Interstate 990

Interstate 990
Lockport Expressway

Map of western New York with I-990 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NYSDOT
Length: 6.43 mi[3] (10.35 km)
Existed: early 1980s[1][2] – present
Major junctions
South end: I-290 in Amherst
North end: NY 263 in Amherst
Highway system

Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Main • Auxiliary • Business

Numbered highways in New York
Interstate • U.S. • N.Y. (former) • Reference • County

← NY 962J NY 990L →

Interstate 990 (I-990) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway located entirely within the town of Amherst in Erie County, New York, in the United States. It runs in a roughly north–south direction for 6.43 miles (10.35 km) through the southwestern and central parts of Amherst from Interstate 290 north of Buffalo to NY 263 (Millersport Highway) south of Lockport. It is the highest numbered interstate highway in the United States. I-990 serves as a connection between Buffalo, the University at Buffalo, and Lockport (via NY 263 and NY 78).

Like Interstate 590 in nearby Rochester, I-990 does not physically meet Interstate 90, its parent interstate, instead making the connection by way of a "sibling" highway (I-290). I-990 is the highest-numbered Interstate Highway in actual use. The first portion of I-990, from I-290 to Sweet Home Road, opened to traffic in the early 1980s. I-990 was extended north to North French Road later in the decade, then to NY 263 in 1990.

Contents

Route description

Interstate 990 begins at a semi-directional T interchange with Interstate 290 in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst. It heads northward, paralleling the western edge of the University at Buffalo campus. I-990 northbound provides access to the university at exit 1, which links to Audubon Parkway; a connection to the campus from I-990 southbound is available at exit 2 with Sweet Home Road (unsigned NY 952T). Past Sweet Home Road, I-990 curves to the east and meets the northern end of Audubon Parkway at exit 3.

I-990 continues on, paralleling Dodge Road (County Route 45) to the hamlet of Getzville, where the expressway passes over NY 270. East of the overpass, I-990 veers northward and interchanges with North French Road (CR 299) at exit 4. North of exit 4, I-990 roughly parallels the routing of NY 263 (Millersport Highway) for 1 mile (1.6 km) before turning eastward toward the route. Just before exit 5, I-990's junction with NY 263, all traffic on I-990 is diverted onto the exit ramps leading NY 263 and I-990 itself ends at Millersport Highway. A small stub of highway exists east of the exit gore on I-990 northbound.

History

Plans to construct a limited-access highway between Buffalo and Lockport were formulated as early as the 1970s. Under the 1971 Regional Highway Plan for the Buffalo – Niagara Falls area, the highway would begin at Interstate 290 and head generally northeasterly to NY 31 east of Lockport. In between, it would intersect the proposed Outer Belt Expressway as well as NY 78 (Transit Road).[4]

The Outer Belt proposal was mostly dropped; however, construction began in the early 1980s on the portion of the Lockport Expressway from I-290 to Sweet Home Road. The highway was opened to traffic as I-990 by 1985. An extension of the highway to North French Road was built during the mid-1980s[1][2] and completed by 1990 as part of I-990.[5] A second extension of the freeway to NY 263 (Millersport Highway) southwest of Lockport was opened to traffic on December 21, 1990,[6] and added to I-990 on October 22, 1993.[7]

Exit list

The entire route is in Amherst, Erie County.

Mile[3] Exit Destinations Notes
0.00 I-290
1.34 1 Audubon Parkway – University at Buffalo Northbound exit and southbound entrance
2.02 2A-B Sweet Home Road (NY 952T) Single exit 2 northbound
3.07 3 Audubon Parkway – University at Buffalo
4.62 4 North French Road (CR 299)
6.43 5 NY 263 (Millersport Highway) At-grade intersection
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b State of New York (1981). I Love New York Tourism Map (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. 
  2. ^ a b Rand McNally (1985). New York (Map). ISBN 0-528-91040-X. 
  3. ^ a b "2008 Traffic Volume Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. June 16, 2009. p. 291. https://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/NYSDOT%20TVR%202008%20by%20Route.pdf. Retrieved February 1, 2010. 
  4. ^ City of Niagara Falls (1971). Regional Highway Plan for Buffalo and Niagara Falls (Map). http://www.gribblenation.net/nypics/planned/buffalo/buffalo.jpg. Retrieved June 3, 2009. 
  5. ^ DeLorme Mapping (1990). Upstate New York City Street Maps (Map). 1" = 1/2 mile. Cartography by DeLorme Mapping (1st ed.). p. 2, section D1. ISBN 0-89933-300-1. 
  6. ^ McCarthy, Robert J. (December 20, 1990). "New Link In Lockport Route To Open 4-Lane Highway To Buffalo Only 2 Miles Shy Of Goal". The Buffalo News. 
  7. ^ "Report of the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering to the Standing Committee on Highways". American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. October 23, 1993. p. 7. http://cms.transportation.org/sites/route/docs/1993-USRN_Cmte.PDF. Retrieved July 18, 2010. 

External links

South Dakota: 190 — Illinois: 190 • 290 — Ohio: 290 (former) • 490 — New York: 190 • 290 • 390 • 490 • 590 • 690 • 790 • 890 • 990 — Massachusetts: 190 • 290