Interstate 890 New York

Overview

Interstate 890 comprises an urban loop from the New York Thruway into the city of Schenectady. The freeway serves Downtown and the General Electric (GE) Schenectady campus, headquarters of the GE Power business unit. New York Route 890 extends north from the access road to I-90 across the Mohawk River into southern Saratoga County. That state route spurs north to NY 5 in the town of Glenville.

History

The Interstate Urban Area Numerology for New York submitted to the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) on August 22, 1958 proposed Route 690 for the Thruway Spur Connection in Schenectady. AASHO changed 690 to 890 to keep the numerical order of loops and spurs in sequence from west to east. This was the result of Route 190 bypassing Buffalo changing to Route 290, Rochester’s 290 to 490 and Syracuse’s 490 to 690. AASHO made the changes official on November 10, 1958.

Interstate 890 was constructed during the late 1950s and early 1960s.¹ An extension of the freeway northward across the Mohawk River to NY 5 in Glenville opened initially with ramps to NY 5S on October 31, 1997.² Numbered as NY 890, the four lane Mohawk River bridge opened to traffic on October 20, 1998 following a ribbon cutting ceremony held that morning.³

Construction between April 25 and November 2016 reconfigured the interchange built in the 1960s at the GE Schenectady campus, Erie Boulevard and Washington Avenue (Exits 4 A/B). The $4.6 million project replaced the loop ramp at Exit 4 B along westbound with a new ramp slightly to the east of the former. The off-ramp at Exit 4 B from I-890 east closed permanently, with traffic redirected via Exit 4 A to the west. That ramp was renumbered to Exit 4.⁴ The inner loop connecting Erie Boulevard with I-890 east and Edison Avenue also permanently closed. It was filled with 11,300 cubic yards of earth after June 2016.⁵

Route Information

East End – Fort Hunter, NY
West End – Rotterdam, NY
Mileage – 9.35
Cities – Schenectady
Junctions –

Source: December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List

I-890 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)

Source: 2015 NYSDOT Traffic Data Viewer

A chamber of commerce map dated in 1972 showed Interstate 890 only opened northward to Campbell Road / Exits 2 A/B.

Interstate 890 completed north from the New York State Thruway to Exit 6 / Michigan Avenue in 1965.

Photo Guides

Interstate 890

East End – Rotterdam, New York

East at

I-890 east concludes one mile beyond the diamond interchange (Exit 8) with High Bridge Road. The ensuing exit joins the freeway loop with NY 7 (Curry Road). 03/26/23

Succeeding ramps depart from Interstate 890 east for NY 7 (Curry Road) west to Coldbrook and South Schenectady and parallel NY 146 (Carman Road) ahead of New York Thruway. This sign bridge was removed by 2019. Photo by Doug Kerr (12/01/12).

The freeway mainline angles southeast to the trumpet interchange with I-90 as Exit 9 B branches west to NY 146 and Fort Hunter. 03/26/23

An end shield for Interstate 890 precedes the former toll plaza for the NYS Thruway. The toll road connects with I-87, six miles to the east and I-88, five miles to the west. 06/28/05

Ramps partitions beyond the former toll plaza location for I-90 east to Albany and west to Syracuse. The connection to Interstate 88 is toll free. Photo by Doug Kerr (09/02/12).

East at

Adjacent ramps from I-890 east beyond Exit 25 connect the Schenectady freeway loop with NY 146 to Fort Hunter and NY 7 to Rotterdam. 03/26/23

Exit 25 loops away from the New York Thruway east for Interstate 890 west to Downtown Schenectady. I-90 continues east to the Guilderland Service Plaza. 03/26/23

West at

Interstate 90 travels northwest from Albany through the town of Colonie to meet I-890 at Exit 25 near Fort Hunter. 08/22/21

Entering the trumpet interchange (Exit 25) with Interstate 890 west on the New York Thruway west. 08/22/21

West End – Rotterdam, New York

West at

Paralleling the Mohawk River, I-890 advances north to Exit 1 B for the New York Thruway access road connecting with I-90 west to Utica and east to Albany. 03/26/23

NY 890 spurs north from I-890 at Exit 1 B to Exit 1 A for NY 5S. 03/26/23

NY 890 extends north across the Mohawk River at NY 5 in Glenville. Mileposts from I-890 originate at NY 890 and NY 5. 03/26/23

East at

NY 890 stems south from NY 5 (Amsterdam Road) and Vley Road (County Route 30) across the Mohawk River to Interstate 890. 03/26/23

NY 890 converges with I-890 at the trumpet interchange (Exit 1 B) and access road to the New York Thruway. 03/26/23

NY 890 transitions into Interstate 890 east into the city of Schenectady. 03/26/23

Interstate 90 (New York Thruway) bypasses Schenectady to the south, leading west from I-890 to Amsterdam and Utica. 03/26/23

East at

The New York Thruway straddles the northern hillside overlooking the Mohawk River to Rotterdam and Exit 25. Photo by Doug Kerr (07/10/10).

Beyond the toll collection point from the New York Thruway, traffic enters a trumpet interchange with I-890 east and NY 890 north to adjacent NY 5S. Photo by Doug Kerr (09/15/12).

West at

Exit 25 is the fifth in a series of consecutive Interstate highway interchanges along the New York Thruway west. 08/22/21

Exit 25 links Interstate 90 with I-890 east into Schenectady and NY 890 north to Glenville. 08/22/21

Sources:

Capital Highways – Interstate 890 (Chris Jordan). ~~http://www.capitalhighways.8m.com/highways/890i/~~
“New ramps to open linking Route 5S, Exit 26, I-890.” The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY), October 31, 1997.
“Mohawk span done ” The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY), October 21, 1998.
“Notorious I-890 loop in Schenectady on the way out.” The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY), April 21, 2016.
“Redesign of I-890 Exit 4 reaches completion.” The Daily Gazette, November 3, 2016.

Page updated April 5, 2023.