Interstate 290(I-290) is a 9.8-mile-long (15.8 km)auxiliary Interstate Highwayin theBuffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area.It connectsI-190inTonawandawithI-90inWilliamsville,viaAmherst.It provides a route toNiagara FallsandCanadafrom the east that bypasses the city ofBuffalo.I-290 also connects toI-990and, through this connection, provides access to the Amherst campus of theUniversity at Buffalo.Its official name is theYoungmann Memorial Highway,but, locally, it is colloquially referred to as "the 290" and "the Youngmann". The highway provides the fastest road link betweenToronto(Canada's largest city) and the heavily populatedNortheastern USvia I-90.
 Interstate 290 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youngmann Memorial Highway | ||||
 I-290 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Auxiliary route ofI-90 | ||||
| Maintained byNYSDOT | ||||
| Length | 9.8 mi[1](15.8 km) | |||
| Existed | 1958[2]–present | |||
| History | Completed mid-1960s[3][4] | |||
| NHS | Entire route | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  I-190inTonawanda | |||
| East end |    I-90/New York Thruway/NY 5inWilliamsville | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | New York | |||
| Counties | Erie | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Route description
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I-290 begins at asemi-directional T interchangewithI-190within view of theNiagara Riverin an industrial sector of theBuffalosuburb ofTonawanda.The freeway heads east from I-190 into more residential areas of Tonawanda, where it meetsNew York State Route 384(NY 384) at a three-quartercloverleaf interchange.The two missing portions of the cloverleaf, both ramps leading to NY 384 from I-290 eastbound, are replaced by an exit to Elmwood Avenue located slightly west of the NY 384 exit. To the east of NY 384 (and adjacent to the southeasternmost point in the city ofTonawanda), I-290 interchanges with the Twin Cities Memorial Highway (NY 425).
The Youngmann continues east through Tonawanda to theAmhersttown line, where it meetsUS Route 62(US 62) at a second three-quarter cloverleaf interchange. Unlike the interchange with NY 384, all connections are possible between I-290 and US 62 due to a modified ramp linking I-290 westbound to US 62. Past US 62 in Amherst, I-290 turns to the southeast ahead of a semi-directional T interchange withI-990,a spur toLockport.Farther east, I-290 meetsNY 263(Millersport Highway) at a cloverleaf interchange andNY 324andNY 240at a modifieddiamond interchangesouth of theUniversity at Buffalo's north campus in Amherst.
NearWilliamsville,I-290 turns southward and intersectsNY 5(Main Street) at a modified cloverleaf interchange. I-290 terminates at a semi-directional T interchange with theNew York State Thruway(I-90) a half-mile (0.80 km) to the south on the Amherst–Cheektowagatown line. This interchange is colloquially referenced as "The Blue Water Tower" due to its proximity to a large blue water tower on the Amherst–Cheektowaga town line.
History
editWhat is now I-290 was originally intended to be designatedI-190.The route was renumbered I-290 in 1958 to better reflect the future highway's routing as a connector between twoInterstate Highways(or a bypass ofBuffalo) rather than a spur.[2]Construction on the expressway beganc. 1962when work commenced on the section betweenNY 263and theNew York State Thruway.[5][6]This section was finished by the following year, by which time work had begun on the remainder of the freeway.[7]The section between NY 263 andUS 62was opened to trafficc. 1964[7][8]while the rest was finished in the mid-1960s.[3][4]The interchange with what is now I-990 was built in 1983.[9]
The expressway was originally named the Power Line Expressway for the high tension power lines that parallel the expressway. It was renamed in the early 1960s[6][8]to serve as a memorial to Elmer G. H. Youngmann, a project engineer who died while the road was being built.[2]The official name of the freeway became the Youngmann Memorial Highway;[4]however, the name Youngmann Expressway has also been frequently used over the years.[8]
Exit list
editThe entire route is inErie County.
| Location | mi[10] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Tonawanda | 0.00 | 0.00 | – | I-190–Buffalo,Niagara Falls | Western terminus; exit 16 on I-190 |
| 2.58 | 4.15 | 1 |  NY 384(Delaware Avenue) / Elmwood Avenue (CR 119south) | Signed for NY 384 westbound, Elmwood eastbound; signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north) westbound | |
| 3.65 | 5.87 | 2 |   NY 425north (Colvin Boulevard) | Southern terminus of NY 425 | |
| Tonawanda–Amherst town line | 5.24 | 8.43 | 3 |  US 62(Niagara Falls Boulevard) | Signed as exits 3A (south) and 3B (north) eastbound |
| Amherst | 6.19 | 9.96 | 4 |   I-990north –University at Buffalo,Lockport | Southern terminus of I-990 |
| 7.31 | 11.76 | 5 |  NY 263(Millersport Highway) | Signed as exits 5A (south) and 5B (north) | |
| 8.06 | 12.97 | 6 |   NY 240(Harlem Road) /NY 324(Sheridan Drive) | ||
| 9.75 | 15.69 | 7 | NY 5(Main Street) | Signed as exits 7A (west) and 7B (east) | |
| 10.24 | 16.48 | – | I-90/New York Thruway–Albany,Erie | Eastern terminus; exit 50 on I-90 / Thruway | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
See also
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References
edit- ^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.RetrievedDecember 3,2022.
- ^abc"Interstate 290".Kurumi.September 7, 2004.RetrievedJuly 18,2010.
- ^abNew York(Map). Cartography byRand McNally and Company.Mobil.1965.
- ^abcNew York(Map) (1969–70 ed.). Cartography byGeneral Drafting.Esso.1968.
- ^New York and Metropolitan New York(Map) (1961–62 ed.). Cartography byH.M. Gousha Company.Sunoco.1961.
- ^abNew York with Sight-Seeing Guide(Map) (1962 ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1962.
- ^abNew York Happy Motoring Guide(Map) (1963 ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1963.
- ^abcNew York and Metropolitan New York(Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company.Sinclair Oil Corporation.1964.
- ^National Bridge Inventory,a database compiled by theUnited States Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration,available at www.nationalbridges.com. Accessed October 30, 2007.
- ^"2008 Traffic Volume Report for New York State"(PDF).New York State Department of Transportation.June 16, 2009. p. 207. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on September 27, 2012.RetrievedFebruary 1,2010.
External links
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- Interstate 290 atAlps' Roads•New York Routes•Upstate New York Roads