link]

I-87 begins at an intersection with the Bruckner Expressway (I-278) at the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. For the next 8.4 miles (13.5 km), I-87 is named the Major William Francis Deegan Expressway as it travels through the Bronx. The first exit along the Major Deegan northbound is for Willis Avenue and the nearby Third Avenue Bridge. There is an exit before this going southbound, for Brook Avenue. At 1.20 miles (1.93 km), Grand Concourse interchanges at exit 3. East 149th Street is the next exit, which heads into the heart of the Bronx. Exit 5, which is signed for East 161st Street, actually lets off at Jerome Avenue, near Yankee Stadium. Exit 6 is only accessible via exit 5 (going northbound) and is for East 153rd Street. Exit 7 is for the Cross Bronx Expressway and Trans-Manhattan Expressway, both of which are signed and maintained as I-95 and U.S. Route 1 (US 1). Exit 8 is for West 179th Street, which becomes Burnside Avenue soon thereafter. Exit 9 runs parallel with Major Deegan for ending at West Fordham Road.

US 9 now runs parallel with the Deegan, which is accessible via exit 10 for West 230th Street. I-87 next enters Van Cortlandt Park and has an interchange with Van Cortlandt Park South at exit 11. Exit 12 is for the Henry Hudson Parkway and Saw Mill River Parkway, both of which are accessible by the Mosholu Parkway. Exit 13 is for East 233rd Street and Jerome Avenue. Exit 14 is at the northern end of Van Cortlandt Park, is for McLean Ave. The Major Deegan Expressway crosses into Westchester County at Yonkers and becomes the New York State Thruway, a 496-mile (798 km), state-wide toll highway.

New York State Thruway[link]

The section of highway between the New York City line and the junction with I-90 at Albany is part of the New York State Thruway. I-87 enters Westchester at Yonkers. The first exit going northbound is for Hall Place, while going southbound it is for Hall Place and McLean Avenue. (McLean Avenue is exit 14 going northbound on the Major Deegan. There is no southbound exit 14.) The Yonkers Avenue interchange is at 9.80 miles (15.77 km). Present just off exit 2 is Yonkers Raceway. Exit 3 is for Mile Square Road, which interchanges just before the Cross County Shopping Center. Exit 4 is for the Cross County Parkway, which interchanges just after the shopping center. Exit 5 follows a frontage road, which heads for NY 100 and the Sprain Brook Parkway. Soon after, Tuckahoe Road interchanges just before leaving Yonkers. Exit 6A is for Stew Leonard Drive, a road leading to Sprain Ridge Park.

Looking east along I-87 toward the Tappan Zee Bridge from Nordkop Mountain in Suffern

As I-87 heads northward, NY 9A begins to run parallel with it, having an interchange at exit 7. The Saw Mill River Parkway also runs parallel, intersecting at exit 7A. Before exit 8, the Ardsley Service Area is accessible northbound. Exit 8 is for I-287, beginning a concurrency for the next 19 miles (31 km). The exit is also the access for the Cross-Westchester Expressway. Exit 9 is the final exit before the Tappan Zee Bridge. The exit is for NY 119 and the nearby US 9. All trucks with Class A and Class B explosives must leave at exit 9. Interstates 287 and 87 cross the Tappan Zee and enter Rockland County.

I-87 begins a 25-mile (40 km) stretch in Rockland County. Exit 10 is the first exit after the Tappan Zee and is for US 9W in Nyack. Exit 11 is in downtown Nyack, for US 9W going northbound and NY 59 going southbound. I-87 then passes the Mountainview Nature County Park as it reaches exit 12, which is located in the outskirts of Nyack. Exit 12 is a folded-diamond interchange for NY 303 and the Palisades Center Mall. The first highway in 9.63 miles (15.50 km) interchanges at exit 13, the Palisades Interstate Parkway.

Exit 21 sign in Cairo

The road has three current spur routes: I-287 connects with its parent in a 19-mile (31 km) long concurrency near the southern end of the highway, with I-87 signed as north–south, and I-287 signed as east–west. This is a bypass around New York City. West of the concurrency at exit 15, it loops around New York to meet the New Jersey Turnpike in Middlesex County, New Jersey. East of the concurrency, I-287 continues as the Cross-Westchester Expressway to end at I-95 (the New England Thruway) in Rye, near the Connecticut border. Moving north, I-587 is a 2-mile (3.2 km) spur connecting I-87 to the city of Kingston. Finally, there is no direct exit to Albany from I-87; instead, the 9.55-mile (15.37 km) I-787 carries traffic to and from the Thruway and the capital city.

