Interstate 87 (New York)

Interstate 87 (New York)
State	NY
Route	87
Length mi	333.49
Established	1957
Direction a	South
Terminus a	I-278 in New York City
Junction	I-95 / I-295 in Bronx, New York I-287 in Tarrytown, New York I-84 in Newburgh, New York I-90 / New York Thruway in Albany, New York I-88 in Guilderland, New York
Direction b	North
Terminus b	A-15 at the Canada–United States border near Champlain, New York
Counties	Bronx, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Ulster, Greene, Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga, Warren, Essex, Clinton

Contents

Interstate 87 (New York) is a major north–south Interstate Highway located entirely within the state of New York. It extends for 333.49 miles from the New York City borough of the Bronx to the Canada–United States border at Champlain, New York. The highway serves as a critical transportation corridor, connecting New York City with Albany, the Adirondack Mountains, and Montreal via the Quebec Autoroute 15.

Route description

The southernmost segment, co-signed with the Major Deegan Expressway, begins at an interchange with I-278 in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. It proceeds north across the Harlem River into Westchester County, where it is known as the New York State Thruway (Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway). This portion runs concurrently with I-287 across the Tappan Zee Bridge (officially the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge) over the Hudson River into Rockland County. North of Suffern, it diverges from I-287 and continues north alone, passing Harriman State Park and the United States Military Academy at West Point. The highway follows the western bank of the Hudson River, serving Newburgh and Kingston, before crossing the river on the Dunn Memorial Bridge into Albany. North of the I-90 interchange, the route is designated as the Adirondack Northway, traversing the eastern foothills of the Adirondack Mountains through Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls, and Plattsburgh before terminating at the Champlain–Lacolle border crossing.

The routing was part of the original Interstate Highway System plan approved in 1956. The southern sections largely utilized the right-of-way of the New York State Thruway, which had been under construction since the late 1940s and was championed by Governor Thomas E. Dewey. The Tappan Zee Bridge opened in 1955, predating the Interstate designation. The northernmost section, the Adirondack Northway, was constructed in segments throughout the 1960s, with the final portion to the Canada–United States border opening in 1967. Key projects include the replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge with the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, which opened between 2017 and 2018, and various widening projects in the Lower Hudson Valley.

The exit numbering begins at 1 in the Bronx and increases northward. Major junctions include exit 8 for I-95 and I-295, exit 9 for the Cross County Parkway, and exit 15 for I-287 and the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. In Albany, exit 24 provides access to I-90 and the Berkshire Spur. Further north, exit 34 serves I-88 near Schenectady. The Adirondack Northway section includes exits for Saratoga Springs (exit 15), Lake George (exit 22), and Plattsburgh (exit 38). The final exit in New York is exit 42 for the Port of Entry at the Canada–United States border.

Two three-digit auxiliary Interstates serve the corridor. Interstate 287 shares a lengthy concurrency across the Tappan Zee Bridge and provides a bypass west of New York City. Interstate 587 is a short connector in Kingston linking the highway to New York State Route 28. Additionally, the Berkshire Spur of the New York State Thruway, designated as Interstate 90, connects to the Massachusetts Turnpike.