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]] The New York State Thruway (officially the '''Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway''') is a limited-access Toll Highway in the U.S. State of New York . Built in the 1950s by the State of New York in order to connect the major cities of New York, it is the longest toll road in the United States, with the 496-mile (793 km) mainline extending from the Pennsylvania /New York State border in the west to The Bronx in the east. In 1958 it was incorporated into the Interstate Highway System as portions of Interstate 87 , Interstate 287 , Interstate 90 , and Interstate 190 . It is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority . DESCRIPTION From west to east, the Thruway begins as Interstate 90 along Lake Erie on the Pennsylvania border in Chautauqua County . It follows the lake shore northeast and passes along the eastern side of Buffalo . Across northern New York, it roughly parallels the route of the Erie Canal , passing north of Batavia , south of Rochester , north of Syracuse , and north of Utica before following the valley of the Mohawk River to Albany . South of Albany, it continues as the southern portion of Interstate 87, roughly paralleling the Hudson River to the river's west, passing near Kingston , New Paltz , and Newburgh . South of Harriman , it follows the valley of the Ramapo River until its junction near the New Jersey border with Interstate 287 , which it joins, then cuts east across Rockland County . It connects with the New York segment of the Garden State Parkway then crosses the Hudson on the Tappan Zee Bridge . On the east side of the Hudson it continues south through Westchester County to the Bronx. Exit numbers start at Exit 1 at the Bronx/Westchester County line and end at Exit 61 at the Pennsylvania/New York border. The highway uses a coin-drop system for tolls between the Bronx/Westchester County line to the New York State Highway 17 exit. From there northward, drivers must obtain tickets which show their point of entry and the cost of traveling from there to their desired point of exit. Upon exiting the Thruway, the ticket and the appropriate toll must be paid. Two separate "ticket systems" are used — one between NY 17 and Buffalo and another from Buffalo to Exit 61. HISTORY A toll Superhighway connecting the major cities of New York State which would become part of a larger nationwide highway network was first proposed in 1949 . The following year, the New York State Legislature passed the Thruway Authority Act creating the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA), an independent Public Corporation , which would build and manage the turnpike. The project was to be financed through Toll Revenue Bond s and self-liquidating by receipt of tolls, rents, concessions, and other income. The act also stipulated NYSTA adopt a hybrid system of tolls, with barrier tolls collected in urban areas, and long-distance tickets issued in rural areas. The thruway opened in sections in the mid 1950s . The first section, between Lowell and Rochester , opened on June 24 , 1954 . The last section of 426 mi (681 km) mainline between Buffalo and the Bronx was completed on August 31 , 1956 . The total cost was 600 million dollars, financed by the sale of 972 million dollars of bonds. At the time, it was the longest toll road in the world. In 1957 , the mainline was extended 70 mi (112 km) west from Buffalo along Lake Erie to the Pennsylvania border. From 1957 to 1960 , several spurs of the road were built to connect the road to turnpikes in the neighboring states of Connecticut and Massachusetts . In 1958 , sections of the Thruway were given the current designations as part of the Interstate Highway System. In 1964 , the New York State Legislature officially renamed the Thruway in honor of former governor Thomas E. Dewey . The official designation is, however, rarely used in reference to the road. In August 1993 , the NYSTA became the first agency to implement the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system. By December 1996 it was implemented at all toll barriers on the Thruway. In 1997 , the construction Bond used to build the Thruway had been paid off, and all tolls along the Thruway were supposed to be abolished. However, the New York State Legislature voted to maintain the tolls. This action has engendered regional hostility within the state, particularly from the upstate counties which see the maintenance of the toll as a regional-based tax and that the tolls help maintain the economic disparity between the poor, rural upstate and the rich, urban downstate. INTERCHANGES AND TOLL BARRIERS Mainline Major interchanges from beginning (southeast) to end (northwest)
Cross-Westchester Expressway Entirely designated as Interstate 287 . This is a toll-free portion of the Thruway.
New England Thruway Entirely designated as Interstate 95 . It uses the same exit numbering scheme as the rest of I-95 in New York Major interchanges:
Garden State Parkway Connector It is a 2.40 mile-long road that connects the Thruway with the Garden State Parkway at the New Jersey state line via interchange 14A. It is the only part of the Thruway system that prohibits commercial vehicles (the parkway prohibits commercial traffic north of Exit 105). The connector is toll free, but motorists continuing into New Jersey will encounter tolls along the Garden State Parkway mainline. Interstate 84 Note that the one toll in New York state, which is for the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge , is run by the New York State Bridge Authority (not a Thruway toll), which is also responsible for the bridge. The rest of I-84 in New York is a toll-free component of the Thruway. There is no direct connection between the mainline (Interchange 17) and I-84 (Interchange 7). Both interchanges are with NY-300 . Motorists travelling between the two will encounter one intersection on NY-300 controlled by a traffic light. Improvements have brought both interchanges individually up to freeway standards, though at a loss to local traffic. The Thruway Authority has a project in the works to build a direct interchange between I-84 and I-87, without compromising local access to either. Berkshire Connector
Niagara Thruway Entirely designated as Interstate 190 (New York)
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