Interstate 88

Interstate 88 Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Senator Warren M. Anderson Expressway, Susquehanna Expressway Maintained by NYSDOT
Length:	117.75 mi[1] (189.50 km)
Formed:	1968 (completed 1989)[2]
West end:	I-81 in Nimmonsburg
Major junctions:	US 20 near Duanesburg
East end:	I-90 / Thruway in Rotterdam
Numbered highways in New York < I-87 NY 88 > Interstate – U.S. – N.Y. (former) – Reference

Interstate 88 (I-88) is an Interstate Highway entirely within the U.S. state of New York. Its western end is at Interstate 81 in Binghamton and its eastern end is at Interstate 90 in Schenectady. It serves as an important connector route from Albany to Binghamton, Elmira (via NY 17/future I-86), and Scranton, Pennsylvania (via I-81). It runs near New York State Route 7, which was once the main route through the area, for its entire length.

Route description

Binghamton to Oneonta

I-88 begins here at I-81 near Binghamton, and heads northeast toward New York's Capitol District.

I-88 begins at an interchange with Interstate 81 just north of downtown Binghamton on the banks of the Chenango River. While both directions of I-81 are accessible from I-88 westbound, only one direction of I-81 (northbound) connects to I-88. The missing connection, I-81 south to I-88 east, is made via U.S. Route 11, NY 12 and NY 12A at I-81 exit 6. NY 12A then connects to I-88 at exit 2.

From I-81, I-88 heads east across the Chenango to Port Dickinson, where it merges with the limited-access NY 7 at exit 1. The two routes continue north, then east along the eastern bank of the Chenango River, where it meets NY 12A near Chenango Bridge. I-88 and NY 7 remain alongside the river to Port Crane, where the river begins to follow NY 369 (exit 3) northward. Outside of Port Crane, the expressway heads east to Sanitaria Springs. Here, NY 7 leaves the expressway at exit 4 and begins to parallel I-88, as it does for the remainder of I-88's routing.

I-88 continues east to Harpursville, interchanging with NY 79 (exit 6) near the center of the community. Shortly after meeting NY 79, I-88 reenters a river valley, this time that of the Susquehanna River. I-88 heads to the northeast, following the river and NY 7 to Bainbridge, New York where it meets NY State Route 206 and then on to Sidney, where it meets NY 8, the primary north-south road through the village, at exit 9. From Sidney, I-88 progresses northeast through southern Otsego County, passing Unadilla before entering Oneonta. Within the city, I-88 interchanges with NY 205 ahead of an exit with NY 28. NY 28 joins the expressway, following I-88 out of the city.

Oneonta to Schenectady

I-88 (Eastbound) in Schoharie County

Northeast of Oneonta, NY 28 leaves I-88 at exit 17 to follow the Susquehanna River northward toward Cooperstown. I-88, however, remains on a northeasterly track through rural eastern Otsego County. Upon crossing into Schoharie County, I-88 begins to follow an easterly routing as it heads toward Cobleskill. While NY 7 enters the village, I-88 passes south of it, connecting to the village via two exits with NY 7. East of Cobleskill, I-88 interchanges with NY 145. Howe Caverns, a regionally popular attraction, is located a short distance north of the exit. I-88 continues onward, skirting the northern edge of Schoharie before passing into Schenectady County.

Shortly after entering Schenectady County, I-88 meets U.S. Route 20 east of Duanesburg. Past US 20, I-88 continues northeast, interchanging with NY 7 for one final time before ending at the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) in western Schenectady.

History

I-88 signage shown along I-81 in Binghamton.

I-88 was added to the Interstate Highway System on December 13, 1968^[2] although all 118 miles (190 km) of the route had yet to be constructed.^[3] Construction began on I-88 soon afterward and continued throughout the 1970s. By 1985, I-88 was completed between Port Dickinson and Schenectady.^[4] In 1989, construction concluded on I-88^[2] with the opening of the final portion of I-88 between its current terminus at Interstate 81 and NY 7 in Port Dickinson.^[5]

Interchanges along Interstate 88 were not numbered until the early 1980s, though signs left space for the exit numbers to be easily added with unnumbered exit "tabs". The reason for this is that the NYSDOT MUTCD specified that interchanges on new roadways were to be numbered by distance instead of sequentially, however, this was rescinded with the 1983 edition. Interchanges were ultimately numbered sequentially.

