Interstate 87 runs 333 miles from New York City north to Champlain, New York at the Canadian border, combining two named highways: the New York State Thruway (tolled) from NYC to Albany, and the toll-free Adirondack Northway from Albany to Champlain. The route is the principal corridor between the New York metro area and Montreal.
For freight, I-87 is the spine of New York-to-Quebec commerce. The Champlain-to-Montreal segment carries enormous volumes of cross-border freight, and the Capital District around Albany is a major distribution hub. The Tappan Zee / Mario Cuomo Bridge crossing of the Hudson is a critical chokepoint that was rebuilt in 2017.
Geographically I-87 follows the Hudson River valley north from NYC to Albany, then climbs into the Adirondack Park, threading lake country and dense forest. Weather hazards are dominated by lake-effect snow off Lake Champlain, severe winter weather in the Adirondacks, and chronic congestion through the NYC metro and the Tappan Zee / Mario Cuomo Bridge.
- NY State Thruway (tolled) from NYC to Albany; Adirondack Northway (free) from Albany to Champlain
- Crosses one state plus a brief NC duplicate designation
- Mario Cuomo Bridge over the Hudson is a major chokepoint
- Northern terminus at the Champlain-Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing into Quebec
- Traverses Adirondack Park — the largest publicly-protected area in the contiguous US
- Concurrent with I-90 briefly in Albany
- Heavy NYC-Montreal freight corridor