Interstate 88 (I-88) is an
Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of
New York. Nominally signed as an east–west road as it has an even number, it extends for in a northeast–southwest direction from an interchange with
I-81
Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Isla ...
north of the city of
Binghamton
Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...
to an interchange with the
New York State Thruway (
I-90) west of
Schenectady
Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
. The freeway serves as an important connector route from the
Capital District
A capital district, capital region or capital territory is normally a specially designated administrative division where a country's seat of government is located. As such, in a federal model of government, no state or territory has any poli ...
to Binghamton,
Elmira (via
New York State Route 17
New York State Route 17 (NY 17) is a major state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate New York, Downstate regions of New York (state), New York in the United States. It begins at the New York–Pennsylvania ...
or NY 17,
I-86
Interstate 86 may refer to any of three unconnected Interstate Highways in the United States:
* Interstate 86 (Pennsylvania–New York)
* Interstate 86 (Idaho)
* Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts)
Interstate 84 (I-84) is an I ...
), and
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...
(via I-81). I-88 closely parallels
NY 7, which was once the main route through the area.
I-88 was assigned in 1968, and construction of the highway began soon afterward. The first section of I-88 opened in the early 1970s, connecting two communities northeast of Binghamton. The last piece of the freeway was finished in 1989, linking the original segment to I-81 north of Binghamton. Early plans for I-88 called for the road to continue northeast to
Troy
Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...
; however, the east end of the route was moved to Schenectady in the early 1980s.
A combined freeway/tollway in Illinois, though not contiguous, was also assigned the I-88 designation in 1987.
Route description
Binghamton to Oneonta
I-88 begins at an interchange with
I-81
Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Isla ...
just north of
Downtown Binghamton
Downtown Binghamton is a neighborhood in Binghamton, New York located on the north bank of the Susquehanna River, just east of its confluence with the Chenango River. It is the business and administrative center of the City of Binghamton, the Gr ...
on the banks of the
Chenango River
The Chenango River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in central New York in the United States. It drains a dissec ...
. While both directions of I-81 are accessible from I-88 westbound, only one direction of I-81 (northbound) connects to I-88. The missing connection, I-81 south to I-88 east, is made via
US Route 11 (US 11),
NY 12
New York State Route 12 (NY 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 (US 11) in the town of Chenango (just n ...
, and
NY 12A at I-81 exit 6. NY 12A then connects to I-88 at exit 2.
From I-81, I-88 heads east across the Chenango to
Port Dickinson, where it merges with
NY 7 (here also a
limited-access highway
A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway, expressway, limited access freeway, and partial controlled access highway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which ...
) at exit 1. The two routes continue north, then east along the eastern bank of the Chenango River, where it meets NY 12A near
Chenango Bridge. I-88 and NY 7 remain alongside the river to
Port Crane, where the river begins to follow
NY 369 (exit 3) northward. Outside of Port Crane, the expressway heads east to
Sanitaria Springs. Here, NY 7 leaves the expressway at exit 4 and begins to parallel I-88, as it does for the remainder of I-88's routing. I-88 begins to climb a hill, with the eastbound lane having three lanes then soon meets Martin Hill Road (
NY 992P) at exit 5.
I-88 continues east to
Harpursville, connecting to
NY 79 near the center of the community at exit 6. Shortly after meeting NY 79, I-88 reenters a river valley, this time that of the
Susquehanna River. I-88 heads to the northeast, following the river and NY 7 to
Afton where it has an interchange with
NY 41 exit 7. It continues to
Bainbridge where it meets
NY 206 and then on to
Sidney, where it meets
NY 8, the primary north–south road through the village, at exit 9. From Sidney, I-88 progresses northeast through southern
Otsego County. It passes
Unadilla, accessed by exit 10, then connects to
NY 357 at exit 11. The expressway continues and reaches exit 12 which connects to
Otego via
NY 911J. It continues northeastward before entering
Oneonta. Within the city, I-88 interchanges with
NY 205 ahead of exit 14 with Main Street, which is the former routing of
NY 28
New York State Route 28 (NY 28) is a state highway extending for in the shape of a "C" between the Hudson Valley city of Kingston and southern Warren County in the U.S. state of New York. Along the way, it intersects several major ...
. The next interchange I-88 intersects
NY 23
New York State Route 23 (NY 23) is an east–west state highway in the eastern portion of New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 26 in the Central New York town of Cincinnatus in Cortland County ...
and NY 28 joins the expressway, following I-88 out of the city.
Oneonta to Schenectady
Northeast of Oneonta, NY 28 leaves I-88 at exit 17 to follow the Susquehanna River northward toward
Cooperstown. I-88, however, remains on a northeasterly track through rural eastern Otsego County. Upon crossing into
Schoharie County
Schoharie County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. The county ...
