Interstate 287

Interstate 287 is a major auxiliary Interstate Highway forming a partial beltway around the New York metropolitan area. It traverses suburban and exurban areas of New Jersey and New York, connecting several major radial highways. The route serves as a critical bypass for traffic avoiding the core of New York City and links key employment centers like the Raritan Center and the Corporate parks of Westchester County.

Route description

Beginning at a complex interchange with I-95 and the New Jersey Turnpike in Edison, the highway heads north through the Raritan Valley. It passes near the Watchung Mountains and serves the Bridgewater area, intersecting I-78. Continuing northwest, it crosses the Passaic River and meets I-80 in Parsippany-Troy Hills, a major corporate hub. The route then turns sharply east near Boonton, running along the southern edge of the New Jersey Highlands and crossing the Wanaque Reservoir. It intersects the Garden State Parkway in Mahwah before entering New York at Suffern. In Rockland County, it is concurrent with the New York State Thruway (I-87) across the Tappan Zee Bridge (now the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge) over the Hudson River. East of the river in Westchester County, it diverges from the Thruway, passes through White Plains, and meets its northern terminus at another junction with I-95 in Rye, near the Connecticut state line.

History

The route was originally conceived in the 1950s as part of the Interstate Highway System to alleviate congestion and improve connectivity in the New York metropolitan area. Initial construction began in New Jersey in 1958, with the segment between Edison and Parsippany opening in stages through the early 1960s. The challenging terrain of the New Jersey Highlands delayed completion of the northern New Jersey section until 1993. The crossing of the Hudson River utilized the original Tappan Zee Bridge, which opened in 1955 and was later incorporated into the route. In New York, the alignment using the New York State Thruway was established by the late 1960s. Major reconstruction projects have included the replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge with the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, completed in 2018, and ongoing improvements to interchanges like the one with I-80.

Major intersections

From south to north, key junctions include the southern terminus at I-95/New Jersey Turnpike in Edison. It meets I-278 (Port Authority of New York and New Jersey) near the Raritan Center. Farther north, it intersects I-78 in Bridgewater Township and I-80 in Parsippany-Troy Hills. In Mahwah, it crosses the Garden State Parkway. Upon entering New York, it merges with the New York State Thruway (I-87) near Suffern. The concurrency crosses the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge and meets I-684 in White Plains. The route concludes at its northern terminus at I-95 in Rye, just south of the New England Thruway.

Auxiliary routes

The primary auxiliary route is Interstate 287 in the District of Columbia and Maryland, a completely separate and unrelated spur route serving Bethesda and Silver Spring. Within the corridor of the main New Jersey-New York I-287, there are several business routes designated by state governments, such as New Jersey Route 440 which parallels part of the interstate near Edison. The route also indirectly connects to several other auxiliary Interstates, including I-278, I-678, and I-878, which serve the inner boroughs of New York City and John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Category:Interstate Highways in New Jersey Category:Interstate Highways in New York (state) Category:Transportation in Middlesex County, New Jersey Category:Transportation in Westchester County, New York