Interstate 81 in New York

Interstate 81 Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Maintained by NYSDOT
Length:	183.52 mi[1] (295.35 km)
Formed:	1957[2]
South end:	I-81 near Binghamton
Major junctions:	Future I-86/NY 17 in Binghamton I-88 near Binghamton US 20 in La Fayette I-481 in Syracuse I-690 in Syracuse I-90 / Thruway near Syracuse I-481 / NY 481 in North Syracuse
North end:	Highway 137 at Wellesley Island
Numbered highways in New York < NY 80 NY 81 > Interstate – U.S. – N.Y. (former) – Reference

Interstate 81 (I-81) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Dandridge, Tennessee, to the Canada – United States border at Wellesley Island in New York. In the U.S. state of New York, I-81 extends 183.52 miles (295.35 km) from the Pennsylvania state line southeast of Binghamton to the Canadian border at Wellesley Island northwest of Alexandria Bay. I-81 runs north–south through Central New York, serving the cities of Binghamton, Syracuse, and Watertown. It passes through the Thousand Islands in its final miles and crosses two bridges, both part of the series of bridges known as the Thousand Islands Bridge.

Route description

Pennsylvania to Syracuse

I-81 leaves NY 17 (Future I-86) north toward Syracuse.

Interstate 81 enters New York at the Pennsylvania state line about 11 miles (18 km) south east of Binghamton. I-81 merges with NY 17 for 5 miles (8.0 km). The current segment of NY 17 is set to become I-86. About 1-mile (1.6 km) north of Binghamton at exit 5, I-81 meets the western terminus of I-88. US 11 has been paralleling I-81 from Virginia and US 11 will parallel I-81 in most of New York. At mile marker 73 and exit 15, I-81 meets with the longest road in the United States: US 20 in La Fayette. At the southern tip of Syracuse, at mile marker 81, and exit 16A, I-81 meets with one of its spurs: I-481. In downtown Syracuse, I-81 meets I-690 at an incomplete interchange.

Syracuse to Canada

Just north of Syracuse, I-81 meets the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) at exit 25A. In North Syracuse at mile marker 93, I-81 meets with I-481 and NY 481 at exit 29. From exit 36 to exit 48, I-81 parallels Lake Ontario. Further north, I-81 crosses Thousand Islands Bridge (toll northbound only) at the U.S./ Canadian border 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Fishers Landing.

Approaching and, further, beyond I-81's northern terminus at the Canadian border, two toll bridge spans over the St. Lawrence River connect it to Highway 401 (via Highway 137) in Ontario. The main bridge span on the United States side is one of the few remaining 2-lane Interstate stretches left on the system. The border itself is marked by a 90-foot (27 m) bridge across the International Rift between Wellesley Island, New York and Hill Island, Ontario.

History

The entirety of I-81 within New York was designated along with the remainder of modern I-81 in the 1957 plan for the Interstate Highway System.^[2] By 1967, all of I-81 within the state was open to traffic except for the portion of modern I-81 between NY 221 in Marathon and NY 26 in Whitney Point.^[3] The Marathon-Whitney Point segment was completed in 1969.^[4]

