New York State Thruway

"NYST" redirects here. For the theatre at Lincoln Center formerly known as the New York State Theater, see David H. Koch Theater.

New York State Thruway
Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway
Map of New York with the Thruway mainline in red; other components of the Thruway system are in blue
Route information
Maintained by NYSTA
Length	496.00 mi (798.23 km) Mainline only
Existed	June 24, 1954 (June 24, 1954)–present
Component highways	I-87 from The Bronx to Albany I-287 from Elmsford to Suffern I-90 from Albany to Ripley
Restrictions	No explosives (including in cargo) between exits 9 and 10 on the Tappan Zee Bridge
Major junctions
South end	I-87 at the Bronx–Yonkers city line
Major intersections	I-287 / NY 119 / Saw Mill River Parkway in Elmsford G.S. Parkway in Spring Valley I-287 / Route 17 in Suffern Future I-86 / US 6 / NY 17 / NY 32 in Harriman I-84 / NY 300 / NY 17K in Newburgh I-87 / I-90 / NY 910F in Albany I-88 / NY 7 in Rotterdam I-81 near Syracuse I-390 / NY 253 / NY 15 in Henrietta I-190 near Buffalo
West end	I-90 at the New York–Pennsylvania state line in Ripley
Location
Country	United States
State	New York
Counties	Westchester, Rensselaer,Rockland, Orange, Ulster, Greene, Albany, Schenectady, Montgomery, Herkimer, Oneida, Madison, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Ontario, Monroe, Genesee, Erie, Chautauqua
Highway system
New York Highways Interstate US State Reference Parkways

The New York State Thruway (officially the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway and colloquially "the Thruway") is a system of controlled-access toll roads spanning 569.83 miles (917.05 km) within the U.S. state of New York. It is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA), a New York State public-benefit corporation. The 496.00-mile (798.23 km) mainline is a freeway that extends from the New York City line at Yonkers to the Pennsylvania state line at Ripley by way of I-87 and I-90 through Albany, Syracuse, and Buffalo. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Thruway is the fifth-busiest toll road in the United States. The toll road is also a major route for long distance travelers linking the cities of Toronto and Buffalo with Boston and New York City.

A tolled highway connecting the major cities of New York was first proposed in 1949. The first section of the Thruway, between Lowell, New York and Rochester, opened on June 24, 1954. The remainder of the mainline was opened in 1955, and many of its spurs connecting to highways in other states and the Canadian province of Ontario were built in the 1950s. In 1957, much of the Thruway system was included as portions of Interstate 87 (I-87), I-90, and I-95. Other segments became part of I-190 and I-287 shortly afterward. Today, the system comprises six highways: the New York–Ripley mainline, the Berkshire Connector, the Garden State Parkway Connector, the New England Thruway (I-95), the Niagara Thruway (I-190), and the Cross-Westchester Expressway (I-287). The portion of I-84 in New York was maintained by the Thruway Authority from 1991 to 2010, but it was never part of the Thruway system and is currently maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT).

The Thruway formerly utilized a combination of closed (ticket-based), and open (barrier-based) tolling. From 2016 to 2018, all flat-rate barriers on the Thruway system transitioned to open road tolling, which replaced cash payment with an all-electronic tolling system using E-ZPass and toll by mail. On November 13, 2020, both ticket systems on the Thruway were converted to open road tolling. The Garden State Parkway Connector, the Cross-Westchester Expressway and the section of the mainline in and around Buffalo are toll-free. Motorists with E-ZPasses receive a greater discount on the toll-by-mail rate than out-of-state E-ZPass members do. The Thruway is partly subsidized by the tolls, whereas other parts are subsidized by NYSDOT, a 50/50 for the toll-free areas, and cashless/tolled areas.

Route description

View north along the thruway in Ramapo

The New York State Thruway system is a collection of six individual components across the state of New York that connect the state to four neighboring states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) as well as the Canadian province of Ontario. Together, the highways extend for 569.83 miles (917.05 km), making the Thruway system one of the largest toll highway systems in the United States. The longest of the six components is the 496-mile (798 km) mainline. Of the 570 miles in the Thruway system, 560.85 miles (902.60 km) (98.4%) carries at least one Interstate Highway designation. Only three sections of the system are not part of the Interstate Highway System; these are the Garden State Parkway Connector in Rockland County, a 6-mile (10 km) portion of the Berkshire Connector between its western terminus at exit 21A on the mainline near Selkirk and where it joins up with Interstate 90 at exit B1 near Castleton-on-Hudson, and a short section of the mainline within exit 24 in Albany that is located between where I-87 departs the roadway and I-90 enters it. They are designated as New York State Route 982L (NY 982L), NY 912M, and NY 915H, respectively, all unsigned reference routes. The speed limit, enforced by the New York State Police, is 65 miles per hour along most of the Thruway. The main exceptions to this are in the suburbs and city of Buffalo and in Westchester and Rockland counties. There, the speed limit is 55 miles per hour.

I-90, which comprises the bulk of the mainline and the Berkshire Connector, runs for 365.55 miles (588.30 km) along the Thruway: 17.70 miles (28.49 km) as part of the Berkshire Connector and 347.85 miles (559.81 km) on the mainline. I-87 comprises the remaining 148.15 miles (238.42 km) of the mainline, including an 18.86-mile (30.35 km) concurrency with I-287 north of New York City. I-287 covers another 29.76 miles (47.89 km) (including the 18.86 miles (30.35 km) shared with I-87), while I-190 spans 21.24 miles (34.18 km) and I-95 covers 15.01 miles (24.16 km).

All highways maintained by the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) lack the reference markers that exist on all New York State Department of Transportation-maintained roads, as would be expected. In their place, NYSTA-controlled roadways use small, square tenth-mile markers with a white background and blue numbering. These markers differ from the white-on-green reference markers used by NYSDOT on state-maintained highways, which are 10 inches (254 mm) high and 8 inches (203 mm) wide and display a limited amount of mileage information on their third row.

