Interstate 290 New York

Interstate 290 New York
Tonawanda, NY ↔ Amherst, NY•9.80 miles

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.

Mileage by State

New York9.80 mi

Data Sources

December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List

History

I-290 - Tonawanda, NY - 1960
The proposed route of I-290 (Power Line Expressway) in 1960. The connection between the New York Thruway and New York Route 5 (Main Street) opened prior to construction of Interstate 290.

The 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.

East End Interstate 90 New York State Thruway ‐ Amherst, NY

Interstate 290 East at Interstate 90 New York State Thruway

I-290 east at I-90/New York Thruway - Amherst, NY

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

I-290 east at I-90/New York Thruway - Amherst, NY I-290 east at I-90/New York Thruway - Amherst, NY I-290 east at I-90/New York Thruway - Amherst, NY

Interstate 90 New York State Thruway West at Interstate 290

I-90/New York Thruway west at I-290 - Amherst, NY

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

I-90/New York Thruway west at I-290 - Amherst, NY I-90/New York Thruway west at I-290 - Amherst, NY I-90/New York Thruway west at I-290 - Amherst, NY I-90/New York Thruway west at I-290 - 2007

Interstate 90 New York State Thruway East at Interstate 290

I-90/New York Thruway east at I-290 - Amherst, NY

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

I-90/New York Thruway east at I-290 - Amherst, NY I-90/New York Thruway east at I-290 - Amherst, NY I-90/New York Thruway east at I-290 - Amherst, NY I-90/New York Thruway east at I-290 - Amherst, NY

West End Interstate 190 ‐ Tonawanda, NY

Interstate 290 West at Interstate 190

I-290 west at I-190 - Tonawanda, NY

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

I-290 west at I-190 - Tonawanda, NY I-290 west at I-190 - Tonawanda, NY I-290 west at I-190 - Tonawanda, NY

Interstate 190 South at Interstate 290

I-190 south at I-290 - 2006

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).

I-190 south at I-290 - 2006 I-190 south at I-290 - Tonawanda, NY I-190 south at I-290 - Tonawanda, NY I-190 south at I-290 - Tonawanda, NY

Interstate 190 North at Interstate 290

I-190 north at I-290 - Tonawanda, NY

Spanning NY 325 (Sheridan Drive), Interstate 190 advances a half mile north to Exit 16 for I-290 east. 08/23/21

I-190 north at I-290 - Tonawanda, NY I-190 north at I-290 - Tonawanda, NY I-190 north at I-290 - Tonawanda, NY

References

  1. "N.Y. Will Allot Erie Bulk of Road Jobs." The Kingston Daily Freeman (NY), March 22, 1961.
  2. "Canada Firm Bids Low on Expressway Job." The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY), July 12, 1963.
  3. "Do You Remember July 11?" Tonawanda News (NY), July 11, 2014.
  4. "Do You Remember July 11?" Tonawanda News (NY), November 30, 2012.
Updated June 14, 2022