Interstate 390

Location

A major North-South expressway running through Western New York to and through the Rochester region

Boundaries

North: Interstate 490

South: I-86/NYS Route 17 near Avoca

Length

76 miles

Interstate 390/NYS Route 390 is a spur to Interstate 90 that allows one to quickly get North and South in suburban Rochester and leads to the Southern Tier. Along the way, it will take you past the Greater Rochester International Airport, Henrietta, Avon, Geneseo, Letchworth State Park and Dansville. It intersects Interstate 590 in Brighton. It is the 9th longest 3-digit Interstate in the country, and largely replaced the US Highway 15 corridor through New York State.

The small northern extension running from Interstate 490 through Greece to the Lake Ontario State Parkway is technically not an interstate highway but is marked as NYS Route 390. Note the change in the shape and color of the route signs, and some minor changes due to arcane state and federal roadway funding rules.

In the future, south of the Thruway, it may be renumbered I-99, as an extension of the Pennsylvania interstate along the US Highway 15 corridor that is planned to enter New York State SouthWest of Corning.

• Route 33A/Chili Avenue
  

• Route 204/Brooks Avenue
  

• Route 383/Scottsville Road
  

• Route 15/West Henrietta Road
  

• Route 15A/East Henrietta Road
  

• Interstate 590
  

• Brighton Henrietta Town Line Road
  

• Route 252/Jefferson Road
  

• Hylan Drive
  

• Route 253/Lehigh Station Road
  

• Interstate 90/Thruway
  

• Route 15/West Henrietta Road
  

• Route 5/Route 20
  

• Route 15
  

• Route 20A

I-390 was originally going to be called I-486, as a spur route from a proposed I-86 in the Southern Tier. However, NY Route 17 did not become I-86 until 1999, 28 years after I-390 opened.

I-390 was also originally intended to continue due North into downtown Rochester instead of veering West on the south side of Rochester. This would have taken it along the Clinton Avenue corridor right through Brighton, the heart of Swillburg and the South Wedge. Needless to say, the kibosh got put on that plan pretty quickly once houses started going down. Brighton's Persimmon Park was created on land originally acquired for the ill-fated Genesee Expressway. The extra wide bridge on South Clinton Avenue where it crosses the Erie Canal was originally intended to carry this highway.

In the city Otto Henderberg Park (near the corner of Sycamore, Avon, and Fountain Streets) exists where some of the homes used to be. The vacant land between Broadway, I-490, Goodman Street and Alexander Street is also a legacy of this aborted plan.