Adirondack Northway[link]

This section requires expansion with: details of the route's progression and its surroundings.

The Thaddeus Kosciusko Bridge carries I-87 over the Mohawk River.

North of Albany, I-87 is named the Adirondack Northway (or simply the "Northway"), and it continues all the way to the Canadian border at Champlain. I-87 joins the Northway at exit 1. However, the Northway begins 0.86 miles (1.38 km) south of the interchange with I-87 and I-90 at US 20 in Guilderland. This short expressway spur, known locally as Fuller Road Alternate,^[2] is designated as NY 910F, an unsigned reference route, by the New York State Department of Transportation.^[2]

Between exit 1 (where I-87 begins on the Northway) and exit 22 (at Lake George), I-87 is a six-lane freeway with three lanes in each direction.

There is no exit 3, since this number was reserved for an interchange with I-687, which has never been built. Planning is underway to relieve congestion at exit 4 and provide better access to the Albany International Airport. Several of the proposed alternatives add a new exit 3.

Between exits 2 and 5, I-87 runs parallel to Wolf Road, a business thoroughfare through the town of Colonie. The northbound exit ramp 2E ends at the intersection of NY 5 (Central Avenue) and Wolf Road. Wolf Road is east of the expressway south of exit 4 (County Route 151 or CR 151, named Albany Shaker Road), located southeast of the Albany International Airport. The remainder of Wolf Road runs along the west side of I-87 from Albany Shaker Road to Watervliet Shaker Road a short distance to the west of exit 5. Wolf Road serves as a main access point for Colonie Center, one of the Capital District's largest enclosed shopping malls, from I-87.

The southern portion of the Northway through Colonie and Saratoga County is now a heavily-traveled commuter route. Since the highway's construction, Saratoga County has become the fastest growing area of the Capital District, and indeed all of upstate New York.^[3]

In Lake George, I-87 connects with US 9 and NY 9N at exit 22 by way of a short two-lane highway known infrequently as the Lake George Connector. It is here where the first signs of Quebec Autoroute 15 are posted as motorists head north towards Canada. From here the Northway becomes four lanes all the way to the Canadian border^{[citation needed]} (with the highway, both north and south slightly becoming six lanes once again just before the customs).^{[citation needed]}

At milepost 100 on southbound I-87, there is a United States Customs border patrol station. This was added after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

In Clinton County, exit signs from exit 34 to exit 43 are bilingual in English and French because of its proximity to Quebec. Also, signs for Autoroute 15 are posted on I-87 north as the Northway approaches the Canadian border.

History[link]

I-87 was assigned on August 14, 1957, as part of the establishment of the Interstate Highway System.^[1] The highway initially utilized the pre-existing New York State Thruway from Albany to Newburgh and in lower Westchester County, and the Major Deegan Expressway in New York City. From Newburgh to the Elmsford area, I-87 was to follow a new highway running parallel to US 9 northward along the eastern bank of the Hudson River to Fishkill. I-87 would then have followed the proposed I-84 across the Hudson to rejoin the Thruway outside of Newburgh. Meanwhile, all of the Adirondack Northway, the portion of I-87 slated to extend from Albany north to the Canadian border, had yet to be built.^[4][5]

Adirondack Northway[link]

Map of NY 912Q, once part of I-87

The Northway was built in segments, which became I-87 as they were completed and linked to the pre-existing route. Construction began in the late 1950s on the portion of the Northway between the Thruway and NY 7 near Latham.^[6] This segment was open to traffic by 1960, by which time work had begun on two additional segments from Latham to Malta (at NY 67) and from US 9 in northern Saratoga County to US 9 and NY 149 midway between Glens Falls and Lake George village.^[5] The expressway was completed between Latham and Clifton Park (NY 146) and from US 9 south of Glens Falls to the Hudson River c. 1961.^[7] Work on the Latham–Malta and US 9–NY 149 segments concluded c. 1962.^[8] When the Latham–Malta segment was opened it featured one of the few railroad grade crossings on an Interstate Highway, just south of the "Twin Bridges" (as the Thaddeus Kosciusko Bridge is called locally) over the Hudson.^[9] Construction on the portion of highway between the two segments began c. 1962 and was completed by 1964. During this same period, another extension brought the northern terminus of the Northway to NY 9N south of Lake George village.^[7][8][10]

