Interstate 88 (Eastern)
Overview
An intrastate route in Upstate New York, Interstate 88 angles northeast from Binghamton to the Capital District along a scenic and rural route. Smaller cities and towns along the route include Sidney, Oneonta and Cobleskill. East from Harpursville, I-88 travels along side the Susquehanna River through a valley to the Town of Milford by South Hill.
History
Not incorporated in the original 1956 Interstate Highway plans, the eastern Interstate 88 was established in 1967.1 The New York Legislature authorized the highway in 1968, with major construction underway between 1974 and 1980 at a cost of $500 million.2 The freeway replaced New York 7 between the Southern Tier and Schenectady.
The last portion built was the 1.5-mile segment between Interstate 81 and Chenango Bridge. Included on this section is the 2,650-foot long bridge across the Chenango River. Work on the $20.3-million link ran from 1987 to January 1, 1989.1 The freeway was named the Warren M. Anderson Expressway in 1989, after the former state Senate majority leader and proponent of the I-88 corridor.3
An eastern extension between Schenectady to Albany was approved by AASHTO on June 23, 1969, but never signed. A second plan to lengthen I-88 arose in 1999 when the Thruway Authority, NYSDOT and the FHWA proposed renumbering the free portion of I-90 between the Thruway Mainline and the Berkshire Spur as I-88 while shifting Interstate 90 entirely on the toll road system. This was also never implemented.4
Interstate 88 was fully open from NY 7 north of Port Dickinson to Oneonta in 1979. The portion east from Oneonta to U.S. 20 near Duanesburg was completed the following year.
Route Information
- East End – Schenectady, NY
- West End – Binghamton, NY
- Branch Routes – 0
- Mileage – 117.75
- Cities – Binghamton, Oneonta, Schenectady
- Junctions –
Source: December 31, 2017 Interstate Route Log and Finders List
I-88 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)
Location | Vehicles per day |
---|---|
Chenango Bridge | 25,900 |
Oneonta | 17,200 |
East Worcester | 8,800 |
Rotterdam | 22,700 |
Source: NYSDOT 2002 Traffic Volume Report
Earlier proposals for Interstate 88 took the easternmost stretch of the route to the New York Thruway opposite the south end of Interstate 890. The route was ultimately constructed to end at a point midway between the ends of I-890. Motorists entering the Thruway from I-88 may travel the toll road for free to Schenectady.
Highway Guides
East End
– Schenectady, New York
West End
– Binghamton, New York
Sources:
- “Albany Firm Bids Low On I-88 Work.” The Times Union (Albany, NY), December 24, 1986.
- “I-88 May Be Named After Anderson.” The Times Union (Albany, NY), March 10, 1989.
- “Lawmakers OK Anderson Expressway.” The Times Union (Albany, NY), June 29, 1989.
- “Thruway connector’s name spurs question“, Getting There (timesunion.com), March 25, 2010.
Page updated June 9, 2015.