Interstate 781 New York

Overview

Interstate 781 is the Fort Drum Connector¹ leading 4.52 miles east from I-81 in the town of Pamelia to U.S. 11 in the town of Le Ray in Upstate New York. I-781 constitutes a direct route to Fort Drum from I-81, bypassing Watertown north from Exit 48 A east to the Main Gate along Iraqi Freedom Drive. Also designated the Paul Cerjan Memorial Highway, I-781 opened to traffic on December 5, 2012.

0.23 miles in length, the connection between the east end of I-781 at U.S. 11 and Iraqi Freedom Drive is inventoried by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) as NY 971Q.

History

Plans called for the Fort Drum Connector to be built and opened to traffic by 2012 at a cost of $106.2 million.² The planning, design, and construction process took the better part of a decade to complete:

Preliminary Design – Summer 2003 to Summer 2006
Design/Project Development- Winter 2006 to Spring 2010
Bid Opening – Spring 2010
Construction – Spring 2010 to ~~Spring 2012~~ December 6, 2012

Route Information

East End – LeRay, NY
West End – Pamelia, NY
Mileage – 4.30
Cities – Watertown
Junctions –

Source: December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List

I-781 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)

Location	Vehicles per day
I-81 to US 11	9,485
US 11 to Fort Drum	14,962

Source: 2019 NYSDOT Traffic Data Viewer

Due to increasing development, strategic connectivity between Interstate 81 and Fort Drum, and overall traffic needs the connector (Interstate 781) was proposed for at least a decade. This need was first identified in the mid 1980s with pressure from area development and NY 342 unable to handle the daily traffic to and from the base. The main purpose of the project was to provide a four lane, Interstate grade connection from Interstate 81 east to Fort Drum, a U.S. Army Base. The goal enhanced the “strategic viability of the Army Base,” replacing the current route along two lane NY 342.³

Three alternatives were identified in the Final Environmental Impact Statement to carry Interstate 781 to the north gate of Fort Drum:

Northern Alignment – new freeway parallel to but north of NY 342
Middle Alignment – upgrade NY 342 to Interstate standards, then create a new alignment to reach the north gate of Fort Drum
Southern Alignment – new freeway parallel to but mostly south of NY 342, with a turn northeast toward the north gate of Fort Drum

The Record of Decision, which was issued on March 6, 2009 by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), identified the Northern Alternative as the preferred alignment for Interstate 781. The report identified the highway as New York Route 781. With the Record of Decision complete, construction was scheduled to begin in early 2010.

The 4.3 mile proposed section of NY 781 was designated a future part of the Interstate System under 23 U.S.C. 103(c)(4)(B) by FHWA on April 13, 2009. The establishment of the Fort Drum Connector as an Interstate created no new Federal financial responsibility. The segment was determined to be a logical addition

for providing defense access from the fort to the Interstate System and for relieving traffic congestion between the fort and the Watertown urban area.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) approved the establishment of Interstate 781 on October 23, 2009.

East End / Fort Drum North Gate – Le Ray, New York

East at

Interstate 781 leads east to a single point interchange (Exit 4) with U.S. 11 south to Watertown and north to Evans Mills, and the gate to Fort Drum. 03/24/23

Interstate 781 end signage posted 1.5 miles west of Exit 4. Delivery trucks and convoy traffic bound for Fort Drum are directed onto U.S. 11 north to NY 26 (Fort Drum Road) to access the Army base. 03/24/23

Goulds Corners Road passes over I-781 one mile from the SPUI with U.S. 11. 319 miles long in the Empire State, U.S. 11 travels 1,645 miles overall between New Orleans, Louisiana and Upstate New York. 03/24/23

The speed limit reduces to 45 miles per hour leading into the exchange with U.S. 11 on Interstate 781 eastbound. 03/24/23

Two lanes continue over U.S. 11 to Iraqi Freedom Drive into Fort Drum. I-781 provides a direct route from I-81 to U.S. 11 north to Gouverneur and the St. Lawrence County seat of Canton. 03/24/23

