Interstate 790
Encyclopedia
Interstate 790 is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the city of Utica, New York
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....

, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It runs for 2.4 miles (3.9 km) from an interchange with NY 5A
New York State Route 5A
New York State Route 5A is an east–west state highway contained within Oneida County, New York, in the United States. It is a alternate route of NY 5 between New Hartford and downtown Utica. At its eastern end, NY 5A becomes NY 5S. The route is four lanes wide and passes...

 and NY 5S
New York State Route 5S
New York State Route 5S is an east–west state highway located in the Mohawk Valley of New York in the United States. It extends for from an interchange with NY 5, NY 5A, NY 8, and NY 12 in Utica to a smaller interchange with NY 890 in Rotterdam...

 in downtown Utica to exit 31 of the New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...

 (I-90) east of the city. All of I-790 is concurrent
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...

 with NY 5
New York State Route 5
New York State Route 5 is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, and several other smaller cities and...

, and the portion south of NY 49
New York State Route 49
New York State Route 49 is an east–west state highway in New York in the United States. It runs from NY 3 in Volney to Interstate 790 , NY 5, NY 8 and NY 12 in Utica...

 is also concurrent with NY 8
New York State Route 8
New York State Route 8 is a state highway in the central part of New York in the United States. It runs in a southwest-to-northeast direction from the Southern Tier to the northern part of Lake George. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with NY 17 in the town of...

 and NY 12
New York State Route 12
New York State Route 12 is a state highway extending for through central and northern New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 11 in the town of Chenango in the Southern Tier. The northern terminus is at NY 37 near the village of...

. According to the New York State Department of Transportation
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S...

, I-790 follows NY 5 to Leland Avenue while the highway leading to Thruway exit 31 is merely a pair of ramps connecting I-790 to its parent. The north–south portion of I-790 between its western terminus and NY 49 is named the North–South Arterial.

History

The portion of the North–South Arterial between Oriskany Street (NY 5A
New York State Route 5A
New York State Route 5A is an east–west state highway contained within Oneida County, New York, in the United States. It is a alternate route of NY 5 between New Hartford and downtown Utica. At its eastern end, NY 5A becomes NY 5S. The route is four lanes wide and passes...

 and NY 5S
New York State Route 5S
New York State Route 5S is an east–west state highway located in the Mohawk Valley of New York in the United States. It extends for from an interchange with NY 5, NY 5A, NY 8, and NY 12 in Utica to a smaller interchange with NY 890 in Rotterdam...

) and River Road was completed in the late 1950s. By 1961, a two-lane, limited-access highway was constructed along the south side of the New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...

 between the Arterial and Thruway exit 31. The road left the Arterial just north of the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...

 and had one intermediate interchange with Genesee Street before connecting directly to I-90 at exit 31. The two-lane connector and the section of the North–South Arterial between Oriskany Street and the connector was designated as I-790 by 1965. In the late 1980s, the connector was rebuilt as a four-lane freeway that straddles I-90. The direct connection from I-90 to I-790 was eliminated at this time, necessitating the use of surface streets and passing through traffic lights for traffic to reach I-790. This approach has created some traffic congestion that continues to grow with the expansion of industry in the area.

There are efforts within the New York State Department of Transportation
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S...

 (NYSDOT) to move the Interstate 790 designation from its current routing to the Utica–Rome Expressway (NY 49
New York State Route 49
New York State Route 49 is an east–west state highway in New York in the United States. It runs from NY 3 in Volney to Interstate 790 , NY 5, NY 8 and NY 12 in Utica...

), which would make I-790 run from Thruway exit 31 west to NY 49's bridge over the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...

 in the city of Rome
Rome, New York
Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States. It is located in north-central or "upstate" New York. The population was 44,797 at the 2010 census. It is in New York's 24th congressional district. In 1758, British forces began construction of Fort Stanwix at this strategic location, but...

. NYSDOT originally wanted the highway to terminate at the Griffiss Business and Technology Park interchange (NY 825
New York State Route 825
New York State Route 825 is a state highway in Oneida County, New York, in the United States. It connects the former Griffiss Air Force Base to the Utica–Rome Expressway and downtown Rome. The southern terminus is at an interchange with NY 49 east of downtown Rome...

); however, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
AASHTO, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols and guidelines which are used in highway design and construction throughout the United States...

 wants the Interstate Highway designation to continue to the canal bridge. To accomplish this would involve the removal of an at-grade railroad crossing just west of the Griffiss Park interchange.

U.S. Representative Michael Arcuri introduced legislation in July 2010 that would redesignate the 11 miles (18 km) portion of NY 49 from the North–South Arterial in Utica to NY 825 in Rome as part of I-790. The conversion is expected to cost between $1.5 and $2 million, which would be used to install new signage along the expressway. By adding the Utica–Rome Expressway to the Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...

, the area would receive approximately $10 million in additional federal highway funding over the next five years. According to Arcuri, the proposed redesignation is part of a larger, long-term goal of creating an Interstate Highway-standard
Interstate Highway standards
Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in the publication A Policy on Design Standards - Interstate System...

 freeway that would begin at Thruway exit 33 in Verona
Verona, New York
Verona is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 6,425 at the 2000 census. The source of the town name is unknown, though it's possibly named after Verona, Italy....

 and pass through Rome before ending at Thruway exit 31. The portion of NY 49 east of NY 825 already meets Interstate Highway standards.

Exit list

|-
|0.00
|
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|0.46
|
|-
|0.87
|
|East end of NY 8/NY 12 overlap
|-
|1.25
|
|-
|
|
|East end of NY 5 overlap
|-
|1.84
|
|
|-
|
|Genesee Street north – Downtown Utica
|I-790 westbound uses part of Genesee Street to get between the I-90 interchange and the NY 5 overlap
|-
|2.41
|
|At-grade intersection

External links

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