New York State Route 481 (NY 481) is a
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in
Central New York
Central New York is the central region of New York State, including the following counties and cities:
With a population of about 773,606 (2009) and an area of , the region includes the Syracuse metropolitan area.
Definitions
The New York ...
in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with
Interstate 81 (I-81) in
North Syracuse, where the highway continues southeastward as
I-481. Its northern terminus is located at an intersection with
NY 104 in
Oswego about two blocks from
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...
. In between, NY 481 serves the communities of
Clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
,
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
and
Fulton
Fulton may refer to:
People
* Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship
* Fulton (surname)
Given name
* Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer
* Fult ...
along the
Oswego River. NY 481 is one of two state routes in the
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
area that serves as an extension of an Interstate Highway; the other is
NY 690.
From its southern terminus to the Fulton city line, NY 481 is a four-lane
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 ...
with a handful of interchanges. It enters Fulton as a four-lane undivided highway, but gradually narrows to two lanes as it heads through the northern portion of the city. North of Fulton, NY 481 becomes a four-lane
divided highway
A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
and proceeds to the outskirts of Oswego, where it reverts into a two-lane roadway. NY 481 also serves as a faster alternate to
NY 48 from the Syracuse area to downtown Oswego. Both travel along the Oswego River, with NY 481 on the eastern side and NY 48 on the western side.
NY 481 was commissioned in 1970 from North Syracuse to Fulton and extended northward to Oswego in 1982. The portion of the route north of Fulton was designated as
NY 20 from 1924 to 1927 and
NY 57 from 1927 to 1982. The segment of NY 481 south of Fulton follows a newer facility that was built in the 1970s. NY 481 and I-481 comprise the Veterans Memorial Highway.
Route description
All of NY 481 is officially designated as part of the Veterans Memorial Highway, a designation that also encompasses the entirety of
I-481, NY 481's southeastward continuation around the eastern half of Syracuse.
The northernmost three blocks of NY 481 in the city of
Oswego are locally maintained, as is the southernmost block in the city of
Fulton
Fulton may refer to:
People
* Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship
* Fulton (surname)
Given name
* Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer
* Fult ...
. The remainder of the route is maintained by the
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is the department of the New York state government responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in ...
(NYSDOT).
South of Fulton
NY 481 begins in
North Syracuse at an interchange with I-481 and
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 Island ...
, a north–south highway running north to
Watertown Watertown may refer to:
Places in China
In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways.
Places in the United States
*Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town
**Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...
and south to
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
. The junction is about north of
Syracuse Hancock International Airport
Syracuse Hancock International Airport is a joint civil–military airport five miles (8 km) northeast of downtown Syracuse, New York, and south of Watertown. Operated by the Syracuse Department of Aviation, it is located off Interstate 81, ne ...
, located on I-81. Like I-481, NY 481 is a four-lane
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 ...
with a handful of interchanges for the first of its run. Exit numbers along NY 481 pick up where those of I-481 leave off. Heading northwest from the I-81 interchange, the highway crosses
U.S. Route 11 (US 11) almost immediately, passing just south of the former site of
Penn-Can Mall
Penn-Can Mall was a mall in the town of Cicero, New York, north of Syracuse, New York, Syracuse. It opened on March 28, 1976. It was the first enclosed mall on the north end of Syracuse, and the fourth mall to be built in the entire metropolitan a ...
. The road soon enters the town of
Clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
, where it initially runs along the northern edge of a marsh for . Near the north edge of the swamp, the freeway passes over the
St. Lawrence Subdivision
The St. Lawrence Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The line runs from Syracuse, New York, north to Massena (village), New York, Massena, New York, along a former New York Cen ...
, a
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
rail line linking Syracuse to the
North Country.
![NY 481 at exit 12](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/NY_481_at_exit_12.jpg)
Past the swamp, NY 481 serves more developed areas of the town, running alongside a cluster of housing tracts on the outskirts of a large retail area centered around the highway's junction with
NY 31
New York State Route 31 (NY 31) is a state highway that extends for across western and central New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 104 in the city of Niagara Falls. Its ea ...