Mainline

See also: Interstate 87 (New York) and Interstate 90 in New York

South of Albany

The mainline of the Thruway begins, both in terms of exit numbers and mileposts, at the boundary between the New York City borough of the Bronx and the Westchester County city of Yonkers. Here, I-87 changes from the Major Deegan Expressway to the Thruway as the mainline proceeds northward through Yonkers and southern Westchester County. It connects with Central Park Avenue (NY 100) at exit 1, the first of 12 exits within the county. The first few exits serve various local streets, with exit 2 providing access to Yonkers Raceway and exit 3 serving the Cross County Shopping Center. At exit 4, I-87 connects to the Cross County Parkway, an east-west parkway providing access to the Saw Mill River, Bronx River, and Hutchinson River parkways, all of which run parallel to the Thruway through Yonkers. The Hutchinson River and Bronx River parkways leave to the northeast midway through Yonkers, while the Saw Mill and Sprain Brook parkways follow the Thruway out of the city. Exit 5 connects to Central Park Avenue which connects towards White Plains. After that, exit 6 connects to Tuckahoe Road, connecting towards Yonkers and Bronxville. The last free exit heading northbound is at Ridge Hill Boulevard and Stew Leonard Drive (exit 6A). Travel farther north from there requires a toll payment at the Yonkers toll gantry.

Tappan Zee Bridge (I-87 and I-287)

After the toll, the thruway continues to exit 7, which grants access to Ardsley and Saw Mill River Road. All three highways take generally parallel tracks to Elmsford, where I-87 directly intersects the Saw Mill River Parkway at exit 7A. Not far to the north is exit 8, a semi-directional T interchange with I-287 (the Cross-Westchester Expressway). I-287 joins the Thruway here, following I-87 west across the Hudson River into Rockland County on the Tappan Zee Bridge. I-87 and I-287 remain overlapped for 15 miles (24 km) through the densely-populated southern portion of Rockland County, meeting the Palisades Interstate Parkway (exit 13) and the Garden State Parkway Connector, the latter of which provides access to the Garden State Parkway (exit 14A) in New Jersey. The Thruway continues generally westward to Suffern, where I-87 and I-287 split at a large semi-directional T interchange (exit 15) near the New Jersey border. At this point, I-287 heads south into New Jersey while I-87 and the Thruway turn northward into the valley of the Ramapo River. NY 17 northbound briefly joins the Thruway at the interchange with I-287 in Suffern, and leaves the Thruway a half-mile north at exit 15A in Hillburn.

The Thruway continues north through the river valley toward Harriman, where it encounters the Woodbury toll barrier, the southeastern end of the mainline's major closed ticket system. The barrier is located on the mainline within exit 16 (NY 17), a trumpet interchange. Along with the mainline barrier in Harriman, an electronic toll plaza exists on the exit 16 ramp midway between the Thruway and NY 17 exit 131 (NY 32). Now a completely tolled highway, the Thruway heads northward, roughly paralleling the Hudson River to the river's west as it serves the city of Newburgh, the village of New Paltz, and the city of Kingston, indirectly connecting to the short I-587 in the latter.

Past Kingston, the highway runs closer to the river as it parallels U.S. Route 9W (US 9W) through the towns of Saugerties, Catskill, Coxsackie, and Ravena. Just north of Ravena, the Thruway meets the west end of the Berkshire Connector, a spur linking the Thruway mainline to the Massachusetts Turnpike 25 miles (40 km) to the east. The highway continues into Albany, where it connects to Troy via I-787 at exit 23 and intersects I-90 at exit 24. The latter of the two junctions is the busiest of the Thruway's exits, serving an estimated 27 million vehicles a year. I-87 leaves the Thruway mainline here, and the Thruway briefly becomes the unsigned reference route NY 915H, before I-90 merges into it, following the Thruway northwestward toward Schenectady.

Albany to Syracuse

The New York State Thruway (I-87) looking east from Nordkop Mountain in Suffern

South of Schenectady, but still in Albany County, the Thruway and I-90 meet I-890, a loop route of I-90 that directly serves the downtown district of Schenectady, at exit 25. The Thruway, meanwhile, bypasses the city to the south and west, intersecting I-88 at exit 25A in Rotterdam before reuniting with I-890 at exit 26 west of Scotia. Travel between I-88 (Exit 25A) and exits 24, 25 and 26 in either direction is toll-free. From exit 26 west to Utica, the mainline of the Thruway parallels the Erie Canal and the Mohawk River, crossing over the water-bodies at Mohawk. In between Schenectady and Utica, I-90 and the Thruway serve several riverside communities, including the cities of Amsterdam (exit 27 via NY 30) and Little Falls (exit 29A, NY 169) and the villages of Fonda (exit 28, NY 30A), Canajoharie (exit 29, NY 5S and NY 10), and Herkimer (exit 30, NY 28).

Like Schenectady before it, the Thruway bypasses downtown Utica, following an alignment north of the city while I-790 serves it directly. I-790 breaks from the Thruway at exit 31 and runs along two carriageways flanking the mainline on both sides for 1.5 miles (2.4 km) before turning southward onto the North-South Arterial. The adjacent highways become NY 49, which parallels the Thruway for another 2 miles (3.2 km) northwestward. At the end of this stretch, the Thruway turns slightly southwestward, crossing over the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal while NY 49 continues northwestward along the northern bank of the water-bodies toward Rome. On the other side of the river, the Thruway curves back to the west, proceeding to exit 32 in Westmoreland.

I-90, part of the New York State Thruway, looking east near Syracuse

Not far to the west, the Thruway has a junction with NY 365 at exit 33 in Verona. Here, the Thruway connects to the cities of Rome and Oneida and serves the Turning Stone Resort & Casino via NY 365. The highway continues onward through a sparsely-populated area between Verona and Syracuse, passing roughly 5 miles (8 km) south of Oneida Lake as it connects to the village of Canastota by way of NY 13 at exit 34. As the highway approaches exit 34A (I-481) outside of Syracuse, the surroundings become more developed. The level of development rises sharply west of I-481 as the Thruway enters Salina, a northern suburb of Syracuse. Within Salina, I-90 and the Thruway intersect I-81, which connects the Thruway to both downtown Syracuse and Syracuse Hancock International Airport.