By 1966, the Northway was completed from Albany north to Lake George and from the Canadian border south to Keeseville. At the time, I-87 curved around the outskirts of Lake George to end at NY 9N north of the village^[11] on a highway built c. 1964.^[12] The last section of the Northway to be built—a 30-mile (48 km) stretch between Underwood (exit 30) and Keeseville (exit 34)—was completed in spring 1968.^{[citation needed]} I-87 was reconfigured slightly near Lake George as a result: instead of heading east to NY 9N, it continued north on a parallel routing to US 9.^[13] I-87's former routing to NY 9N, known infrequently today as the Lake George Connector, is now NY 912Q, an unsigned reference route 0.66 miles (1.06 km) in length. NY 912Q has one intermediate interchange with US 9.^[2] The completion of I-87 linked New York City with Montreal by way of a direct, limited-access highway (with I-87 becoming Autoroute 15 at the Canadian border).^{[citation needed]}

Parade Magazine designated the Northway as America's Most Scenic Highway in 1967.^{[citation needed]} In 2007, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) ceremonially designated the entire 176-mile (283 km) Northway as the Adirondack Veterans' Memorial Highway.^{[citation needed]}

A long stretch of the Northway through the Adirondack Park had been an unserved zone for cellular telephone service. In 2007, a driver crashed off the road was unable to summon help, prompting messages from local governments to telephone companies to add new wireless towers to address the problem, and also for warning signs to inform travelers of the so-called "dark zone".^[14] Throughout this area, roadside emergency call boxes are located approximately every two miles on both sides of the roadway. These boxes use a two-way UHF radio network to connect directly to New York State Police dispatchers. The first of 13 new cellular phone towers along I-87 was installed in October 2008. A second cellular phone tower was completed just one month later.^[15]

Fuller Road Alternate, the lone portion of the Adirondack Northway not part of I-87, was originally intended to be part of the Southern Albany Expressway, a proposed highway which would have connected the Northway with I-787 and run parallel to the New York State Thruway between exits 23 and 24.^[16]

Lower Hudson Valley[link]

By 1962, the plan to build I-87 along the proposed Hudson River Expressway had been scrapped. Instead, I-87 was then proposed to begin in Port Chester and follow a new routing through Purchase, Armonk, and Katonah to Brewster, where it would join I-84.^[17] The routing was modified slightly by 1968: I-87 still began in New York City, then overlapped with I-287 east to Purchase. From there, I-87 headed north along the now-open expressway to Armonk, where it ended at NY 22. Another portion of the highway, from Goldens Bridge (NY 138) to Brewster, was open as well while the part from Armonk to Katonah was under construction.^[13] This segment, as well as the part from Katonah to Goldens Bridge, was completed by 1971.^[18]

On January 1, 1970, I-87 was rerouted between Elmsford and Newburgh to follow the mainline of the Thruway instead. The former routing of I-87 between Purchase and Brewster was then redesignated as I-684.^[19]

Other developments[link]

Exit 6 on the Adirondack Northway was originally a diamond interchange.^[20] Construction to convert the junction into a single-point urban interchange began in mid-2008^[21] and was completed on September 12, 2010.^[22] The total cost of the project was $41.9 million.^[21]

Future[link]

A project is in the early stages of design to improve access to the Albany International Airport, either by constructing a new exit 3, or by reconfiguring exit 4. As of January 2010, the project is expected to be completed in late 2015.^[23]

Exit list[link]

Northway

This exit list includes the segment of the Northway designated as NY 910F. Note that mile markers begin from where I-87 leaves the Thruway, and not the mileage from the highway's beginning in New York City.

