Interstate 684

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Interstate 684

Map of New York with I-684 highlighted in red, and extensions maintained as reference routes in blue
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-84 in New York
Maintained by NYSDOT
Length28.47 mi[1] (45.82 km)
ExistedJanuary 1, 1970[2]–present
HistoryFirst segment opened in October 1968, completed in December 1974
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
South end I-287 / Hutchinson River Parkway in Harrison
Major intersections
North end NY 22 in Southeast
Location
CountryUnited States
StatesNew York, Connecticut
CountiesNY: Westchester, Putnam
CT: Fairfield
Highway system
I-678NY I-687
I-491CT I-691

Interstate 684 (I-684) is a 28.47-mile-long (45.82 km) north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in the state of New York in the United States. There is also a short portion in Connecticut with no junctions. The highway connects I-84 with I-287 and the Hutchinson River Parkway, primarily serving commuter traffic to and from the northern suburbs of the New York metropolitan area. Most of the route is in northern Westchester County. The route of the highway was originally designated as part of I-87 from 1968 to 1970. The first section of the roadway opened to traffic in October 1968, and the final segment was completed in December 1974.

Route description

Cross-Westchester Expressway to Saw Mill River Parkway

Northward, I-684 begins as two separate spur routes. The primary spur, which is officially designated I-684, begins at the White PlainsHarrison line at exit 9A of the Cross-Westchester Expressway (I-287) in Westchester County, New York. The other, officially designated as New York State Route 984J (NY 984J) but signed as I-684 in the northbound direction, begins in Harrison north of exit 16A (formerly exit 26) on the Hutchinson River Parkway. NY 984J has one independent exit with Manhattanville Road, which serves Manhattanville College, before joining the spur to I-287. The spurs, I-287 and the Hutch, surround an office park. From the junction of the two spurs, the Interstate Highway takes a straight course to the north-northwest through a wooded corridor with Century Country Club on the west and residences on the east. After the Barnes Lane overpass a mile and a half (2.4 km) north of the spurs, it veers to the north-northeast for a half-mile (800 m) before turning to the north alongside Rye Lake, part of Kensico Reservoir, one of many that provide water to New York City. It remains in an increasingly narrow strip of woods between the lake and Westchester County Airport into its first exit, Airport Road, 4.4 miles (7.1 km) from its southern terminus. NY 120 parallels the highway to the east.

Three signs along a busy freeway. The one at the bottom says "Entering Greenwich Connecticut". The one above it has "Litter Removal" on it. The last one, at the top, is irregularly shaped with the number 684
Signs at Connecticut state line

Just north of that exit, NY 120 crosses over the road. Immediately after this exit, I-684 crosses the Connecticut state line. Signage indicates this, but it retains its New York reference markers as it curves more to the northeast for the next 1.41 miles (2.27 km) through wooded and swampy country in the western corner of Greenwich. There is no exit in Connecticut. A mile (1.6 km) after it reenters New York, in the town of North Castle, it reaches its next exit, where NY 22 serves that community and the nearby hamlet of Armonk. The short section of I-684 in Connecticut is owned by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), but maintenance and repairs to the stretch are performed by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), with the cost of maintenance being reimbursed to New York by Connecticut.

Past that exit, it bends even more to the northeast, continuing past houses, parks, and golf courses located amidst dense woodlands. At Byram Lake Reservoir, it returns to a northward heading for a mile (1.6 km), crossing into the town of Bedford. The highway then curves northeasterly and then to the northwest once the reservoir is past. The Arthur W. Butler Memorial Sanctuary, a private nature preserve, replaces it on the east of the highway. Just south of the exit for NY 172, I-684 bends northwest again.

Over the next two miles (3.2 km), the Interstate curves gently back and forth, maintaining its generally northerly heading, as its median strip widens slightly. The surrounding lands start to include some more cleared lots, larger estates that were once small farms. At the northern end of this section, a rest area serves southbound traffic. The highway passes Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women, one of New York's two main women's prisons, a short distance to its west, and then bends northwest into the most extensive junction since its beginning: the northern terminus of the Saw Mill River Parkway.

