Interstate 690

Infobox road
state=NY
route=690
type=I

---

maint=NYSDOT
year_established=Early 1970s
length_mi=14.19
length_ref=
length_round=2
direction_a=West
terminus_a=
junction=jct|state=NY|I|81 in Syracuse
direction_b=East
terminus_b=Jct|state=NY|I|481 in DeWitt
previous_type=I
previous_route=684
next_type=NY
next_route=690

Interstate 690 (abbreviated I-690) is a 14.19 mile-long urban Interstate Highway built in the early 1970s in the Syracuse, New York area. I-690 travels southeast from exit 39 on the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) in Van Buren, passing through the western suburbs of Syracuse before heading east through the city itself and terminating in DeWitt, where it merges into Interstate 481. The expressway continues northwest of the Thruway as New York State Route 690.

Route description

I-690 is, in many ways, a typical urban expressway. The highway has three lanes for most of its length through Syracuse and its suburbs. It is close to buildings in downtown and has an incomplete interchange with Interstate 81 in the center of the city. There is no direct freeway ramp from I-690 east to I-81 north and I-81 south to I-690 west. NY 298, which interchanges with I-81 at exit 22 west of the I-81/I-690 interchange, must be used to make these connections. I-690 serves the Great New York State Fair by way of exits 5-7 and is one of the few Interstates that has a traffic light. For twelve days each year, the light is used to allow buses to carry Great New York State Fair attendees from parking areas across the road to the fair.

Even though I-690 continues north of the Thruway as NY 690, the numbering system on I-690 does not continue with the route. The interchange with the Thruway is labelled as Exit 1, leaving exits on NY 690 without numbers. Additionally, NY 690 is signed north-south while I-690 is signed east-west.

History

I-690 follows an old railroad bed through a portion of downtown Syracuse and actually cuts through an old train station. While traveling westbound, there are remnants of the old railroad station loading area with cement statues of people waiting for trains, who are occasionally dressed up for winter by area residents with scarves and other winter apparel.

I-690 gained a mile when its western terminus was relocated in 1988. The interchange with the Thruway was relocated and completely rebuilt, forcing a complete renumbering of all the exits on the highway.

During construction of the I-81/I-690 interchange, fliers were mailed to area residents describing how to navigate the intersection.

Future

From where I-690 terminates at Interstate 481, there have been plans for decades to extend the highway eastward to Manlius or to the far east suburb of Chittenango, but these plans have yet to become a reality. This extension would have been numbered as NY 290 due to the presence of NY 690 to the northeast and the unlikelihood of Interstate 290 in Buffalo being extended. The intention of extending the expressway is easy to see from above by observing the awkward onramps at this intersection.

Exit list

ee also

*New York State Route 690 for exits along NY 690

References

External links

* [http://www.empirestateroads.com Empire State Roads]
* [http://www.interstate-guide.com Interstate Guide]