New York State Route 481

NY 481 begins in North Syracuse at an interchange with I-481 and I-81, a north–south highway running north to Watertown and south to Syracuse. The junction is about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Syracuse Hancock International Airport, located on I-81. Like I-481, NY 481 is a four-lane limited-access highway with a handful of interchanges for the first 20 miles (32 km) of its run. Exit numbers along NY 481 pick up where those of I-481 leave off. Heading northwest from the I-81 interchange, the highway crosses U.S. Route 11 (US 11) almost immediately, passing just south of the former site of Penn-Can Mall. The road soon enters the town of Clay, where it initially runs along the northern edge of a marsh for 3 miles (4.8 km). Near the north edge of the swamp, the freeway passes over the St. Lawrence Subdivision, a CSX Transportation rail line linking Syracuse to the North Country.[6]

NY 481 approaching exit 12 (NY 31) in Clay

Past the swamp, NY 481 serves more developed areas of the town, running alongside a cluster of housing tracts on the outskirts of a large retail area centered around the highway's junction with NY 31. The commercial district comprises several strip malls and the Great Northern Mall, the latter situated northeast of the NY 31 interchange. From here, the freeway heads through markedly less developed areas, running across farmland to reach the Oneida River (Erie Canal) at the northern edge of Onondaga County. It continues across the waterway into the Oswego County town of Schroeppel, where it connects to County Route 57A (CR 57A) at a half-diamond interchange east of the village of Phoenix. NY 481 continues to run across undeveloped areas of fields and forests, even as it passes close to Phoenix.[6]

As the route heads away from the village, it connects to NY 264 at a full diamond interchange about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Phoenix. The route is the village's main north–south highway, and it connects NY 481 and Phoenix to SUNY Oswego's Phoenix campus, located just southwest of the freeway. The junction with NY 264 is the last interchange on the route; however, NY 481 remains limited-access up to the Fulton city line. As the route approaches the city limits, it takes on a more westerly track, passing over CSX's Fulton Subdivision and the Sunoco Ethanol plant located in the former Miller Brewing Company brewery[7] before intersecting CR 57 at an at-grade junction just inside the city limits. The route continues northwest from here, heading through significantly more developed areas as South 1st Street.[6]

In Fulton, NY 481 travels slowly through the center of town, serving as the main north–south route through the city. It changes names several times, becoming South 4th Street after South 1st Street where it passes the former Nestle chocolate plant which closed in 2003,[8] and eventually South 2nd Street when South 4th Street leaves to the north. The four-lane road serves a handful of homes; however, the majority of establishments along the street are commercial. In downtown Fulton, NY 481 intersects NY 3 at Broadway, one of two streets to cross the Oswego River and connect to NY 48, a parallel route to NY 481 on the western riverbank. Past Broadway, NY 481 changes names to North 2nd Street but otherwise remains unchanged until Oneida Street, located seven blocks north of NY 3. Here, the highway narrows to two lanes, a width it retains through the remainder of Fulton and into the town of Volney.[6]

NY 481 at the junction with CR 57 in Fulton

At the northern city line, NY 481 connects to the south end of CR 57's northern segment, which closely parallels NY 481 between Fulton and Oswego. Continuing into Volney, the highway briefly runs alongside the Oswego River prior to entering another lightly developed region of the county. About 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Fulton, NY 481 expands to a four-lane divided highway once more; however, it remains an at-grade roadway. The Fulton Subdivision also rejoins the road at this point, running alongside NY 481's northbound lanes to the Oswego city limits. Between Fulton and Oswego, the route serves mostly undeveloped areas but has several stretches of scenic beauty, mostly consisting of glimpses of locks, rapids and small waterfalls through trees separating NY 481 from the river.[6]

NY 481 narrows to two lanes near the southern edge of Oswego, where it separates from the Fulton Subdivision and curves northwestward as it crosses into the city limits. The road, now named East River Road, continues on this track to the banks of the Oswego River and a junction with CR 57. This is also where NY 481 passes by the Oswego County Public Safety Center, a complex comprising the county offices, courts, and a correctional facility. NY 481 continues along the east bank of the river into the main part of Oswego, initially serving a mostly residential area before entering downtown as East 1st Street.[6]

The homes continue to line NY 481 until a junction with Utica Street, one of two roads to cross the river within Oswego and thus provide access between NY 481 and NY 48. From here, NY 481 serves several businesses and the central offices of the Oswego City School District before ending three blocks north of Utica Street at a junction with NY 104 (Bridge Street), Oswego's other highway with a river crossing. Both directions of NY 104 provide access to the remainder of the city's central business district while East 1st Street continues north past NY 104 to Oswego Harbor, where Oswego River empties into Lake Ontario.[6]