, I-88 begins to follow an easterly routing as it heads toward
Cobleskill. While NY 7 enters the village, I-88 passes south of it, connecting to the village via two exits with NY 7. East of Cobleskill, I-88 interchanges with
NY 145.
Howe Caverns, a regionally popular attraction, is located a short distance north of the exit. I-88 continues onward, skirting the northern edge of
Schoharie before passing into
Schenectady County.
Shortly after entering Schenectady County, I-88 meets
US 20 east of
Duanesburg. Past US 20, I-88 continues northeast, interchanging with NY 7 for one final time before ending at the
New York State Thruway (
I-90) in western
Schenectady
Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
.
History
The 1956
National System of Interstate and Defense Highways Act did not include I-88. New York state officials pressed for addition of the route, and funding was included in the
Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1968
The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-495; 82 Stat. 815) is legislation enacted by the United States Congress and signed into law on August 24, 1968, which expanded the Interstate Highway System by ; provided funding for new interstat ...
.
Right-of-way
Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another.
A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...
acquisition started immediately afterward,
and I-88 was added to the
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...
on December 13, 1968.
As originally planned by the
New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), I-88 would begin at
I-81
Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Isla ...
in
Binghamton
Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...
and follow the proposed Susquehanna Expressway to
Schenectady
Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
, from where it would continue to
US 4 in
Troy
Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...
over "Alternate Route 7", the
limited-access
A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway, expressway, limited access freeway, and partial controlled access highway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which ...
alignment of
NY 7 through the northern suburbs of
Albany. This would have been accomplished by having I-88 meet the
New York State Thruway at exit 25, where it would connect to
I-890. I-88 would continue to Troy over I-890 and an upgraded NY 7.
In the early 1980s, the proposed connection with I-890 was scrapped in favor of a connection located to the west of exit 25 in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
.
The extension to Troy was also eventually shelved, and thus the planned connections to the
Adirondack Northway
Interstate 87 (I-87) is a north–south Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of New York. It is most of the main highway between New York City and Montreal. The highway begins at exit 47 off I-278 in the New York ...
(I-87) and the toll-free part of I-90 between Thruway exit 24 and exit B1 on the
Berkshire Connector were never built. As a result, the Thruway tolls are waived for all traffic that enters at exit 25A and heads west to exit 26 (I-890) or east to either exit 25 or 24 (I-890 or I-87/I-90, respectively).
The first section of I-88 to open was the piece between
Chenango Bridge (exit 2) and
Sanitaria Springs (exit 4), which opened in the early 1970s.
A second piece near
Oneonta between exits 13 and 15 was opened to traffic . Construction progressed southwestward from Oneonta, with the freeway reaching
Nineveh (exit 6) by 1977. The gap between Sanitaria Springs and Nineveh was filled by 1981. The focus then moved to the section of the expressway between Oneonta and Schenectady, which was completed from Oneonta to
Duanesburg (exit 24) by 1981.
The Duanesburg–Schenectady leg of I-88 was opened to traffic by 1985.
In 1989, construction concluded on I-88
with the opening of the final portion of I-88 between I-81 in
Chenango and NY 7 in Chenango Bridge.
In 1999 NYSDOT, the
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program ...
(FHWA) and the
New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) discussed redesignating the Berkshire Connector as
I-90 and redesignating the nontoll part of I-90 from Thruway exit 24 to exit B1 on the Berkshire Connector as I-88. The section of the Thruway between exits 25 and 24 would then be codesignated as I-90 and I-88. This was never implemented.
2006 flood
As a result of the June 2006 flooding in
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...
and
Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) is a geographic region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton, Nanticoke, and Car ...
,
Carrs Creek
Carrs Creek is a river in Delaware County, New York. It flows into the Susquehanna River northeast of South Unadilla, New York, South Unadilla.
References
Rivers of New York (state)
Rivers of Delaware County, New York
{{NewYork-river-s ...
washed out a section of I-88 southwest of
Unadilla on June 28. Around 6:20 am, two trucks from different directions drove into the chasm, apparently unaware of it, killing both drivers. David Swingle, 42, of
Waverly, who was driving eastbound, was identified shortly after the accident. The westbound trucker was Patrick O'Connell, 55, of
Lisbon, Maine
Lisbon is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine. The population was 9,711 at the 2020 census. It is included in both the Lewiston- Auburn, Maine metropolitan statistical area and the Lewiston–Auburn, Maine Metropolitan New England city and tow ...
. His body was found downstream several days after the water receded.
NYSDOT started construction to replace the section of highway almost immediately, and it was reopened August 31. Families of both victims planned to sue the state of New York for the incidents.
Exit list
See also
*
*
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Interstate 088 (East)
88 east
88
Transportation in Broome County, New York
Transportation in Chenango County, New York
Transportation in Delaware County, New York
Transportation in Otsego County, New York
Transportation in Schoharie County, New York
Transportation in Schenectady County, New York