2006 flood

As a result of the June 2006 flooding in upstate New York and northeastern Pennsylvania, Carr's Creek washed out a 50-foot (15 m) long section of Interstate 88 southwest of Unadilla on June 28.^[6] Around 6:20 a.m., two trucks from different directions drove into the chasm, apparently unaware of it, killing both drivers. David Swingle, 42, of Waverly, who was driving eastbound, was identified shortly after the accident.^[7] The westbound trucker was Patrick O'Connell, 55, of Lisbon, Maine.^[8] His body was found downstream several days after the water receded.^[9]

The New York State Department of Transportation started construction to replace the section of highway almost immediately, and it was re-opened August 31.^[10] Families of both victims plan to sue the state of New York for the incidents.^[11]

Exit list

County	Location	Mile[12]	#	Destinations	Notes
Broome	Fenton	0.00		I-81 – Syracuse, Binghamton	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		0.59	1	NY 7 west	West end of NY 7 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		2.35	2	NY 12A west – Chenango Bridge
		4.61	3	NY 369 – Port Crane
	Colesville	7.81	4	NY 7 east – Sanitaria Springs	East end of NY 7 overlap
		12.02	5	Martin Hill Road – Belden
		16.00	6	NY 79 – Harpursville, Nineveh
Chenango	Afton	23.77	7	NY 41 – Afton
		29.43	8	NY 206 – Bainbridge, Masonville
Delaware	Sidney	33.07	9	NY 8 – Sidney
		37.20	10	Unadilla
		40.51	11	NY 357 – Franklin, Unadilla
Otsego	Otego	46.82	12	NY 7 – Otego
	Oneonta	53.51	13	NY 7 / NY 205 – Oneonta
		55.76	14	Main Street	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		56.43	15	NY 23 / NY 28 south – Oneonta, Delhi	West end of NY 28 overlap
		58.68	16	Emmons
	Milford	61.03	17	NY 28 north to NY 7 – Colliersville, Cooperstown	East end of NY 28 overlap
	Maryland	70.95	18	Schenevus
	Worcester	76.70	19	To NY 7 – Colliersville, Cooperstown
Schoharie	Richmondville	87.86	20	NY 7 / NY 10 – Richmondville
		89.99	21	NY 7 / NY 10 – Warnerville
	Cobleskill	95.16	22	NY 7 / NY 145 – Cobleskill, Middleburgh
	Schoharie	101.04	23	NY 7 / NY 30 / NY 30A – Schoharie, Central Bridge	Access to NY 7 and NY 30 is via NY 30A
Schenectady	Duanesburg	112.14	24	US 20 / NY 7 – Duanesburg
	Rotterdam	116.87	25	NY 7 – Rotterdam, Schenectady
		117.75		I-90 / Thruway – Albany, Buffalo	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance

References

edit Main Interstate Highways (major interstates highlighted)
4	5	8	10	12	15	16	17	19	20	22	24	25	26	27	29	30
35	37	39	40	43	44	45	49	55	57	59	64	65	66	68	69
70	71	72	73	74	75	76 (W)		76 (E)		77	78	79	80	81	82
83	84 (W)		84 (E)		85	86 (W)		86 (E)		87	88 (W)		88 (E)		89	90
91	93	94	95	96	97	99	(238)		H-1		H-2		H-3
Unsigned			A-1		A-2		A-3		A-4		PRI-1		PRI-2		PRI-3
Lists		Primary			Main - Intrastate - Suffixed - Future - Gaps
		Auxiliary			Main - Future - Unsigned
		Other			Standards - Business - Bypassed