Syracuse to Buffalo

West of Salina, the Thruway passes north of Liverpool and Onondaga Lake before intersecting I-690 and its northern continuation, NY 690, at exit 39 in Van Buren. At this point, the amount of development along the Thruway sharply declines as it heads generally westward through a marshy area of Onondaga County. I-90 and the Thruway reconnect to the Erie Canal (here part of the Seneca River) at the western county line. Now in Cayuga County, the highway serves Weedsport via exit 40 and NY 34, exit 41 serving Del Lago Resort and Casino in Tyre, New York and passes north of Port Byron prior to entering Seneca County and the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. Here, the canal leaves the Thruway for good, turning northwestward to follow the NY 31 corridor to Rochester and beyond.

Advance signage for exit 45 (I-490)

The portion of the Thruway between Montezuma and the Rochester area is one of mostly rural nature, with the highway passing through remote, open fields, and for the most part avoiding highly populated areas. Along this stretch, it connects to two cities, both located well to the south of the Thruway: Geneva by way of exit 42 for NY 14 and Canandaigua by way of exit 43 via NY 21. The next exit along the highway, exit 44 for NY 332, also serves Canandaigua; the junction is the primary exit for Canandaigua-bound travelers from the Rochester area. Here, the Thruway temporarily widens from four to six lanes as it continues generally westward to meet I-490 at exit 45 near Victor. As in the vicinity of Schenectady and Utica, an auxiliary route of I-90—here I-490—directly serves a city (Rochester) while the Thruway bypasses it.

It heads northwestward through the city's southern, mostly rural suburbs to Henrietta, where it meets I-390 at exit 46. Henrietta is as close as the Thruway gets to downtown as it proceeds west to Le Roy, where I-490 reconnects to I-90 at exit 47. I-90 continues onward into Genesee County, intersecting with NY 98 at exit 48 north of Batavia and NY 77 at exit 48A in Pembroke. The latter exit provides access to Six Flags Darien Lake, a large amusement park located in the town of Darien. I-90 and the Thruway continue into Erie County and the Buffalo area. It meets NY 78 at exit 49 near Depew before passing through the Williamsville toll barrier, the northwestern end of the major closed ticket system.

West of Buffalo

NYS Thruway near Silver Creek

Just west of the toll barrier, I-90 and the Thruway—now toll-free—connect to I-290 via exit 50, a semi-directional T interchange. At this point, the Thruway turns southward, passing through the immediate eastern suburbs of Buffalo. As it heads south, it meets the Kensington Expressway (NY 33) at exit 51 and Walden Avenue at exit 52, both cloverleaf interchanges. At exit 52, it passes to the west of the Walden Galleria, a shopping mall situated at the nearby junction of Walden Avenue and NY 277. Two exits later in southern Cheektowaga, I-90 meets I-190, a spur route leading to downtown Buffalo and Niagara Falls, at exit 53.

South of the city, the Thruway meets the Aurora Expressway (NY 400) and the Southern Expressway (US 219) at exits 54 and 55, respectively, in West Seneca. Just southwest of exit 55, I-90 and the Thruway pass through the Lackawanna toll barrier, which serves as the northeast end of the minor closed ticket system. Once again a toll road, the Thruway heads southwestward, roughly paralleling the shoreline of Lake Erie to Blasdell, where it connects to NY 179 (the Milestrip Expressway). Farther southwestward, the Thruway is joined by US 20, which follows a parallel routing to that of the Thruway to the Pennsylvania state line.

As the route passes from Erie County to Chautauqua County, the last on its routing, it cuts through the northwestern portion of the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation, situated on Cattaraugus Creek. The Thruway continues alongside US 20 past Dunkirk and Westfield to the Ripley toll barrier, the southwestern end of the minor closed ticket system just northeast of exit 61 for Shortman Road. Travelers heading eastbound from Pennsylvania can access Shortman Road toll-free. The Thruway ends about 1 mile (1.6 km) after exit 61 at the Pennsylvania state line. I-90, however, continues onward into Pennsylvania as a toll-free highway.

Berkshire Connector

See also: Interstate 90 in New York

/Massachusetts Turnpike/Taconic State Parkway/NY 22 in NY 22

Other components

See also: Interstate 95 in New York, Interstate 190 (New York), and Interstate 287

The New York State Thruway system also consists of three other components: the New England Thruway, the Cross-Westchester Expressway, and the Niagara Thruway. The New England Thruway (NET) is a 15.01-mile (24.16 km) section of Interstate 95 under the operation and maintenance of the New York State Thruway Authority. It begins at the Pelham Parkway interchange (exit 8) in the Co-op City section of the Bronx and continues northeastward into Westchester County to the Connecticut state line, where it connects to the Connecticut Turnpike. The Cross-Westchester Expressway, part of I-287, begins at I-87 exit 8 in Elmsford, where I-287 splits from the Thruway mainline, and travels east across Westchester County to I-95, with connections to both the New England Thruway and the Connecticut Turnpike at exit 12 in Rye. The Niagara Thruway comprises the first 21.24 miles (34.18 km) of I-190 from I-90 in Buffalo to NY 384 in Niagara Falls.

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Services

All of I-90 within New York is designated as the "AMVETS Memorial Highway", as indicated by this sign at the Port Byron service area.

There are 27 service areas along the Thruway, all on the New York–Ripley mainline. The service areas, called "travel plazas" by the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA), are spaced roughly 30 miles (48 km) apart and are open at all hours of the day. Two plazas—the New Baltimore plaza at milepost 127 and the Angola plaza at milepost 447—are accessible from both directions of the Thruway; the remainder are accessible from only one direction (although the Sloatsburg and Ramapo service plazas at milepost 33 were connected via a pedestrian bridge until 2021). Each plaza features a gas station and a variety of restaurants, at least one of which is open 24 hours. Free Wi-Fi service was added to all 27 service areas on March 1, 2007.

