Interstate 890
Encyclopedia
Interstate 890 is a 9.45 miles (15.21 km) long auxiliary Interstate Highway in the vicinity of Schenectady, New York
, United States
. The highway runs southeast–northwest from an interchange with the New York State Thruway
(Interstate 90) northwest of Schenectady to another junction with the Thruway south of the city and passes through Downtown Schenectady
along the way. The portion of I-890 within Schenectady County
is designated as the Schenectady County Veterans Memorial Highway.
I-890 is one of two Interstate Highways in New York that utilizes milepost-based exit numbering in contrast to the sequential exit numbering used elsewhere in New York. The numbering on I-890 is a holdover from an experiment during the early 1970s. However, because of how the exits are spaced along I-890, the exit numbers end up being mostly sequential anyway, with the only evidence of distance based numbering being the existence of exit 4C.
NY 7
has a wrong-way concurrency with I-890 between exits 7 and 9A.
Most of I-890 is in Schenectady County, with the exception of the final two exits (exits 8 and 9), and the eastern terminus, which is actually in Albany County
.
in western Schenectady
was designated as part of NY 5S
in the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York. NY 5S entered the Schenectady area on River Road and followed River and Rice Roads and Erie Boulevard into downtown Schenectady, where it ended at NY 5
. In the initial plans for the Interstate Highway System
, outlined by the Bureau of Public Roads in the 1955 Yellow Book, the city of Schenectady would be served by two highways: one bypassing the city to the southwest (the New York State Thruway
) and another that would loop north of the bypass route to serve downtown Schenectady. The western portion of the loop route would run through the NY 5S corridor.
The first section of I-890 to be completed was the portion from New York State Thruway
exit 25 southeast of Schenectady
to Altamont Avenue (NY 146
), which opened to traffic as I-890 ca. 1962. A short extension to Brandywine Avenue was completed by 1964. By 1968, all of I-890 west to modern exit 3 was complete and open to traffic. As planned, I-890 replaced NY 5S from downtown Schenectady to exit 3, where NY 5S now terminated. The remainder of the expressway was built ca. 1974. NY 5S was cut back to I-890 exit 2 in the mid-1970s, then to its modern eastern terminus in the late 1980s following a reconfiguration of the interchange linking I-890 to New York State Thruway exit 26.
|rowspan=10|Schenectady
|rowspan=5|Rotterdam
|0.00
|1B
|
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance (New York State Thruway Exit 26)
|-
|0.94
|
|
|
|-
|2.94
|2
|
|Signed as exits 2A (NY 337) and 2B (Rice Road) westbound
|-
|
|3
|GE Truck Terminal
|No westbound exit
|-
|4.40
|4B
|Erie Boulevard – GE Plant
|Signed as exits 4A (GE Plant) and 4B (Erie Boulevard) eastbound
|-
|rowspan=5|Schenectady
|4.58
|4C
|
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|5.50
|5
|Broadway
|
|-
|6.07
|6
|Michigan Avenue
|
|-
|7.39
|7
|
|West end of NY 7 overlap
|-
|8.04
|8
|High Bridge Road
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Albany
|rowspan=2|Guilderland
|8.96
|9
|
|East end of NY 7 overlap; signed as exits 9A (NY 7) and 9B (to NY 146) eastbound
|-
|9.45
|
|
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance (New York State Thruway Exit 25)
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The highway runs southeast–northwest from an interchange with the New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
(Interstate 90) northwest of Schenectady to another junction with the Thruway south of the city and passes through Downtown Schenectady
Downtown Schenectady
Downtown Schenectady is the central business district for the city of Schenectady, New York. It originated in the 1820s with the moving of the commercial and industrial interests east from the original 17th and 18th century settlement, spurred on by the development of the Erie Canal...
along the way. The portion of I-890 within Schenectady County
Schenectady County, New York
Schenectady County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 154,727. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Schenectady. The name is from a Mohawk Indian word meaning "on the other side of the...
is designated as the Schenectady County Veterans Memorial Highway.
I-890 is one of two Interstate Highways in New York that utilizes milepost-based exit numbering in contrast to the sequential exit numbering used elsewhere in New York. The numbering on I-890 is a holdover from an experiment during the early 1970s. However, because of how the exits are spaced along I-890, the exit numbers end up being mostly sequential anyway, with the only evidence of distance based numbering being the existence of exit 4C.
