Interstate 290 New York
Overview
Interstate 290 forms a northern bypass of the city of Buffalo. The commuter route serves the suburbs of Tonawanda, Brighton, Amherst, Snyder and Williamsville. I-290 links the New York Thruway (Interstate 90) mainline with the Niagara Section of the Thruway along I-190. Some maps show it as the Youngmann Expressway, while others show it as the Powerline Expressway. The “power line” name is derived from the parallel transmission lines along the freeway corridor.
History
HistoryThe suggested route marking for Interstate highways submitted to the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) on August 22, 1958 from the State of New York Department of Public Works assigned I-190 for the Youngmann Expressway. AASHO recommended on August 29, 1958 that I-190 around the north side of Buffalo be changed to I-290 since it was a loop. This change was accepted and made official by AASHO on November 10, 1958 as part of the statewide urban Interstate numerology.
Governor Nelson Rockefeller announced that $18,438,000 in funds allocated by the state on April 27, 1961 included $7.356 million for construction of the initial 3.34 mile section of the Powerline Expressway (I-290).1 Subsequent bids for constructing 4.7 miles of the Elmer G. H. Youngmann Memorial Expressway were received by the New York State Department of Transportation on July 11, 1963. A $7.04 million bid was submitted for building 2.68 miles of I-290 from I-190 (Niagara section of the N.Y. Thruway) and Delaware Avenue. The succeeding 1.99 miles of I-290, from Delaware Avenue east to Niagara Falls Boulevard, received a low bid of $4.67 million.2
The Delaware Street overpass of the Youngman Expressway was under construction in 1964.3 With total costs around $20 million, Interstate 290 fully opened in 1965.4 Elmer Youngmann was a district engineer for the New York State Department of Public Works.
Route Information
East End – Amherst, NY
West End – Tonawanda, NY
Mileage – 9.80
Cities – Buffalo, Tonawanda
- Junctions –
Source: December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List
I-290 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)
Source: 2016 NYSDOT Traffic Data Viewer
 Photo Guides
 Photo GuidesEast End 
– Amherst, New York
East at 
Exit 7 B loops east onto NY 5 (Main Street) to the village of Williamsville. I-290 proceeds south 0.4 miles to the ramp partition for the New York Thruway east to Albany and west to Erie, Pennsylvania. 08/23/21
The New York Thruway south from I-290 to NY 33 for Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) and U.S. 219 through the Buffalo area is toll free. 08/23/21
Removed during the transition of the Thruway to all electronic tolling in 2021, the Williamsville Toll Plaza was located just east of the directional T interchange with I-290. 08/23/21
West at
Exit 50 leaves the New York Thruway beyond the site of the Williamsville Toll Plaza at the Forest Road overpass. The toll plaza was demolished in 2020-21. 08/22/21
Interstate 290 branches north from I-90 between Snyder in the town of Amherst and the village of Williamsville. 08/22/21
Connecting the New York Thruway west with I-190 north to Grand Island and Niagara Falls, Interstate 290 stays north of the Buffalo city limits. 08/22/21
I-90/New York Thruway west ta I-290 prior to expansion of Exit 50 to two lanes. Photo by Chris Elbert (07/06).
East at
A cloverleaf interchange (Exit 51) joins Interstate 90 (New York Thruway) with NY 33 (Kensington Expressway) one mile south of I-290. 08/22/21
The directional T interchange (Exit 50) with Interstate 290 is the last free exit along I-90 in the Buffalo area. 08/22/21
A half diamond interchange (Exit 50 A) with Cleveland Drive (CR 141) precedes Exit 50 for I-290 west in the town of Cheektowaga. 08/22/21
I-290 (Youngmann Expressway) arcs northwest from the Thruway near Cleveland Hill into the town of Amherst. 08/22/21
West End 
– Tonawanda, New York
West at 
Interstate 290 (Youngmann Expressway) passes south of the Tonawanda city limits and advances west from NY 384 to I-190 (Niagara Section of the New York State Thruway). 08/23/21
Two lanes default onto Interstate 190 south into Buffalo at the west end of I-290 (Power Line Expressway). The northbound entrance ramp connects with I-190 ahead of Exit 17 with NY 266 and the South Grand Island Bridge toll plaza. 08/23/21
Interstate 290 concludes at a directional T interchange with I-190 eight miles north of Downtown Buffalo. 08/23/21
South at
Separate panels for I-190 south and I-290 east replaced this diagrammatic overhead for Exit 16 by 2012. Photo by Chris Elbert (07/06).
Interstate 190 travels 0.75 miles from the South Grand Island Bridge over the Niagara River to Exit 16 with I-290 (Youngmann Expressway) east. 08/23/21
Interstate 290 runs east between the city of Tonawanda and village of Kenmore to Brighton and I-990 to the University of Buffalo (UB). 08/23/21
A two lane flyover (Exit 16) connects I-190 south with Interstate 290 (Powerline Expressway) east at the Frontier Fuel Railroad overpass. Rochester lies 75 miles to the east via I-290, the New York Thruway and I-490. 08/23/21
North at
Spanning NY 325 (Sheridan Drive), Interstate 190 advances a half mile north to Exit 16 for I-290 east. 08/23/21
Two lanes separate from I-190 north for Interstate 290 east to the city of Tonawanda and the New York Thruway at the town of Amherst. 08/23/21
The northbound ramp for I-290 combines with the entrance ramp from NY 324 (Grand Island Boulevard) prior to the full-Y interchange at Exit 16. NY 324 parallels the west side of I-190 through this exchange. 08/23/21
Sources:
- “N.Y. Will Allot Erie Bulk of Road Jobs.” The Kingston Daily Freeman (NY), March 22, 1961.
- “Canada Firm Bids Low on Expressway Job.” The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY), July 12, 1963.
- “Do You Remember July 11?” Tonawanda News (NY), July 11, 2014.
- “Do You Remember July 11?” Tonawanda News (NY), November 30, 2012.
Page updated June 14, 2022.