NYSTA also operates the Thruway Authority Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) system, a network of radio stations across the state that broadcast information on traffic conditions along the Thruway. The system broadcasts at 1610 AM in the Rochester, Albany, Kingston, and Newburgh areas, 1620 AM in the Finger Lakes and Syracuse areas, 1630 AM near Buffalo, and 530 AM in the New York City metropolitan area. HAR is also used to broadcast Amber/Silver Alerts if one is issued.

As of August 9, 2023, a check of the FCC's Universal Licensing System (ULS) shows that all of the Highway Advisory Radio stations licensed to the New York State Thruway Authority show a status of "Expired" or "Cancelled".

The New York Thruway Travel Plazas started a redesign and redevelopment program in the middle of 2021. This project is expected to be completed in two phases with one completed in 2023 and the other in 2025. The operators of the rest stops are Empire State Thruway Partners. They plan to include several restaurant options.

Travel plazas

Name	Location	Direction	mi	km	Restaurants	Services	Fuel
Ardsley	Hastings-on-Hudson	Northbound	6.0	9.7	Applegreen C-Store, Chick-fil-a, Burger King, Starbucks (Drive Thru)	E-ZPass On-the-go	Sunoco
Sloatsburg	Sloatsburg	Northbound	33.0	53.1	Closed for construction		Sunoco
Ramapo		Southbound	33.0	53.1	Closed for construction		Sunoco
Plattekill	Walkill	Northbound	65.0	104.6	Applegreen C-Store, Chick-fil-a, Burger King, Starbucks (Drive Thru), Panera Bread, Auntie Anne's	E-ZPass On-the-go, Farm Market (seasonal)	High-speed EV charging station, Sunoco
Modena		Southbound	66.0	106.2	C-Store, No Restaurants	E-ZPass On-the-Go, farm market (seasonal)	High-speed EV charging station, Sunoco
Ulster	Ruby	Southbound	96.0	154.5	Closed for construction		Sunoco
Malden	Saugerties	Northbound	103.0	165.8	Closed for construction		High-speed EV charging station, Mobil
New Baltimore	New Baltimore	Both	127.0	204.4	Applegreen C-Store, Starbucks, Chick-fil-a, Panera Bread, Shake Shack	E-ZPass On-the-Go, farm market (seasonal)	Mobil
Guiderland	Schenectady	Eastbound	159.0	255.9	Closed for construction		Mobil
Pattersonville	Amsterdam	Westbound	168.0	270.4	Closed for construction		Mobil
Mohawk		Eastbound	172.0	276.8	C-Store, No Restaurants	E-ZPass On-the-Go	Mobil
Iroquois	Little Falls	Westbound	210.0	338.0	Burger King, Chick-fil-a, Starbucks, Applegreen C-Store	E-ZPass On-the-go, Farm Market (seasonal)	High-speed EV charging station, Mobil
Indian Castle		Eastbound	210.0	338.0	Applegreen C-Store, Popeyes, Starbucks (Drive Thru)	Outdoor Seating, Farm Market (seasonal), Food Truck Space (seasonal), Dog Walking Space	High-speed EV charging station, Mobil
Schuyler	Schuyler	Westbound	227.0	365.3	Applegreen C-Store, Dunkin' (Drive Thru)	E-ZPass On-the-Go	Mobil
Oneida	Westmoreland	Eastbound	244.0	392.7	Applegreen C-Store, Burger King, Panera Bread, Starbucks (Drive Thru)	E-ZPass On-the-go, Farm Market (seasonal)	High-speed EV charging station, Sunoco
Chittenango	Canastota	Westbound	266.0	428.1	Applegreen C-Store, Chick-fil-a, Starbucks (Drive Thru)	E-ZPass On-the-go	High-speed EV charging station, Sunoco
DeWitt	Syracuse	Eastbound	280.0	450.6	Closed for construction		Sunoco
Warners	Warners	Westbound	292.0	469.9	Applegreen C-Store, Chick-fil-a, Burger King, Starbucks (Drive Thru)	E-ZPass On-the-go, Farm Market (seasonal)	High-speed EV charging station, Mobil
Port Byron	Port Byron	Eastbound	310.0	498.9	Applegreen C-Store, Burger King, Dunkin' (Drive Thru)	E-ZPass On-the-go, Farm Market (seasonal)	Mobil
Junius Ponds	Waterloo	Westbound	324.0	521.4	Applegreen C-Store, Shake Shack, Starbucks, Taste NY Store	E-ZPass On-the-go, Farm Market (seasonal), Pet relief area	High-speed EV charging station, Sunoco
Clifton Springs	Clifton Springs	Eastbound	337.0	542.3	Applegreen C-Store, Auntie Anne's, Chick-fil-a, Shake Shack, Starbucks, Taste NY Store	E-ZPass On-the-go, Farm Market (seasonal)	High-speed EV charging station, Sunoco
Seneca	Victor	Westbound	350.0	563.3	Applegreen C-Store, Popeyes, Dunkin' (Drive Thru)	E-ZPass On-the-go, Farm Market (seasonal)	High-speed EV charging station, Mobil
Scottsville	Henrietta	Eastbound	366.0	589.0	Closed for construction		Mobil
Ontario	Le Roy	Westbound	376.0	605.1	Closed for construction		High-speed EV charging station, Sunoco
Pembroke	Pembroke	Eastbound	397.0	638.9	Applegreen C-Store, Popeyes, Burger King, Dunkin' (Drive Thru) Panera Bread	E-ZPass On-the-go, Farm Market (seasonal)	High-speed EV charging station, Sunoco
Clarence	Clarence	Westbound	412.0	663.0	Applegreen C-Store, Popeyes, Burger King, Dunkin' (Drive Thru)	E-ZPass On-the-go, Farm Market (seasonal)	High-speed EV charging station, Sunoco
Angola	Evans	Both	447.0	719.4	Closed for construction		High-speed EV charging station, Sunoco

Tolls

A former New York State Thruway toll ticket obtained at exit 25A

All components of the New York State Thruway system except for the Garden State Parkway Connector and the Cross-Westchester Expressway are tolled in some capacity. The entire Thruway has used an all-electronic, open road tolling system since November 14, 2020, with tolls being collected by E-ZPass or Tolls by Mail. Seventy electronic toll gantries comprise the Thruway toll system.

