Interchange of the Week
Monday, 26 April 2004

New York State Thruway - Exits 32 to 34A, Westmoreland-DeWitt

Orientation: Interstate 90, the New York State Thruway, runs from left to right; NY 233 runs from bottom to top. Cider Street runs toward the right from NY 233, and Main Street runs left to right through the hamlet of Westmoreland at bottom. Furnace Street connects Main and Cider Streets.

Exit numbers: Thruway Exit 32 is for NY 233 to Westmoreland. In the westbound direction it is also given as the exit for Rome.

The interchange: Interchange 32 connects to a Thruway-maintained segment of Cider Street, rather than directly to NY 233. East of Furnace Street, Cider Street is part of Oneida CR 23 connecting Oriskany and Vernon; this highway follows Furnace Street and Main Street through Westmoreland.

Orientation: The New York State Thruway (I-90) runs from left to right; NY 365 from bottom left to top.

Exit numbers: Exit 33 is for NY 365 to Verona. It is also the eastbound exit for Rome and the westbound exit for Oneida.

The interchange: NY 365 between Oneida and Rome is a 1950s-era divided highway that replaced the old two-lane road (partly visible at upper left). As a result, the trumpet interchange of Thruway Exit 33 features prominent high-speed right turn channels where it intersects NY 365. This interchange became much better known in 1993 with the opening of Turning Stone Casino, just to the south.

Orientation: The New York State Thruway (I-90) runs from left to right; NY 13 from bottom to top.

Exit numbers: Exit 34 is for NY 13 to Canastota and (eastbound) Oneida.

The interchange: Exit 34, located within the Village of Canastota, lies north of the village business district. Therefore, the intersection with NY 13 heavily favors traffic movements to and from the south. A typical cluster of travel-related businesses can be seen surrounding the interchange.

Orientation: The Thruway (I-90) runs from left to right; Interstate 481 from bottom to top.

Exit numbers: Exit 34A from the Thruway is for I-481, the eastern bypass of Syracuse. Westbound, this exit is signed for Oswego via I-481 and its continuation, NY 481. From I-481, Exit 6 is for the New York State Thruway to Albany and Buffalo.

The interchange: The double trumpet configuration, while highly unsatisfactory as a full freeway interchange, is nevertheless used here to allow a single toll collection point on the connector roadway. A major disadvantage is the sharp right angle inherent in the design, along with the low design speed allowed by tightly curved loop ramps. Elimination of these features would require expansive and costly reconstruction. Of note is that the I-481 trumpet, besides being the smaller and tighter of the two, is also "backwards," in that the inner loop is the exit ramp rather than the usual entrance.

Interchange 34A, the first of a series of Syracuse-area interchanges, was recently rebuilt by the Thruway Authority. Stretches of fresh concrete are visible in this photo, flown in 2003.