Route description
The route of I-890 is defined as Interstate Route Connection 550 in New York Highway Law § 340-a.NY 7
New York State Route 7
New York State Route 7 is a 180-mile long New York State Highway that runs from the New York/Pennsylvania border south of Binghamton, New York to the New York/Vermont border east of Hoosick. Most of the road runs along the Susquehanna Valley, closely paralleling Interstate 88 throughout...
has a wrong-way concurrency with I-890 between exits 7 and 9A.
Most of I-890 is in Schenectady County, with the exception of the final two exits (exits 8 and 9), and the eastern terminus, which is actually in Albany County
Albany County
Albany County is the name of two jurisdictions in the United States in different states:* Albany County, New York* Albany County, Wyoming...
.
History
The original riverside roadway along the southern bank of the Mohawk RiverMohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
in western Schenectady
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
was designated as part of NY 5S
New York State Route 5S
New York State Route 5S is an east–west state highway located in the Mohawk Valley of New York in the United States. It extends for from an interchange with NY 5, NY 5A, NY 8, and NY 12 in Utica to a smaller interchange with NY 890 in Rotterdam...
in the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York. NY 5S entered the Schenectady area on River Road and followed River and Rice Roads and Erie Boulevard into downtown Schenectady, where it ended at NY 5
New York State Route 5
New York State Route 5 is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, and several other smaller cities and...
. In the initial plans for the Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
, outlined by the Bureau of Public Roads in the 1955 Yellow Book, the city of Schenectady would be served by two highways: one bypassing the city to the southwest (the New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
) and another that would loop north of the bypass route to serve downtown Schenectady. The western portion of the loop route would run through the NY 5S corridor.
The first section of I-890 to be completed was the portion from New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
exit 25 southeast of Schenectady
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
to Altamont Avenue (NY 146
New York State Route 146
New York State Route 146 is a state highway in the Capital District of New York in the United States. It extends for from Gallupville at NY 443 to near Mechanicville at U.S. Route 4 and NY 32. NY 146 is a major thoroughfare in the city of Schenectady, just outside of...
), which opened to traffic as I-890 ca. 1962. A short extension to Brandywine Avenue was completed by 1964. By 1968, all of I-890 west to modern exit 3 was complete and open to traffic. As planned, I-890 replaced NY 5S from downtown Schenectady to exit 3, where NY 5S now terminated. The remainder of the expressway was built ca. 1974. NY 5S was cut back to I-890 exit 2 in the mid-1970s, then to its modern eastern terminus in the late 1980s following a reconfiguration of the interchange linking I-890 to New York State Thruway exit 26.
Exit list
|-|rowspan=10|Schenectady
Schenectady County, New York
Schenectady County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 154,727. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Schenectady. The name is from a Mohawk Indian word meaning "on the other side of the...
|rowspan=5|Rotterdam
Rotterdam (town), New York
Rotterdam is a town in Schenectady County, New York, United States. The population was 28,316 at the 2000 census.The town of Rotterdam is in the south-central part of the county. It was founded by Dutch settlers, who named it after the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where many emigrants last...
|0.00
|1B
|
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance (New York State Thruway Exit 26)
|-
|0.94
|
|
|
|-
|2.94
|2
|
|Signed as exits 2A (NY 337) and 2B (Rice Road) westbound
|-
|
|3
|GE Truck Terminal
|No westbound exit
|-
|4.40
|4B
|Erie Boulevard – GE Plant
|Signed as exits 4A (GE Plant) and 4B (Erie Boulevard) eastbound
|-
|rowspan=5|Schenectady
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
|4.58
|4C
|
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|5.50
|5
|Broadway
|
|-
|6.07
|6
|Michigan Avenue
|
|-
|7.39
|7
|
|West end of NY 7 overlap
|-
|8.04
|8
|High Bridge Road
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Albany
Albany County, New York
Albany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England . As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204...
|rowspan=2|Guilderland
Guilderland, New York
Guilderland is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. In the 2010 census, the town had a population of 35,303. The town is named for the Gelderland province in the Netherlands....
|8.96
|9
|
|East end of NY 7 overlap; signed as exits 9A (NY 7) and 9B (to NY 146) eastbound
|-
|9.45
|
|
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance (New York State Thruway Exit 25)