As of 2021, drivers with out-of-state issued E-ZPass transponders pay 15% more than drivers with transponders issued by the New York Customer Service Center. Tolls by Mail rates are 30% higher than New York E-ZPass rates. Tolls by Mail drivers pay an additional fee when receiving their invoice.

Component toll sections

There are three types of toll sections on the Thruway: closed-toll segments, flat-rate highway gantry segments, and flat-rate bridge/barrier gantry segments. On the closed-toll segments, a driver is electronically recorded when they enter and pay a distance-based toll upon exit. The highway gantry segments are situated between closed-toll segments and are spaced so they require a toll to travel between any pair of exits on each segment. Finally, the barrier/bridge gantries generally contain free exits on either side of the gantry.

Closed-toll segments and highway gantries

Prior to the implementation of electronic tolling, the longer of the two closed-toll systems began at Woodbury and extended from NY 17 to just east of exit 50 in Williamsville. The Berkshire Connector was enclosed within this system, so traveling between the mainline and the connector via exit 21A did not involve crossing an electronic toll gantry. Under the old ticket system, the connector's exits up to the toll barrier at exit B3 were listed with the mainline exits on tickets for the major closed system. The other system encompassed the portion of the mainline between exit 55 in Lackawanna and exit 61 near the Pennsylvania state line.

Similar to the old system, any travel between exits 15A and 50 and between exits 55 and 61 requires paying a toll, but a mixture of closed-toll segments and fixed-toll gantries are used. There are six closed-toll segments on the Thruway, which are numbered 1 through 6. Within each closed-toll segment, there are highway gantries on the mainline Thruway before the respective start and end of each segment, as well as on the entrance and exit ramps of all interchanges between each of these highway gantries. Cameras or E-ZPass readers record vehicles entering each segment, and a distance-based toll is calculated when vehicles leave that segment. Segments 1 through 5 cover the exits in the old closed-toll system from Woodbury to Williamsville, while segment 6 comprises the shorter system from Lackawanna to Ripley. The segments are as follows:

• Segment 1: exits 50 to 47
• Segment 2: exits 44 to 39
• Segment 3: exits 39 to 36
• Segment 4: exits 34A to 25A
• Segment 5: exits 23 to 15A and the Berkshire Connector (tolls from southbound drivers entering at exit 16 and northbound drivers leaving at exit 16 are flat-rate; see New York State Thruway § Barrier/bridge gantries)
• Segment 6: exits 61 to 55

The eight fixed-rate segment highway gantries are all located between the closed-toll (distance-based) segments. Unlike at the closed-toll segments, a single fixed-rate toll is paid when traveling between adjacent exits, but motorists driving for longer distances pay multiple tolls. These eight toll points on the highway took the place of toll plazas at the adjacent exits, therefore these exits do not need or have their own toll gantries. There was no corresponding old toll point (barrier plaza) on the highway before November 2020, where this class of gantry now stands, since the plazas were at the exits. Also, when the plazas were at the exits, rather than being fixed-rate, there was a distance-based toll, using tickets or being electronically recorded using E-ZPass. The locations on the highway of this class of toll gantry are as follows:

• Three gantries between exits 47 and 44
• Two gantries between exits 36 and 34A
• Three gantries between exits 25A and 23

Standalone fixed toll gantries

This class of toll gantry on the Thruway system replaced former fixed-rate toll barrier plazas located at bridges and other locations. These particular toll points are their own class because they are not considered segments of the distance-based toll system (former ticket systems), unlike fixed-rate segment highway gantries which are situated between distance-based toll segments. These toll points were made cashless (changed from plazas to gantries) first, from 2016 to 2018, contrasted with fixed-rate segment highway gantries, which were established for tolling in November 2020, when cashless tolling went live on the ticket systems of the Thruway. Even before cashless tolling, which brought more segmentation and the other class of fixed-rate toll point, these toll points were considered standalone due to being outside the ticket systems. This class of toll gantry, and the toll barriers that existed before, are subject to conditions such as direction of travel and not being covered by the E-ZPass annual permit plan.

On the mainline Thruway, there are three flat-rate bridge/barrier gantries. The southernmost of these is in Yonkers, where there is a bi-directional gantry between exits 6A and 7. In South Nyack, there is a southbound-only toll gantry for the Tappan Zee Bridge. Lastly, there is a northbound, commercial traffic-only gantry between exits 14A and 14B near Spring Valley. The closed-toll (originally ticket) system originally began at Spring Valley but was moved to Woodbury on March 3, 1974, allowing interchanges along the Thruway in Rockland County to be free of tolls. The toll plaza at Suffern was dismantled along with this change. On April 23, 2016, the southbound toll plaza at the Tappan Zee Bridge in Westchester County was closed and replaced with a southbound all-electronic toll gantry on the Rockland County side of the bridge. In late 2018, all remaining flat-rate toll barriers on the Thruway were replaced with electronic toll gantries.

Approaching the Williamsville toll barrier on I-90 / Thruway westbound. This toll plaza is now removed and replaced with the electronic tolls on the Thruway

The Harriman toll gantry at exit 16 is also a barrier/bridge gantry; it is right next to the Woodbury toll gantry, which forms the southern end of closed-tolling segment 5. The Harriman toll gantry is used by traffic entering the southbound Thruway from eastbound NY 17, as well as traffic on the northbound Thruway exiting to westbound NY 17. Traffic entering or continuing on the northbound Thruway, as well as traffic from the southbound Thruway that is exiting or continuing south, use the Woodbury toll gantry. The ticket on the former ticketed system was identical to that given for exit 15A with the exception that the toll for exit 16 is subtracted from all of the prices. To distinguish between exit 16 and the Woodbury toll barrier, Thruway tickets listed the NY 17 interchange as exit 16 and the Woodbury toll plaza as exit 15, although the actual exit 15 is situated almost 15 miles (24 km) to the south.