Saw Mill River Parkway to Brewster

Diagram of Interchanges 5 and 6

The Saw Mill merges from the southeast, its two roadways forming service roads flanking I-684 for the next mile (1.6 km) as it passes a southern extension of Muscoot Reservoir just east of the hamlet of Katonah. Entry from the Interstate to the parkway (and NY 117, which has its northern terminus at the parkway just below the Interstate) is from the southbound lanes only. A half-mile (800 m) north of the merger, the frontage roads merge into the Interstate at the exit for NY 35, serving Katonah and the hamlet of Cross River to the east. After that exit, the electrified tracks of Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line parallel the highway to the west. They cross into the town of Lewisboro. A mile (1.6 km) north of that point, NY 22 parallels on the east. A northbound-only exit leads onto it, allowing access to NY 138, which crosses the Interstate at the hamlet of Goldens Bridge. Its train station is prominently visible on the west side of the highway.

North of that station is the North Salem town line. NY 22 detours slightly eastward, away from the interstate, for a mile (1.6 km). When it returns, the roads and the railroad tracks bend strongly to the northeast, following the Croton River on their west. After a mile (1.6 km), this brings them to I-684's next exit, at NY 116, again for only northbound traffic but with southbound entry. Purdy's station is also adjacent to the highway but is screened from view by a line of trees. A quarter-mile (400 m) to the north, NY 22 crosses under to the opposite side. A short distance later, the Harlem Line veers northwest, followed quickly by NY 22, as the Interstate veers northeast. The Hardscrabble Road exit serves both directions and, via NY 22, allows access to the nearby hamlet of Croton Falls. One mile (1.6 km) past that junction, I-684 crosses into Putnam County and the town of Brewster.

Within a thousand feet (300 m) of the county line, the Brewster rest area serves northbound traffic. Beyond, the highway turns slightly more to the east, then swings back to the north into its northern terminus at I-84. An almost-complete cloverleaf interchange guides traffic east to Danbury, Connecticut, or west toward Newburgh. Traffic continuing north remains on a limited-access route, designated but not signed as NY 981B, to the last signed exit with the concurrent routes of US Route 6 (US 6) and US 202 adjacent to East Branch Reservoir. The highway carrying both roads parallels I-84 at this point. Just past it, I-684 officially ends as NY 22 merges onto the highway, having left the US 6/US 202 concurrency. Over the next quarter-mile (400 m), the two roadways slowly converge into a two-lane surface road by the at-grade intersection with Sodom and Old Milltown roads, continuing north toward Pawling.[3]

History

I-684 wends between Muscoot Reservoir to its west and Cross River Reservoir to its east near Katonah, New York. Byram Lake Reservoir just west of I-684 at bottom. (Aerial photo, 2013).

An expressway along the NY 22 corridor between White Plains and Brewster was planned by Westchester County in 1956. In 1961, the proposed routing of I-87 north of Elmsford along the east bank of the Hudson River was relocated to use the NY 22 corridor instead via modern I-287 and I-84. After much controversy, the routing of I-87 was approved by the Bureau of Public Roads in December 1964. By this time, the section from Katonah to Croton Falls had already been constructed as an expressway, though it featured some grade intersections; the section south of Golden's Bridge opened on December 20, 1961,[4] and north of there on July 3, 1963.[5] New construction began soon after the approval with the northernmost section between Croton Falls and Brewster opening on September 29, 1966.[6] The southernmost section between White Plains and Armonk (including the short section in Connecticut) opened on October 30, 1968.[7]

On January 1, 1970, I-87 was relocated to follow the New York State Thruway north of Elmsford. The old route was redesignated as I-684.[2] Later that year, the section from Bedford Corners north to Katonah opened on June 22,[8] and on November 17, 1970, the last segment of new highway between Armonk and Bedford Corners opened to traffic as well.[9] The expressway section from Katonah to Croton Falls was upgraded to freeway standards in the early 1970s, including a new southbound carriageway in Golden's Bridge, allowing the old southbound carriageway to swap directions, and the old northbound lanes were converted to NY 22. Work on the section north of there proved to be difficult from an engineering standpoint. The whole section was completed in December 1974. [10]

Exit list

I-684

I-684's exit numbers are sequential. While NYSDOT is transitioning to mileage-based numbers, there are no announced plans to convert I-684 exit numbers.