An end shield for Interstate 781 appears above U.S. 11 by the eastbound entrance ramp. NY 971Q extends the freeway 0.23 miles to the Fort Drum Main Gate. 03/24/23

North at

U.S. 11 heads 1.49 miles north from NY 342 along a commercial strip to the SPUI with Interstate 781 (Fort Drum Connector). 03/24/23

The entrance ramp for I-781 east to Iraqi Freedom Drive in Fort Drum departs from U.S. 11 north. Two lanes follow for I-781 west to I-81. 03/24/23

South at

U.S. 11 expands to four lanes ahead of the SPUI with Interstate 781 (Fort Drum Connector). I-781 west leads to Interstate 81 near Pamelia Center. 03/24/23

Two lanes turn east from U.S. 11 to the Main Gate for Fort Drum. Interstate 781 west provides a bypass of Watertown to NY 3 (Arsenal Street) while linking with I-81 north to the 1,000 Islands Bridge. 03/24/23

West at

Leaving the Main Gate to Fort Drum, NY 971Q spans as CSX Railroad line ahead of the SPUI with U.S. 11. The exit is unnumbered at the westbound beginning of I-781. 03/24/23

A lone shield assembly marks the exit from NY 971Q west to U.S. 11. An I-781 trailblazer was posted beyond the gore point previously. 03/24/23

West End – Pamelia, New York

West at

An end sign appears midway between U.S. 11 and Interstate 81 along I-781 westbound. 03/24/23

One mile out from the trumpet interchange (Exits 1 A/B) with Interstate 81 on I-781 west. 03/24/23

Interstate 781 passes over NY 37 north of Pamelia Center, a half mile from Exit 1. Exit numbers for I-81 were originally numbered 1 N/S. 03/24/23

Exit 1 B loops onto Interstate 81 south. Downtown Watertown is five miles away via I-81 and NY 12. 03/24/23

Interstate 81 north leads 25 miles from Exit 1 A to the Canadian Border via the Thousand Islands Bridge. 03/24/23

Exit 1 B forms an auxiliary lane along I-81 south to Exit 48 with NY 342. NY 342 connects with adjacent NY 37 and NY 3 at Black River. 03/24/23

North at

A parclo interchange (Exit 48) joins Interstate 81 with NY 342 just south of Interstate 781. NY 342 forms an 8.37 mile long arc between NY 12 to the west and NY 3 at Black River. 03/25/23

U.S. 11 accompanies I-81 for the bulk of the 854 mile long route north from Tennessee. The lone interchange along I-781 is with U.S. 11, which leaves the I-81 corridor northeast to Champlain. 03/25/23

Exit 48 departs I-81 north for NY 342. NY 342 provides a bypass of Watertown for NY 3 from Black River to Carthage. Prior to the completion of I-781, NY 342 was also the main route to Fort Drum from I-81. 03/25/23

The entrance ramp from NY 342 forms an auxiliary lane along I-81 north to Exit 48 A for Interstate 781 east. 03/24/23

Interstate 781 east concludes at the gate to Fort Drum, providing a seamless link between I-81 and Iraqi Freedom Drive on base. 03/24/23

South at

Interstate 81 advances south beyond Perch Lake and Noseville to Exit 48 A for I-781 (Fort Drum Connector). 03/24/23

Military Road spans I-81 on the mile preceding Interstate 781. 03/24/23

Exit 48 A loops onto Intestate 781 east a half mile ahead of the parclo interchange (Exit 48) at mile marker 158 with NY 342 to Pamelia Center. 03/24/23

Sources

Next step taken in building new road.” Watertown Daily Times (NY) July 1, 2008.
Fort Drum Connector Project (I-81 to US 11) – Project I.D. No. 7804.26. ~~https://www.nysdot.gov/regional-offices/region7/projects/fort-drum-connector~~ NYSDOT web site.
Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Fort Drum Connector Project. ~~https://www.nysdot.gov/portal/page/portal/regional-offices/region7/projects/fort-drum-connector/impact-nov08~~ (November 2008).

Page updated March 29, 2023.