Interstate 787
Route information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Auxiliary route of I-87 | ||||
Maintained by NYSDOT | ||||
Length | 10.16 mi[1] (16.35 km) | |||
Existed | mid-1960s[2][3]–present | |||
NHS | Entire route | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end |
| |||
North end | NY 7 / NY 787 in Green Island | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | New York | |||
Counties | Albany | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
Interstate 787 (I-787) is an
North of NY 7, I-787 continues north as NY 787 to the city of Cohoes.
Route description
I-787 officially begins at the
North of downtown Albany, I-787 interchanges with
I-787's alignment after exit 9 is unclear. Appendix E of the 2008 New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Traffic Data Report places the terminus at 8th Street in Troy, creating an overlap with NY 7 across the Hudson River via the Collar City Bridge.[4] Additionally, there are shields for I-787 on the Collar City Bridge east of the Hudson River. Other sources, including the National Highway System map of Albany published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and NYSDOT's official description of signed routes in New York State, identifies the terminus as the NY 7/NY 787 interchange near Green Island.[6][7] Contemporary maps of the Albany area also lack I-787 shields on the Collar City Bridge, signing the roadway only as NY 7.[8][9]
According to NYSDOT traffic counts, I-787 is 10.16 miles (16.35 km) long; by limiting I-787 to the section between the Thruway and NY 7, the length is reduced to 9.55 miles (15.37 km).[4]
History
Construction began in the early 1960s on the first segment of I-787 from
When I-787 was first planned, its northern terminus was at
In 2005, an elevated section of the northbound exit 3
In March 2018, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that his administration had awarded $3.1 million (equivalent to $3.71 million in 2023[23]) toward the conversion of a little-used I-787 exit ramp into a park called the Albany Skyway. The park, which connects downtown Albany to the Hudson River waterfront, opened on April 29, 2022.[24][25][26][27]
The Regional Economic Development Council initiated the Albany Skyway project with a $350,000 (equivalent to $436,000 in 2023[23]) grant in 2016.[28][29] With funding from federal grants, city revitalization funds, and a $3.1-million (equivalent to $3.71 million in 2023[23]) NYSDOT award, the city enacted a plan to deconstruct parts of I-787 and create a multiuse design.[28] The half-mile (0.80 km) Albany Skyway path, completed in 2022, links the downtown area of Albany with the Hudson River waterfront nature preserve.[30] As a form of community equitable planning, the skyway aims to provide equal opportunities to access natural space, in the form of a park for underserved areas in the city.[29]
Future
In 2016, New York Assemblymember Patricia Fahy advocated for I-787 to be demolished and to be replaced with an at-grade highway to improve traffic and access to the waterfront.[31][32] In December 2019, Fahy "announced plans to introduce legislation calling for the state Department of Transportation to conduct an engineering feasibility study that would assess the replacement or modification of I-787 to provide greater access to Albany's waterfront and revitalize working class communities located along its route". According to Fahy, "The Capital Region's greatest asset—access to the Hudson River waterfront—has been more or less absent from communities including downtown Albany since the late 1960s and early 1970s when I-787 went up [...]. Following announcements of the removal of several similar highways in cities throughout the state, conducting an engineering feasibility study will provide a blueprint and cost estimates for either removing or transforming I-787 into a boulevard-style roadway".[33]
In March 2018, a draft report was released regarding the findings of an I-787/Hudson Waterfront Corridor Study. The study was prepared for the Capital District Transportation Committee. The draft report set forth various recommendations for improvements to I-787, including "reconfiguring some interchanges, making the waterfront more accessible to bicyclists and pedestrians, converting from an expressway to a more traditional roadway, and pursuing strategies to reduce travel demand". The draft report noted that 88,000 vehicles per day travel into downtown Albany on I-787. It also noted that the report did not recommend significant changes, such as making I-787 into an underground highway or removing it altogether; such ideas would be complicated by railroad tracks in the I-787 median and by the fact that I-787 is located in a flood plain.[26] Released in May 2019, the final report detailed various possible future plans for I-787. Those potential future plans included the conversion of the entirety of the Interstate to an at-grade urban arterial. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has continued to run studies and request public feedback for "Reimagine 787" project.[34]
Exit list
The entire route is in Albany County.