StateCountyLocationmi
[11][12][13]
kmExitDestinationsNotes
New YorkWestchesterWhite PlainsHarrison line0.000.00 I-287 – Rye, White PlainsSouthern terminus; exit 9A on I-287; exit 16A on northbound HRP; access to HRP via connector
0.150.24Westchester Avenue
Harrison1.231.981
Hutchinson River Parkway south – New York City
North Castle4.186.732 NY 120 – Westchester County AirportAlso serves SUNY Purchase
ConnecticutFairfieldNo major intersections
New YorkWestchesterNorth Castle7.6312.283 NY 22 – Bedford, ArmonkSigned as Exits 3N (north) and 3S (south) northbound
Town of Bedford12.7220.474 NY 172 – Bedford, Mount Kisco
14.8623.91Bedford Rest Area (southbound)
16.9427.265

Saw Mill River Parkway south to NY 117 – New York City
Southbound exit and northbound entrance; northern terminus of Saw Mill Parkway
17.5528.246 NY 35 – Cross River, KatonahAlso serves Katonah station
Lewisboro20.0132.206A
NY 22 to NY 138 – Goldens Bridge
Northbound exit to NY 22 and southbound entrance from NY 138; other movements via exit 8; also serves Goldens Bridge station
North Salem22.4836.187 NY 116 – Purdys, SomersNorthbound exit and southbound entrance; other movements via exit 8; also serves Purdy's station
23.9338.518Hardscrabble Road – Croton FallsAlso serves Croton Falls station
PutnamBrewster25.3040.72Brewster Rest Area (northbound)
28.2145.409 I-84 – Newburgh, DanburySigned as Exits 9E (east) and 9W (west); Exit 68 on I-84
28.4745.8210
US 6 / US 202 / NY 22 south – Brewster
Southeast28.5345.91
NY 22 north – Pawling
Northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

NY 984J

The entire route is in Harrison, Westchester County.

mi
[11][14]
kmExitDestinationsNotes
0.000.00
Hutchinson River Parkway south – New York City
Southern terminus; Exit 16A on northbound HRP
0.400.64Manhattanville Road
1.532.46
I-684 north – Brewster
Northern terminus; Exit 1 on southbound I-684
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  2. ^ a b State of New York Department of Transportation (January 1, 1970). Official Description of Touring Routes in New York State (PDF). Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  3. ^ Google (June 8, 2009). "Interstate 684" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
  4. ^ "FIRST SECTION". The Reporter Dispatch. 1961-12-21. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  5. ^ "Route 22 Will Open On July 3". The Reporter Dispatch. 1963-06-25. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  6. ^ "Wilson Hails New Putnam Era As Two Interstate Routes Open". The Reporter Dispatch. 1966-09-30. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  7. ^ "Open For Business". The Reporter Dispatch. 1968-11-01. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  8. ^ "5-Mile Section Of Route 684 Is Set to Open". Daily News. 1970-06-21. p. 197. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  9. ^ "Route 684 Opens Tuesday". The Herald Statesman. 1970-11-12. p. 59. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  10. ^ "DOT explains I-684 works". The Reporter Dispatch. 1974-07-13. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  11. ^ a b "2019 Traffic Volume Report - Routes" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. July 30, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  12. ^ "Westchester County Inventory Listing" (CSV). New York State Department of Transportation. August 7, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  13. ^ "Putnam County Inventory Listing" (CSV). New York State Department of Transportation. August 7, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  14. ^ Google (July 20, 2022). "Distance from 984J southern terminus to Manhattanville Road jct" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 20, 2022.

External links