New York State Route 481

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NY Route 481

Veterans Memorial Highway

Length:

31.79 mi^[1] (51.16 km)

Formed:

1980s

South end:

I-81/I-481 in Syracuse

Major
junctions:

US 11 in North Syracuse

North end:

NY 104 in Oswego

Counties:

Onondaga, Oswego

Numbered highways in New York
< I-481		NY 488 >
Interstates - U.S. Routes - State Routes

New York State Route 481 is a New York State Route that runs from NY 104 in Oswego to the junction of Interstate 81 and Interstate 481 north of Syracuse.

1 Route description
- 1.1 Official designations
- 1.2 Alternate routes
2 Communities along the route
3 Major intersections
4 Exit list
5 History
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Route description

Route 481 begins at the junction of interstate highways 81 (running north to Watertown and south to Syracuse) and 481 (continuing east in a loop around Syracuse), emerging from a classic cloverleaf interchange. It crosses US 11 (which runs close and parallel to I-81 through much of Northern New York) almost immediately. It then travels to Fulton, mostly through farmland, crossing the Oneida River and the Erie Canal at the boundary between Oswego and Onondaga counties.

In Fulton, the road travels slowly through the center of town along several predominantly four-lane city streets, and constitutes the main north-south route through that town. Bridges across the Oswego River may be seen to the west when the road crosses Broadway and Oneida Street. North of the city, NY 481 expands to a four-lane divided highway once more.

The portion of the road from Fulton to Oswego parallels the Oswego River and contains several stretches of scenic beauty, mostly consisting of glimpses of locks, rapids and small waterfalls through trees along the river. The views are slightly better coming from the north, since the waterfalls are more evident when coming from downstream.

The road enters Oswego on the two-lane East River Road, passing by a large and attractive post-modern structure which turns out to be the Oswego County "Public Safety Center" (actually a Correctional Facility). As the road approaches its terminus at NY 104, grand bridges across the Oswego River can be seen to the west at Bridge Street and Utica Street. East First Street, which NY 481 becomes upon entering downtown, continues north past NY 104 to Oswego Harbor.

Throughout its length, Route 481 is signed as a north-south highway.

[edit] Official designations

By New York state statute, Route 481, as well as its continuation, Interstate 481, comprise the Veterans Memorial Highway.^[2] A sign on the northbound side of Route 481 near its southernmost point announces this. However, a sign on the southbound side of the highway, just after it leaves Fulton, erroneously announces that the highway is the Disabled American Veterans Memorial Highway. The same statute indicates that this is the designation of "that portion of United States route twenty beginning at the community of Irving, where route five and route twenty merge with Old Lake Shore road, and continuing northeasterly until approximately one mile south of the town of Depew, Erie county, then continuing easterly across New York state to its terminus at the New York-Massachusetts border approximately two miles east of the town of New Lebanon, Columbia county." This highway never intersects any part of the Veterans Memorial Highway, though it does come within eight miles of it at one point. The erroneous sign lies approximately 40 miles north of that point.

[edit] Alternate routes

A route combining NY 48 and NY 690 also travels between Oswego, Fulton and Syracuse, but along the eastern side of the Oswego River. Although shorter in distance, this route travels through more built-up areas and is significantly slowed by reduced speed limits. However, it is often used for trips involving areas on the western side of Syracuse.

Conversely, the combination of New York State Route 104 and Interstate 81 makes for a route that is longer in distance, but, due to increased time on the interstate and the avoidance of Fulton, typically can be driven in about the same time as NY 481. Travellers should definitely consider this route for trips involving areas on the eastern side of Oswego.

[edit] Communities along the route

[edit] Major intersections

County	Location	Mile	Road(s)	Notes
Onondaga	Syracuse	0.0	I-81 I-481	Exit 29 (I-81). Exit 9 (I-481). Northern terminus of I-481. Syracuse Hancock International Airport lies about a mile to the south.
	North Syracuse	0.5	US 11	The former site of Penn-Can Mall lies just to the north.
	Clay	7.0	NY 31	This junction is the center of a large area of retail shopping, including several strip malls and the Great Northern Mall.
Oswego	Phoenix	13.0	NY 264	Phoenix actually lies about a mile south of the junction, which itself is not built-up.
	Fulton	20.6	NY 3
	Oswego	31.8	NY 104

Legend
Crossing, no access	Concurrency termini	Decommissioned	Unconstructed	Closed

[edit] Exit list

Between Syracuse and Phoenix, NY 481 is a limited-access highway. Exit numbers continue from I-481.

County	Location	#	Mile^[3]	Destinations	Notes
Onondaga	Syracuse	becomes
	Syracuse	9N-S	0.00	I-81/ I-481 - Watertown, Syracuse	Southern terminus.
	North Syracuse	10	0.50	US 11 - North Syracuse, Cicero	Access to US 11 via streets running parallel to NY 481.
	North Syracuse	11		Caughdenoy Road/Maple Road	Northbound exit only.
	Clay	12	6.97	NY 31 - Clay, Cicero
Oneida River. Onondaga/Oswego county line.
Oswego	Phoenix	13	10.54	Phoenix (CR 57A)	Northbound: exit only. Southbound: entrance only.
		14	13.04	NY 264 - Phoenix
		becomes a surface street.

[edit] History

NY 57 was an eastern route between Oswego and Syracuse (NY 48 served and still serves as part of the western route between the two Central New York State cities). NY 57 was replaced by NY 481 and NY 370 for the most part in the early 1980s, but survives in almost its former entirety as Onondaga CR 57 and Oswego CR 57.^[4] The road was renamed NY 481 in accordance with the New York State Department of Transportation's penchant for naming state highways after interstate highways with which they connect.