Exit list

County	Location	Mile[1]	#	Destinations	Notes
New York-Pennsylvania border; I-81 continues into Pennsylvania
Broome	Kirkwood	3.97	1	US 11 / NY 7 – Conklin, Kirkwood
	Binghamton	8.65	2	US 11 east  – Industrial Park
		8.66		NY 17 east /Future I-86 - New York	NY-17 joins northbound and leaves southbound
		8.90	3	Industrial Park (Colesville Road)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		12.19	3	Broad Avenue	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		12.58	4	NY 7  – Downtown Binghamton, Hillcrest
		13.06		NY 17 west /Future I-86 – Owego, Elmira	NY-17 leaves northbound and joins southbound
		13.54	5	US 11 (Front Street)  – Broome Community College	To I-88 east (southbound)
		14.77		I-88 east – Albany	No southbound exit
		15.66	6	US 11 / NY 12 – Chenango Bridge	To I-88 east (southbound)
	Chenango Forks	21.62	7	US 11 – Castle Creek
	Whitney Point	28.99	8	NY 26 to US 11 to NY 79 to NY 206 – Whitney Point	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		30.33		NY 79 to US 11 to NY 26 to NY 206 – Whitney Point	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Cortland	Marathon	38.26	9	NY 221  – Marathon
	McGraw	50.01	10	NY 41 – Cortland, McGraw
	Cortland	52.34	11	NY 13 – Cortland, Ithaca	Access to SUNY Cortland
	Homer	54.07	12	US 11 / NY 41 / NY 281 – Cortland, Homer
	Preble	62.86	13	NY 281 – Preble
Onondaga	Tully	66.58	14	NY 80  – Tully
	LaFayette	73.19	15	US 11 / US 20 – LaFayette
	Nedrow	78.10	16	US 11  – Onondaga Nation Territory
	Syracuse	81.46	16A	I-481 north – DeWitt
		82.20	17	South Salina Street / South State Street / Brighton Avenue	Access to Carrier Dome
		83.77	18	Adams Street / Harrison Street	Access to Syracuse University
		84.78		I-690 – East Syracuse, Baldwinsville, Fairgrounds	No access to I-690 west from I-81 south
			19	Clinton Street / Salina Street	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
			20	Franklin Street / West Street	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
			21	Catawba Street / Spencer Street	Southbound exit and entrance
		86.23	22	NY 298 (Court Street)	Northbound exit and entrance; access to Rosamond Gifford Zoo
		86.68	23-24A-24B	NY 370 (Park Street) – Liverpool	Northbound exit only; access to Carousel Center and Alliance Bank Stadium
			23A-23B-22	NY 298 (Bear Street) to I-690 west / Hiawatha Boulevard / Carousel Center Drive	Southbound exit and entrance
	Mattydale		25	7th North Street – Liverpool
		88.66	25A	I-90 / Thruway – Albany, Buffalo
		89.87	26	US 11 – Mattydale	Combined with exit 27 southbound
		90.67	27	Syracuse Airport	Combined with exit 28 northbound and exit 26 southbound
	North Syracuse	91.51	28	Taft Road – North Syracuse	Combined with exit 27 northbound
		92.63	29S-N	I-481 / NY 481 – Oswego, North Syracuse, DeWitt
	Cicero	95.07	30	NY 31 – Cicero, Bridgeport
	Brewerton	99.03	31	To US 11 (Bartel Road) – Brewerton
Oswego	Central Square	102.83	32	NY 49 – Central Square
	Parish	111.11	33	NY 69  – Parish
	Maple View	114.87	34	NY 104  – Mexico
		118.25	35	To US 11 (Tinker Tavern Road)
	Pulaski	121.65	36	NY 13 – Pulaski	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		122.44		Pulaski (CR 2)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Lacona	128.07	37	Sandy Creek, Lacona (CR 15)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		128.25		Sandy Creek, Lacona (CR 22A)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Jefferson	Mannsville	130.82	38	US 11
		132.83	39	Mannsville (CR 94)
	Ellisburg	134.68	40	NY 193 – Pierrepont Manor, Ellisburg
	Adams	140.25	41	NY 178  – Adams, Henderson
	Adams Center	144.36	42	NY 177 – Smithville, Adams Center
		145.91	43	To US 11 – Kellogg Hill
	Watertown	148.29	44	NY 232 – Watertown Center
		152.60	45	NY 3 (Arsenal Street) – Sackets Harbor
		153.55	46	NY 12F (Coffeen Street)  – Airport	Access to Jefferson Community College
		155.05	47	NY 12 (Bradley Street)  – Clayton
		157.67	48	NY 342 to US 11 to NY 37 – Fort Drum, Black River
	La Fargeville	169.20	49	NY 411  – Theresa, La Fargeville
	Fishers Landing	178.14	50	NY 12 – Alexandria Bay, Clayton
		Thousand Islands Bridge over the St. Lawrence River ($2.50 toll northbound)[5]
	Thousand Islands
		179.80	51	Island Road – Island State Parks
		183.03	52	Island Road – De Wolf Point
United States-Canada border; I-81 becomes Highway 137

References

Interstate 81
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