Interstate 690

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Interstate 690 Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Length:	14.19 mi[1] (22.84 km)
Formed:	Early 1970s
West end:	I-90/NY 690 in Van Buren, NY
Major junctions:	I-81 in Syracuse, NY
East end:	I-481 in East Syracuse, NY
< I-684 NY NY 690 >

Interstate 690 (abbreviated I-690) is a 14.19 mile-long urban Interstate Highway built in the early 1970s in the Syracuse, New York area. I-690 travels southeast from Interstate 90 near Baldwinsville, New York, passing through the western suburbs of Syracuse before heading east through the city itself and terminating in East Syracuse, where it merges into Interstate 481. The expressway continues northwest of the Thruway as New York State Route 690.

Contents 1 Route description 2 Exit list 3 History 4 Future 5 Notes 6 References 7 See also 8 External links

[edit] Route description

I-690 is, in many ways, a typical urban expressway. The highway has three lanes for most of its length through Syracuse and its suburbs. It is close to buildings in downtown and has an incomplete interchange with Interstate 81 in the center of the city. There is no direct freeway ramp from I-690 east to I-81 north and I-81 south to I-690 west. NY 298, which interchanges with I-81 at exit 22 west of the I-81/I-690 interchange, must be used to make these connections. I-690 serves the Great New York State Fair by way of exits 5-7 and is one of the few Interstates to have a traffic light which allows buses to gain access to a parking lot.

[edit] Exit list

County	Location	Mile[2][3]	#	Destinations	Notes
Onondaga	Van Buren	I-690 continues north as NY 690. Eastbound: speed limit 65 miles per hour.
		0.00	1	I-90/Thruway/ NY 690 - Albany, Buffalo	Southern terminus of NY 690. Western terminus of I-690.
		0.31	2	Jones Road
		0.81	3	NY 48 (Farrell Road)	Westbound only.
		1.02	4	John Glenn Blvd.
	Lakeside	2.05	5	State Fair Blvd.
	Syracuse	4.30	6	NY 695 - Camillus, Fairmount	To NY 5.
		4.96	7	NY 297 - Solvay, Fairgrounds
		Westbound: speed limit 65 mph. Eastbound: speed limit 55 mph.
		7.14	8	Hiawatha Blvd	Eastbound: Exit only. Westbound: Entrance only.
		7.43	9	NY 298	Eastbound: Exit only. Westbound: Entrance only. Provides access from I-690 east to I-81 north and I-81 south to I-690 west.
		7.75	10	North Geddes Street	Westbound: Exit only. Eastbound: Entrance only.
		8.39	11	NY 5 (West Genesee Street) - Downtown Syracuse
		8.56	12	West Street - Downtown Syracuse, Near Armory Square
		9.00		I-81 - Syracuse, Binghamton	Non-numbered exit. I-690 west to I-81 south is a left exit. No ramps exist from I-690 east to I-81 north, and I-81 south to I-690 west.
		9.29	13	Townsend Street - Downtown Syracuse	Westbound: Exit only. Eastbound: Entrance only.
		10.32	14	Teall Avenue
		11.28	15	NY 598 (Midler Avenue)
	East Syracuse	12.34	16N-S	NY 635 (Thompson Road)	Exits 16 and 17 use a collector-distributor ramp system.
		13.19	17	Bridge Street
		14.19		I-481	Interchange was constructed to allow I-690 to continue east, as shown in the aerial image.

[edit] History

I-690 follows an old railroad bed through a portion of downtown Syracuse and actually cuts through an old train station. While traveling westbound, there are remnants of the old railroad station loading area with cement statues of people waiting for trains, who are occasionally dressed up for winter by area residents with scarves and other winter apparel.

I-690 gained a mile when its western terminus was relocated in 1988. The interchange with the Thruway was relocated and completely rebuilt, forcing a complete renumbering of all the exits on the highway.

[edit] Future

From where I-690 terminates at Interstate 481, there have been plans for decades to extend the highway eastward to Manlius or to the far east suburb of Chittenango, but these plans have yet to become a reality. This extension would have been numbered as NY 290 due to the presence of NY 690 to the northeast and the unlikelihood of Interstate 290 in Buffalo being extended. The intention of extending the expressway is easy to see from above by observing the awkward onramps at this intersection.

[edit] Notes

• Even though I-690 continues north of the Thruway as NY 690, the numbering system on I-690 does not continue with the route. The interchange with the Thruway is labelled as Exit 1, leaving exits on NY 690 without numbers. Additionally, NY 690 is signed north-south while I-690 is signed east-west.
• During construction of the I-81/I-690 interchange, fliers were mailed to area residents describing how to navigate the intersection.

[edit] References

1. ^ New York Routes - Interstate 690
2. ^ Interstate 690 Junction List
3. ^ Mileposts derived using trip planning software

[edit] See also

• New York State Route 690 for exits along NY 690

[edit] External links

• Empire State Roads
• Interstate Guide

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