. The commercial district comprises several strip malls and the
Great Northern Mall, the latter situated northeast of the NY 31 interchange. From here, the freeway heads through markedly less developed areas, running across farmland to reach the
Oneida River
The Oneida River is a river that forms a portion of the boundary between Oswego and Onondaga counties in central New York. The river flows from Oneida Lake's outlet to its confluence with the Seneca River, where the two rivers combine to form t ...
(
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...
) at the northern edge of
Onondaga County
Onondaga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse.
Onondaga County is the core of the Syracuse, NY MSA.
History
The name ''Onondaga'' derives from ...
. It continues across the waterway into the
Oswego County
Oswego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 117,525. The county seat is Oswego. The county name is from a Mohawk-language word meaning "the pouring out place", referring to the point at ...
town of
Schroeppel, where it connects to
County Route 57A (CR 57A) at a half-
diamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road.
Design
The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...
east of the village of
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
. NY 481 continues to run across undeveloped areas of fields and forests, even as it passes close to Phoenix.
As the route heads away from the village, it connects to
NY 264
New York State Route 264 (NY 264) is a north–south state highway located within Oswego County, New York, in the United States. It runs for from an intersection with County Route 57 (CR 57, formerly NY 57) in the vil ...
at a full diamond interchange about north of Phoenix. The route is the village's main north–south highway, and it connects NY 481 and Phoenix to
SUNY Oswego
State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego or Oswego State) is a public college in the City of Oswego and Town of Oswego, New York. It has two campuses: historic lakeside campus in Oswego and Metro Center in Syracuse, New York.
SUN ...
's Phoenix campus, located just southwest of the freeway. The junction with NY 264 is the last interchange on the route; however, NY 481 remains limited-access up to the
Fulton
Fulton may refer to:
People
* Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship
* Fulton (surname)
Given name
* Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer
* Fult ...
city line. As the route approaches the city limits, it takes on a more westerly track, passing over CSX's
Fulton Subdivision
The Fulton Subdivision is a railroad line owned by Canadian National in the U.S. State of New York. The line runs from Liverpool, New York, north to Oswego, New York. At its south end the line branches off of the St. Lawrence Subdivision.http:/ ...
and the
Sunoco Ethanol plant located in the former
Miller Brewing Company
The Miller Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller. Molson Coors acquired the full global brand portfolio of Miller Brewing Company in 2016, and operates the M ...
brewery before intersecting
CR 57 at an at-grade junction just inside the city limits. The route continues northwest from here, heading through significantly more developed areas as South 1st Street.
Fulton to Oswego
In Fulton, NY 481 travels slowly through the center of town, serving as the main north–south route through the city. It changes names several times, becoming South 4th Street after South 1st Street where it passes the former
Nestle chocolate plant which closed in 2003, and eventually South 2nd Street when South 4th Street leaves to the north. The four-lane road serves a handful of homes; however, the majority of establishments along the street are commercial. In downtown Fulton, NY 481 intersects
NY 3 at Broadway, one of two streets to cross the
Oswego River and connect to
NY 48, a parallel route to NY 481 on the western riverbank. Past Broadway, NY 481 changes names to North 2nd Street but otherwise remains unchanged until Oneida Street, located seven blocks north of NY 3. Here, the highway narrows to two lanes, a width it retains through the remainder of Fulton and into the town of
Volney.
![NY 481 at CR 57](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/NY_481_at_CR_57.jpg)
At the northern city line, NY 481 connects to the south end of CR 57's northern segment, which closely parallels NY 481 between Fulton and
Oswego. Continuing into Volney, the highway briefly runs alongside the Oswego River prior to entering another lightly developed region of the county. About north of Fulton, NY 481 expands to a four-lane divided highway once more; however, it remains an at-grade roadway. The Fulton Subdivision also rejoins the road at this point, running alongside NY 481's northbound lanes to the Oswego city limits. Between Fulton and Oswego, the route serves mostly undeveloped areas but has several stretches of scenic beauty, mostly consisting of glimpses of
locks
Lock(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lock ...