The other components of the system that are tolled have far fewer tolls. On the New England Thruway (I-95), there is a fixed-rate electronic toll gantry on I-95 northbound between exits 16 and 17 in New Rochelle. Meanwhile, the only tolls along the Niagara Thruway (I-190) are those for the North and South Grand Island Bridges.

Cost

When the Thruway opened in the mid-1950s, the cost to travel from Buffalo to New York City was $5.60 (equivalent to $50.00 in 2023). The closed ticket system, which at the time extended from Spring Valley to Williamsville, accounted for $5 of the toll, while the remaining $0.60 was charged at the Yonkers ($0.10) and Tappan Zee ($0.50) toll barriers. After the south end of the major closed ticket system was moved from Spring Valley to Woodbury, the Spring Valley toll barrier became a fixed-rate toll for both cars and trucks. The Spring Vallery barrier's car toll was removed in July 1997. At the time, the toll was $0.40 (equivalent to $1.00 in 2023). As of August 2021, the trip from Buffalo to the New York City line costs $31.04 with toll-by-plate ($23.87 for New York E-ZPass holders) with two-axle passenger vehicles, calculated at 15 gantries and tolling sections. The return trip costs $24.21 ($18.62 with New York E-ZPass) across 14 gantries and tolling sections, as the Tappan Zee Bridge gantry only charges a southbound/eastbound toll.

As of August 2021, the Berkshire Connector costs $1.03 ($0.79 with New York E-ZPass) to travel between the Massachusetts state line and exit B1. Tolls west of exit B1 vary based on which direction a motorist travels on I-87. The toll on the minor closed ticket system from Pennsylvania to exit 55 south of Buffalo is $3.87 ($2.97 with New York E-ZPass). The Grand Island Bridges on I-190 cost $1.24 to cross ($0.95 with New York E-ZPass) while the New Rochelle toll gantry on I-95 costs $2.16 ($1.66 with New York E-ZPass). The Black Rock and City Line toll barriers on the Niagara Thruway in Buffalo charged $0.75 at the time of their removal on October 30, 2006.

All tolls along the Thruway were supposed to be abolished when the construction bonds used to build it had been paid off. The last of the bonds was paid off in 1996; however, the tolls remained in place after the New York State Legislature transferred ownership of the New York State Canal System to NYSTA in 1992.

Exit list

For exits on the Cross-Westchester Expressway, the New England Thruway, or the Niagara Thruway, see the articles on those highways.