Location | mi[4] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Exit 23 on I-87 / Thruway | ||||||
0.32 | 0.51 | 1 | ||||
0.94 | 1.51 | 2 | NY 32 (South Pearl Street) – Port of Albany | NY 32/S. Pearl Street not signed northbound | ||
1.97 | 3.17 | 3 | US 9 south / US 20 east – Rensselaer, Empire Plaza | Signed as exit 3A southbound; also serves Albany–Rensselaer station | ||
2.40 | 3.86 | 4 | US 9 north (Clinton Street) / US 20 west (Madison Avenue) – Downtown Albany, Port of Albany | Signed as exits 3B (west) and 4B (north) southbound; also serves NY 5 and MVP Arena | ||
2.80 | 4.51 | 4A | Colonie Street / Columbia Street | Southbound exit only | ||
3.36 | 5.41 | 5 | I-90 – Buffalo, Boston, MA | Exit 6A on I-90 | ||
Menands | 4.20 | 6.76 | 6 | NY 32 – Menands | ||
6.27 | 10.09 | 7 | South Troy, Troy | Signed as 7E (east) and 7W (west); serves Hudson Valley Community College and Joseph L. Bruno Stadium | ||
Watervliet | 8.91 | 14.34 | 8 | 23rd Street – Watervliet, Green Island | To NY 2 | |
Bennington | Signed as exits 9E (east) and 9W (west) | |||||
– | NY 787 north (Cohoes Boulevard) – Cohoes | Continuation north | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
See also
- New York State Route 787 for grade level intersections to the north.
References
- ^ Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ Rand McNally and Company. 1965.
- ^ a b New York (Map) (1969–70 ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1968.
- ^ a b c d e "2008 Traffic Data Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. June 16, 2009. pp. 323, 342–343. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
- ^ a b "Interstate 787 Southbound". AARoads. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
- ^ National Highway System - Albany, NY (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 11, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
- ^ New York State Department of Transportation (January 2017). Official Description of Highway Touring Routes, Bicycling Touring Routes, Scenic Byways, & Commemorative/Memorial Designations in New York State (PDF). Retrieved January 9, 2017.
- ISBN 0-528-95824-0.
- ISBN 0-8416-5418-2.
- ^ New York and Metropolitan New York (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. Sinclair Oil Corporation. 1962.
- ^ New York and Metropolitan New York (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. Sinclair Oil Corporation. 1964.
- Humble Oil & Refining Company. 1971.
- ^ Northeastern United States With Interstate Strip Maps (Map) (1973–74 ed.). Cartography by Universal Printing Company. Standard Oil. 1973.
- ^ "Road Ramps Opening in Albany Today". Schenectady Gazette. April 30, 1974. p. 9. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
- Exxon. 1977.
- ^ Troy South Quadrangle – New York (Map). 1:24,000. 7.5 Minute Series (Topographic). United States Geological Survey. 1980. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
- ^ Federal Highway Administration (2008). "Structure 1070869". National Bridge Inventory. United States Department of Transportation.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|url=
(help) - State of New York Department of Transportation (January 1, 1970). Official Description of Touring Routes in New York State(PDF). Retrieved January 27, 2010.
- ISBN 0-528-91040-X.
- ISBN 0-89933-300-1.
- ^ Woodruff, Cathy (August 2, 2005). "A slow road to ramp repairs". Times Union. Albany, NY. p. A1. Archived from the original on May 6, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
- ^ Nearing, Brian (July 29, 2005). "'Good' ramp goes bad". Times Union. Albany, NY. p. A1. Archived from the original on May 6, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
- ^ Gross Domestic Product deflatorfigures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- ^ "Let's take a walk: Albany's Skyway opens to fanfare". April 30, 2022.
- ^ "Cuomo announces $3.1 million for Albany Skyway park". Times Union. March 5, 2018.
- ^ a b "Study identifies what to do, and not do, with 787". Times Union. March 14, 2018.
- ^ "Governor Cuomo Announces Construction on the Albany Skyway to Begin This Month". www.governor.ny.gov. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ a b Hughes, Steve (March 17, 2021). "Construction of Albany's elevated Skyway park starts this month". Times Union. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ a b "Finding a Creative Way Around a Bad Highway". Bloomberg.com. October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ DeMasi, Michael (March 16, 2021). "Albany Skyway expected to open by end of this year". Albany Business Review. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Fahy, Patricia (September 28, 2019). "Demolish I-787 and the Capital Region will flourish". Times Union. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
- ^ Johnston, Sandy (February 1, 2016). "What if tearing down I-787 could actually improve traffic?". All Over Albany. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
- ^ "Remove I-787? Fahy wants a feasibility study". Times Union. December 20, 2019.
- ^ Lucas, Dave (November 16, 2023). "Delegation from Albany attends conference in Atlanta as future of Interstate 787 is debated". WAMC. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
External links
- Interstate 787 at Alps' Roads • New York Routes • Upstate New York Roads
- Capital Highways - I-787 Archived May 6, 2006, at the Wayback Machine (Chris Jordan)