,
rapids
Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence.
Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade''. ...
and small
waterfalls
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
through trees separating NY 481 from the river.
NY 481 narrows to two lanes near the southern edge of Oswego, where it separates from the Fulton Subdivision and curves northwestward as it crosses into the city limits. The road, now named East River Road, continues on this track to the banks of the Oswego River and a junction with CR 57. This is also where NY 481 passes by the
Oswego County
Oswego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 117,525. The county seat is Oswego. The county name is from a Mohawk-language word meaning "the pouring out place", referring to the point at ...
Public Safety Center, a complex comprising the county offices, courts, and a
correctional facility
In criminal justice, particularly in North America, correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by government agencies, and involving the punishment, treatment, and su ...
. NY 481 continues along the east bank of the river into the main part of Oswego, initially serving a mostly residential area before entering downtown as East 1st Street.
The homes continue to line NY 481 until a junction with Utica Street, one of two roads to cross the river within Oswego and thus provide access between NY 481 and NY 48. From here, NY 481 serves several businesses and the central offices of the
Oswego City School District before ending three blocks north of Utica Street at a junction with
NY 104 (Bridge Street), Oswego's other highway with a river crossing. Both directions of NY 104 provide access to the remainder of the city's central business district while East 1st Street continues north past NY 104 to Oswego Harbor, where Oswego River empties into
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...
.
History
The primary north–south roadway connecting
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
to
Oswego via
Fulton
Fulton may refer to:
People
* Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship
* Fulton (surname)
Given name
* Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer
* Fult ...
on the eastern bank of the
Oswego River was originally designated as Route 34, an unsigned
legislative route
In the United States, a legislative route (LR) or legislative highway is a highway defined by laws passed in a state legislature. The numbering of such highways may or may not correspond to the numbers familiar to the public as part of the state, ...
, by the
New York State Legislature
The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official ...
in 1908.
When the first set of posted routes in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
were assigned in 1924, legislative Route 34 was designated as
NY 20. NY 20 was redesignated as
NY 57 in 1927 to avoid numerical duplication with the newly designated
U.S. Route 20. The NY 57 corridor remained unchanged until the late 1950s when construction began on a new roadway to replace the existing two-lane, curvy routing of NY 57 between Fulton and Oswego. It was completed by 1960.
In the mid-1960s, construction began on 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 ...
linking Fulton to
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 Island ...
in
North Syracuse. The under-construction highway, initially known as "Relocated Route 57", was designated as NY 481 on January 1, 1970. The NY 481 designation also extended north to
NY 3 in Fulton by way of a short
overlap
Overlap may refer to:
* In set theory, an overlap of elements shared between sets is called an intersection, as in a Venn diagram.
* In music theory, overlap is a synonym for reinterpretation of a chord at the boundary of two musical phrases
* Ove ...
with NY 57.
The portion of the expressway between Fulton and
NY 31
New York State Route 31 (NY 31) is a state highway that extends for across western and central New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 104 in the city of Niagara Falls. Its ea ...
in
Clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
was opened to traffic in the early 1970s
while the rest was completed .
NY 481 was extended northward to its present terminus in downtown Oswego when the NY 57 designation was eliminated in May 1982.
Major intersections
See also
*
Interstate 481
Interstate 481 (I-481) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway that serves as an eastern bypass of Syracuse, New York, in the US. It begins at its parent, I-81, in the city's southern end and travels through the eastern Syracuse suburbs of Jam ...
for exits 1 through 8
References
External links
{{NYSR external links, type=N, nyroutes=yes, termini=yes, route=481, alps=i-481
481
Limited-access roads in New York (state)
Transportation in Onondaga County, New York
Transportation in Oswego County, New York