Interstate 87 runs 333.49 miles (Wikipedia) from New York City north to Champlain, New York at the Canadian border, where it continues into Quebec as Autoroute 15 toward Montreal, 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 main truck route between New York and Quebec. 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