Interstate 290 (New York)

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Interstate 290
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Maintained by NYSDOT
Length: 10.24 mi[1] (16.48 km)
Formed: 1958[2] (completed in 1965)[3]
West end: I-190/Thruway in Tonawanda
Major
junctions:
I-990 in Amherst
East end: I-90/Thruway in Williamsville
Numbered highways in New York
< NY 289 NY 290 >
Interstate - U.S. - N.Y. - Reference

Interstate 290 (abbreviated I-290) runs for 10 miles near Buffalo, New York from I-90 to I-190. It connects Buffalo with its northern suburbs of Amherst and Tonawanda, and provides a route to Niagara Falls that bypasses the city of Buffalo. I-290 also connects to Interstate 990, and through this connection, provides access to the Amherst Campus of the University at Buffalo. Locally, it is referred to as the Youngmann Expressway, The Two-Ninety and, less frequently, The Power Line Expressway for the high tension power lines that parallel the expressway.[2]

Contents

[edit] Route description

I-290 begins at a semi-directional-T interchange with Interstate 190 within view of the Niagara River in an industrial sector of the Buffalo suburb of Tonawanda. The freeway heads east from I-190 into more residential areas of Tonawanda, where it meets NY 384 at a three-quarter cloverleaf interchange. The two missing portions of the cloverleaf, both ramps leading to NY 384 from I-290 eastbound, are replaced by an exit to Elmwood Avenue located slightly west of the NY 384 exit. To the east of NY 384 (and adjacent to the southeasternmost point in the city of Tonawanda), I-290 interchanges with the Twin Cities Memorial Highway (NY 425).

Approaching I-290 on I-190 south
Approaching I-290 on I-190 south

The Youngmann Expressway continues east through Tonawanda to the Amherst town line, where it meets US 62 at a second three-quarter cloverleaf interchange. Unlike the interchange with NY 384, all connections are possible between I-290 and US 62 due to a modified ramp linking I-290 westbound to US 62. Past US 62 in Amherst, I-290 turns to the southeast ahead of a semi-directional-T interchange with Interstate 990, a spur to Lockport. Farther east, I-290 meets NY 263 (Millersport Highway) at a cloverleaf interchange and NY 324 and NY 240 at a modified diamond interchange south of the University at Buffalo's Amherst Campus.

I-290 westbound near I-990
I-290 westbound near I-990

Near Williamsville, I-290 turns southward and intersects NY 5 (Main Street) at a modified cloverleaf interchange. I-290 terminates at a semi-directional-T interchange with the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) a half-mile to the south on the Amherst-Cheektowaga town line.

[edit] History

What is now Interstate 290 was originally planned to be designated Interstate 190. The route was renumbered I-290 in 1958 to better reflect the future highway's routing as a connector between two interstate highways (or a bypass of Buffalo) rather than a spur.[2] Construction on the expressway began in the early 1960s and was completed in 1965. The interchange with what is now I-990 was built in 1983.[3]

[edit] Exit list

County Location Mile[1] # Destinations Notes
Erie Tonawanda 0.00 I-190 / ThruwayBuffalo, Niagara Falls
1 Elmwood Avenue (CR 119) Eastbound exit and entrance
2.58 1A-B NY 384 (Delaware Avenue) No eastbound exit
3.65 2 NY 425 (Colvin Boulevard) Southern terminus of NY 425
5.24 3A-B US 62 (Niagara Falls Boulevard)
Amherst
6.19 4 I-990University at Buffalo, Lockport Southern terminus of I-990
7.31 5A-B NY 263 (Millersport Highway)
8.06 6 NY 240 (Harlem Road) / NY 324 (Sheridan Drive)
9.75 7A-B NY 5 (Main Street)
10.24 I-90 / ThruwayAlbany, Erie

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Traffic Data Report - NY 213 to NY 305 (PDF). NYSDOT (2007-07-16). Retrieved on 2007-10-30.
  2. ^ a b c Interstate 290 (Kurumi.com). Retrieved on 2007-10-30.
  3. ^ a b National Bridge Inventory, a database compiled by the United States Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, available at www.nationalbridges.com. Accessed 2007-10-30.

[edit] External links