County	Location	Mile[2]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Albany	Guilderland	0.00	0.00		US 20 (Western Avenue) – Albany, Duanesburg	At-grade intersection with a single lane flyover ramp serving eastbound to northbound traffic
	Albany	0.49	0.79		Crossgates Mall Road	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		0.86– 0.00	1.38– 0.00	1	I-87 south / I-90 – Buffalo, Boston	Signed as 1E (east) and 1W (west); to New York State Thruway; southbound I-87 follows westbound I-90
	Village of Colonie	1.39	2.24	2	NY 5 (Central Avenue) – Albany, Schenectady	Signed as 2E (east) and 2W (west)
	Town of Colonie	3.30	5.31	4	NY 155 west (Albany Shaker Road)	Serves Albany International Airport
		4.27	6.87	5	NY 155 east (Watervliet–Shaker Road)
		5.53	8.90	6	NY 7 west / NY 2 (Troy–Schenectady Road) – Schenectady, Watervliet	NY 7 joins northbound and leaves southbound
		6.12	9.85	7	NY 7 east – Troy, Cohoes	NY 7 leaves northbound and joins southbound
Saratoga	Halfmoon–Clifton Park town line	10.33	16.62	8	Crescent Road (CR 92) / Vischers Ferry Road
	Clifton Park	11.76	18.93	8A	Grooms Road (CR 91)
		13.30	21.40	9	NY 146 – Clifton Park, Mechanicville, Halfmoon	Signed as 9W (west) and 9E (east) southbound
		16.22	26.10	10	Ushers Road — Jonesville, Ballston Lake
	Malta–Round Lake town/village line	18.79	30.24	11	Curry Avenue / Round Lake Road (CR 80)
	Malta	21.05	33.88	12	NY 67 (Dunning Street) – Ballston Spa, Malta	Roundabouts at tops of ramps replaced signals in 2006
		24.81	39.93	13	US 9 – Saratoga Springs, Ballston Spa, Malta	Signed as 13N (north) and 13S (south)
	Saratoga Springs	28.86	46.45	14	NY 9P – Saratoga Springs, Schuylerville	Parclo hybrid; serves Saratoga Race Course
	Saratoga Springs–Wilton city/town line	30.67	49.36	15	NY 50 – Saratoga Springs, Gansevoort
	Wilton	36.15	58.18	16	Ballard Road (CR 33) – Wilton
	Moreau	40.94	65.89	17	US 9 – South Glens Falls, Moreau Lake State Park	Signed as 17N (north) and 17S (south)
Warren	Queensbury	45.49	73.21	18	Glens Falls, Corinth
		47.83	76.97	19	NY 254 (Aviation Road) – Glens Falls, Queensbury
		50.11	80.64	20	NY 149 – Fort Ann, Whitehall
	Southern extent of Adirondack Park
	Town of Lake George	53.31	85.79	21	NY 9N – Lake Luzerne, Lake George
		55.35	89.08	22	To US 9 to NY 9N – Lake Luzerne, Lake George
		59.79	96.22	23	Diamond Point Road
	Town of Warrensburg	68.21	109.77	24	Riverbank Road
	Chester	73.58	118.42	25	NY 8 – Chestertown, Hague, Brant Lake
		78.12	125.72	26	US 9 – Pottersville, Minerva
Essex	Schroon	82.36	132.55	27	US 9 – Schroon Lake
		89.07	143.34	28	NY 74 – Ticonderoga, Crown Point
	North Hudson	95.01	152.90	29	Blue Ridge Road
		104.85	168.74	30	US 9 to NY 73 – Lake Placid, Keene
	Westport	117.99	189.89	31	NY 9N – Elizabethtown, Westport
	Lewis	123.75	199.16	32	Stowersville Road — Lewis, Willsboro
	Chesterfield	135.43	217.95	33	US 9 / NY 22 – Keeseville, Willsboro
Clinton	Au Sable	139.22	224.05	34	NY 9N – Keeseville, Au Sable Forks
	Northern extent of Adirondack Park
	Peru	144.97	233.31	35	NY 442 (Bear Swamp Road) – Peru, Valcour, Port Kent
	Town of Plattsburgh	150.58	242.34	36	NY 22 Plattsburgh International Airport
		153.51	247.05	37	NY 3 (Cornelia Street) – Plattsburgh, Saranac Lake
		155.31	249.95	38	NY 22 / NY 374 – Plattsburgh, Dannemora, Tupper Lake	Signed as 38S (south) and 38N (north)
		156.87	252.46	39	NY 314 / Moffitt Road – Cumberland Head, Plattsburgh Bay	Signed as 39N (north) and 39E (east) southbound
	Beekmantown	160.64	258.53	40	NY 456 – Beekmantown, Point au Roche
	Chazy	168.26	270.79	41	NY 191 – Sciota, Chazy
	Town of Champlain	174.75	281.23	42	US 11 – Mooers, Rouses Point
		176.02	283.28	43	US 9 – Champlain
		176.70	284.37		A-15	Canada–United States border; continuation into Quebec

Auxiliary routes[link]

v t e Auxiliary routes of Interstate 87 New York–New Jersey 287 New York 4871 587 6871 787 1Former

See also[link]

• New York Roads portal

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Interstate 87

• Interstate 87 at Alps' Roads • New York Routes • Upstate New York Roads
• Aerial photos of both ends of I-87
• Covering I-87, the Adirondack Northway from Albany to Quebec through the Adirondacks

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