Mainline

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Westchester	Yonkers	0.00	0.00	–	I-87 south (Major Deegan Expressway) – New York City	Southern terminus; I-87 continues south into New York City as Major Deegan Expressway
		0.48	0.77	1	Hall Place / McLean Avenue	No northbound access to McLean Avenue
		0.92	1.48	2	Yonkers Avenue – Raceway	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		1.77	2.85	3	Mile Square Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		2.18	3.51	4	Cross County Parkway / Mile Square Road	Exits 4S-N on Cross County Parkway; no northbound access to Mile Square Road
		2.70	4.35	5	NY 100 north (Central Park Avenue) – White Plains	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; southern terminus of NY 100
		4.00	6.44	6	CR 36 (Tuckahoe Road) – Bronxville, Yonkers	Signed as exits 6E (east) and 6W (west) southbound
		5.14	8.27	6A	Ridge Hill Boulevard / Stew Leonard Drive
		5.47	8.80	Yonkers Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
	Greenburgh	6.10	9.82	Ardsley Service Area (northbound)
	Ardsley	7.58	12.20	7	NY 9A – Ardsley	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Greenburgh	10.33	16.62	7A	Saw Mill River Parkway to Taconic State Parkway north	Same-directional access only; no southbound entrance; exit 20 on Saw Mill River Parkway
		10.50	16.90	8	I-287 east / NY 119 / Saw Mill River Parkway north – White Plains, Rye	Southern end of I-287 concurrency; signed as exits 8 (I-287) and 8A (NY 119/Saw Mill) southbound
	Tarrytown	12.65	20.36	9	US 9 / NY 119 east – Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow	NY 119 not signed
Hudson River		12.80– 14.50	20.60– 23.34	Tappan Zee (Governor Mario M. Cuomo) Bridge (southbound toll; E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
Rockland	South Nyack	16.49	26.54	10	US 9W – Nyack, South Nyack	No southbound exit
	Nyack	17.63	28.37	11	US 9W / NY 59 west – Nyack, South Nyack	NY 59 not signed
	West Nyack–Valley Cottage line	18.76	30.19	12	NY 303 / Palisades Center Drive – West Nyack	Palisades Center Drive not signed northbound
	West Nyack–Bardonia– Nanuet tripoint	20.94	33.70	13	Palisades Parkway – Bear Mountain, George Washington Bridge	Signed as exit 13N (north) and exit 13S (south); exits 9E-W on Palisades Parkway
	Nanuet	22.80	36.69	14	NY 59 – Spring Valley, Nanuet	To NY 45
		23.00	37.01	–	Pascack Road (CR 35) / Old Turnpike Road	Southbound entrance only
	Chestnut Ridge	23.53	37.87	14A	G.S. Parkway south – New Jersey, Philadelphia	Access via Garden State Parkway Connector
		24.31	39.12	Spring Valley Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail; northbound trucks)
	Montebello	27.62	44.45	14B	Airmont Road (CR 89) – Airmont, Montebello, Monsey, Suffern	Access to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center; to NY 59, US 202
	Suffern	30.17	48.55	15	I-287 south / Route 17 south – New Jersey, George Washington Bridge, Staten Island NY 17 begins	Northern end of I-287 concurrency; southern end of NY 17 concurrency
	Hillburn	31.35	50.45	15A	NY 17 north / NY 59 east – Sloatsburg, Suffern, Tuxedo	Northern end of NY 17 concurrency; western terminus of NY 59
	Sloatsburg	33.20	53.43	Sloatsburg-Ramapo Service Area
Orange	Woodbury	45.00	72.42	16	Future I-86 west / US 6 / NY 17 / NY 32 north – Harriman, Bear Mountain, West Point, Monticello, Binghamton	Harriman Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail); NY 32 not signed
				Woodbury Toll Gantry (southern end of closed toll system)
	Town of Newburgh	60.10	96.72	17	I-84 / NY 300 / NY 17K – Scranton, Newburgh, Stewart Airport, Beacon, Danbury	Exit 36A on I-84; no direct southbound access to NY 17K; to NY 52 & NY 207
		64.8– 65.9	104.3– 106.1	Plattekill-Modena Service Area
Ulster	Town of New Paltz	76.01	122.33	18	NY 299 – Mid-Hudson Bridge, New Paltz, Poughkeepsie, Hyde Park	To NY 55 & US 44
	Ulster	91.37	147.05	19	NY 28 (I-587 east) – Kingston, Rhinecliff Bridge, Woodstock	To US 209
		96.30	154.98	Ulster Service Area (southbound)
	Town of Saugerties	101.25	162.95	20	NY 32 (NY 212) – Saugerties, Woodstock	Woodstock not signed northbound
		103.20	166.08	Malden Service Area (northbound)
Greene	Town of Catskill	113.89	183.29	21	NY 23 – Cairo, Catskill, Hudson, Rip Van Winkle Bridge	Via CR 23B
	New Baltimore	124.53	200.41	21B	US 9W to NY 81 – Coxsackie, Ravena, New Baltimore, Athens
		127.30	204.87	New Baltimore Service Area / Capital Region Welcome Center
Albany	Coeymans	133.60	215.01	21A	To I-90 / Mass Pike east – Boston	Access via Berkshire Connector; to US 9, NY 203, NY 66, NY 295, Taconic Parkway, NY 22, Route 102 & Route 41
	Bethlehem	134.93	217.15	22	NY 144 to NY 396 – Selkirk
		139.80	224.99	Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
	Albany	141.92	228.40	23	I-787 north / US 9W – Albany, Troy, Rensselaer	Southern terminus of I-787; also serves Times Union Center; to NY 32 & NY 443
	Bethlehem	145.60	234.32	Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
	Albany–Guilderland line	148.15	238.42	24	I-87 north / I-90 east – Albany, Montreal, Albany International Airport, Boston	Northern end of I-87 concurrency; eastern end of I-90 concurrency; to US 20
		149.60	240.76	Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
	Guilderland	152.80	245.91	Guilderland Service Area (eastbound)
		153.83	247.57	25	I-890 west / NY 7 / NY 146 – Schenectady	Eastern terminus of I-890
Schenectady	Rotterdam	157.80	253.95	Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
		158.82	255.60	25A	I-88 west / NY 7 – Schenectady, Binghamton	Eastern terminus of I-88
		161.00	259.10	Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
		162.22	261.07	26	I-890 east to NY 5 / NY 5S – Schenectady, Scotia	Western terminus and exit 1B on I-890; access to NY 5 via NY 890
Montgomery	Florida	168.20	270.69	Pattersonville Service Area (westbound)
		171.80	276.49	Mohawk Service Area (eastbound)
	Florida–Amsterdam line	173.59	279.37	27	NY 30 – Amsterdam
	Fultonville	182.17	293.17	28	NY 30A – Fultonville, Fonda	Also serves Fulton County Airport
	Root	311.40	501.15	Fultonville Rest Area / Mohawk Valley Welcome Center (westbound)
	Town of Canajoharie	194.10	312.37	29	NY 10 – Canajoharie, Sharon Springs	To NY 5S & NY 80
Herkimer	Danube	209.90	337.80	Indian Castle-Iroquois Service Area
		210.62	338.96	29A	NY 169 – Little Falls, Dolgeville
	Village of Herkimer	219.70	353.57	30	NY 28 – Herkimer, Mohawk
	Schuyler	227.00	365.32	Schuyler Service Area (westbound)
Oneida	Utica	232.85	374.74	31	I-790 west / NY 8 / NY 12 – Utica, Rome	Rome not signed eastbound; eastern terminus of I-790
	Westmoreland	243.37	391.67	32	NY 233 – Westmoreland, Rome	Rome not signed eastbound
		244.00	392.68	Oneida Service Area (eastbound)
	Verona	252.71	406.70	33	NY 365 – Verona, Oneida, Rome	Rome not signed westbound; Oneida not signed eastbound
Madison	Canastota	261.50	420.84	34	NY 13 – Canastota, Chittenango, Oneida	Oneida not signed westbound; Chittenango not signed eastbound
	Sullivan	266.20	428.41	Chittenango Service Area (westbound)
Onondaga	Town of Manlius	276.10	444.34	Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
	DeWitt	276.58	445.11	34A	I-481 – Syracuse, Oswego, Chittenango	Exit 6 on I-481; Chittenango not signed westbound; Oswego not signed eastbound
		277.50	446.59	Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
		278.93	448.89	35	NY 298 / NY 635 – Syracuse, East Syracuse
		279.40	449.65	DeWitt Service Area (eastbound)
	Salina	281.30	452.71	Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
		282.93	455.33	36	I-81 – Watertown, Binghamton, Syracuse Airport	Exit 25A on I-81; to US 11
		283.40	456.09	Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
		283.79	456.72	37	Electronics Parkway – Liverpool, Syracuse	Syracuse not signed westbound; Liverpool not signed eastbound
		285.95	460.19	38	CR 57 – Liverpool, Syracuse
	Van Buren	288.80	464.78	Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
		289.53	465.95	39	I-690 east / NY 690 north – Syracuse, Fulton	Western terminus and exit 1 on I-690; southern terminus of NY 690
		291.30	468.80	Warners Service Area (westbound)
		294.60	474.11	Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
Cayuga	Brutus	304.19	489.55	40	NY 34 – Weedsport, Auburn	To NY 31
	Mentz	308.30	496.16	Erie Canal Heritage Park (eastbound)
	Montezuma	310.10	499.06	Port Byron Service Area (eastbound)
Seneca	Tyre	320.41	515.65	41	NY 414 – Waterloo, Clyde
	Junius	323.60	520.78	Junius Ponds Service Area (westbound)
Ontario	Town of Phelps	327.10	526.42	42	NY 14 – Geneva, Lyons	To NY 318
	Town of Manchester	336.90	542.19	Clifton Springs Service Area (eastbound)
		340.15	547.42	43	NY 21 – Manchester, Palmyra
		340.70	548.30	Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
	Farmington	347.13	558.65	44	NY 332 south – Canandaigua, Victor	Victor not signed eastbound; northern terminus of NY 332
	Town of Victor	348.00	560.05	Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
		349.20	561.98	Seneca Service Area (westbound)
		350.99	564.86	45	I-490 west – Rochester, Victor	Victor not signed westbound; eastern terminus of I-490; to NY 96
Monroe	Pittsford	358.10	576.31	Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
	Henrietta	362.44	583.29	46	I-390 – Rochester, Corning	To NY 253 and NY 15; exit 12 on I-390
		365.30	587.89	Scottsville Service Area (eastbound)
	Chili	368.80	593.53	Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
Genesee	Town of Le Roy	375.20	603.83	Ontario Service Area (westbound)
		378.56	609.23	47	I-490 east / NY 19 – Le Roy, Rochester	Western terminus of Interstate 490
		379.10	610.10	Toll Gantry (E-ZPass or Toll by Mail)
	Town of Batavia	390.13	627.85	48	NY 98 – Batavia
	Pembroke	397.00	638.91	Pembroke Service Area (eastbound)
		401.72	646.51	48A	NY 77 – Pembroke, Medina
Erie	Town of Lancaster	411.60	662.41	Clarence Service Area (westbound)
	Cheektowaga–Amherst line	417.27	671.53	49	NY 78 – Depew, Buffalo Niagara International Airport
		418.15	672.95	Williamsville Toll Gantry (western end of closed toll system)
		420.34	676.47	50	I-290 west – Niagara Falls	Eastern terminus of I-290; interchange formerly served NY 5
	Cheektowaga	420.93	677.42	50A	Cleveland Drive	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		421.57	678.45	51	NY 33 – Buffalo, Buffalo Niagara International Airport	Signed as 51E (east) and 51W (west); interchange formerly served Maryvale Drive
		423.19	681.06	52	Walden Avenue – Cheektowaga, Buffalo	Signed as 52E (east) and 52W (west)
		424.92	683.84	52A	William Street
		426.17	685.85	53	I-190 north – Downtown Buffalo, Canada, Niagara Falls	Southern terminus of I-190
	West Seneca	427.94	688.70	54	NY 16 / NY 400 south – West Seneca, East Aurora	Northern terminus of NY 400
		429.47	691.16	55	US 219 south / Ridge Road	No eastbound access to US 219; Ridge Road not signed westbound; northern terminus of US 219
	Lackawanna	431.15	693.87	Lackawanna Toll Gantry (eastern end of closed toll system)
	Town of Hamburg	432.45	695.96	56	US 62 / NY 179 (Mile Strip Road) – Blasdell, Orchard Park	Orchard Park not signed westbound
		436.22	702.03	57	NY 75 – Hamburg, East Aurora
	Evans	444.87	715.95	57A	Eden, Angola
		446.60	718.73	Angola Service Area
Chautauqua	Hanover	455.54	733.12	58	US 20 / NY 5 – Silver Creek, Irving	Access to Lakeshore Hospital
	Town of Dunkirk	467.74	752.75	59	NY 60 – Dunkirk, Fredonia
	Town of Westfield	485.00	780.53	60	NY 394 – Westfield, Mayville
		488.50	786.16	Ripley Toll Gantry (western end of closed toll system)
	Ripley	494.92	796.50	61	Shortman Road (NY 950D) – Ripley	To US 20, NY 5, and NY 76
		496.00	798.23	–	I-90 west – Erie	Western terminus; I-90 continues into Pennsylvania as a toll-free highway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Electronic toll collection       Incomplete access       Route transition

