The New York State Thruway, Route I-87, from New York to Albany and the Northway from Albany to the New York Canadian Border defines a major transportation corridor promoting commerce, tourism, commuting and a range of other activities. The corridor lies in the Eastern part of New York State; it links New York City to Canada and serves as crossroad points to New England, the Midwest and the South.

This report defines this prominent corridor in some detail, highlighting the roles of urbanization and economic activity, the impacts of landform, and the role of transportation. By examining how the corridor responds to activities in three distinct regions, New York City, I84 to the Capital District and the Capital District to the Canadian Border, the report will discuss transportation issues and opportunities. The report is organized to examine the corridor in terms of its connections, globally as well as locally. It then describes the environment the corridor traverses. It then examines economic opportunities and issues, relating these to the three segments of the corridor.

The report discusses issues raised in discussions with a body of professionals regarding moving goods and people in and through the corridor. The report concludes with a discussion of opportunities that can enhance both the population and economic activity within this corridor.

The project was a pivotal project for New York State DOT. The Office of the Commissioner and Executive Staff used this project and related work by UTRC to focus the DOT on the Global Impacts of their work. Shifting some focus from mainly regional concerns within the State to integrating multi modal issues, NYSDOT wanted to address how both State support of transportation investments and the work of DOT can assist the State in developing capabilities for growth in the new Global Economy. The initial work addressed major transportation corridors in New York State, noting the importance of connectivity within State regions, between States, in the NAFTA Corridor and throughout the Globe. The UTRC Team was asked to use some of these themes in addressing significant organizational change, and has presented these to a number of DOT groups addressing organizational change.