I-86 (PA-NY)

About I-86 (PA-NY)

Also known as Southern Tier Expressway, Quickway.

From Western New York (I-90 area) to Southern Tier, NY

This eastern Interstate 86 runs through northwestern Pennsylvania and the Southern Tier of New York, extending roughly 220 miles along the corridor of the former New York State Route 17. It begins near the Erie region of Pennsylvania at a junction with Interstate 90 and runs east across the New York Southern Tier, passing Jamestown, Corning, and Elmira on its way toward the Binghamton area.

West of Binghamton the highway is known as the Southern Tier Expressway, and east of Interstate 81 the older freeway is called the Quickway. The route follows the valleys of the Southern Tier through hilly upland country, connecting a string of small cities and towns across the southern edge of the state.

The corridor is gradually being upgraded from the former Route 17 to full Interstate standards, with new segments added over time as construction progresses. It provides an east-west link across southern New York between the Lake Erie region and the Binghamton area.

State-by-state mileage

State	Miles
Pennsylvania	7.0
New York	213.0
Total	220

History

The eastern Interstate 86 designation was assigned in 1999 to the former Pennsylvania Route 17 and the western part of New York State Route 17. Most of the underlying expressway, the Southern Tier Expressway and the Quickway, was built in stages from the 1950s through the 1980s.

The Interstate has been extended eastward in steps as additional sections of the old Route 17 freeway were rebuilt to meet Interstate standards.

Major cities and places

Did you know

• This is the eastern I-86, separate from the western I-86 in Idaho.
• It follows the corridor of the former New York State Route 17 across the Southern Tier.
• West of Binghamton it is known as the Southern Tier Expressway and east of I-81 as the Quickway.
• The route is being upgraded to full Interstate standards in stages.