Berkshire Connector

The Berkshire Connector is a closed-ticket system that extends east from the Thruway mainline to the Canaan Toll Barrier, connecting the mainline Thruway to the Mass Pike.

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Albany	Coeymans	0.00	0.00	–	I-87 / New York Thruway to I-90 west – New York City, Buffalo	Exit 21A on mainline Thruway
Hudson River		0.95	1.53	Castleton Bridge
Rensselaer	Schodack	6.58	10.59	B1	I-90 west to US 9 – Albany, Hudson	Western terminus of I-90 concurrency; to NY 203 & NY 66
Columbia	Town of Chatham	15.09	24.29	B2	Taconic State Parkway south to NY 295 – Chatham, East Chatham, Canaan	Northern terminus of Taconic Parkway; to NY 66
	Canaan	18.1	29.1	Canaan Toll Gantry (eastern end of closed toll system)
		23.27	37.45	B3	NY 22 – Austerlitz, New Lebanon, West Stockbridge, Stockbridge	To Route 102 & Route 41
		24.28	39.07	–	I-90 east / Mass Pike east – Boston, Springfield	Continuation into Massachusetts; eastern terminus of I-90 concurrency
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Electronic toll collection

Garden State Parkway Connector

The entire route is in Chestnut Ridge, Rockland County. All exits are unnumbered.

mi	km	Destinations	Notes
0.00	0.00	I-87 south / I-287 east / New York Thruway south – Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, New York City	Northern terminus
		Nanuet	Northbound exit only; access via CR 35
		I-87 north / I-287 west / New York Thruway north – Albany	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; exit 14A on mainline Thruway
2.09	3.36	Red Schoolhouse Road (CR 41) – Chestnut Ridge	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as School House Road; all trucks must exit
2.40	3.86	G.S. Parkway south – New Jersey	Continuation into New Jersey
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access        Tolled

See also

•  U.S. Roads portal
•  New York (state) portal
• Schoharie Creek Bridge collapse – bridge collapse along the Thruway in 1987

External links

Template:Attached KML/New York State Thruway

KML is from Wikidata

• New York State Thruway Authority
• Thruway Chronology 1942–2000
• The Thruway's entry in BBC h2g2
• New York Thruway (I-87) (Greater New York Roads)