 New York State Route 481 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans Memorial Highway | ||||
 Map of the Syracuse area with NY 481 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by NYSDOT and the cities of Fulton and Oswego | ||||
| Length | 31.79 mi[1] (51.16 km) | |||
| Existed | January 1, 1970[2]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |   I-81 / I-481 in North Syracuse | |||
 NY 31 in Clay NY 3 in Fulton | ||||
| North end |  NY 104 in Oswego | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | New York | |||
| Counties | Onondaga, Oswego | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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New York State Route 481 (NY 481) is a state highway in Central New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with Interstate 81 (I-81) in North Syracuse, where the highway continues southeastward as I-481. Its northern terminus is located at an intersection with NY 104 in Oswego about two blocks from Lake Ontario. In between, NY 481 serves the communities of Clay, Phoenix and Fulton along the Oswego River. NY 481 is one of two state routes in the Syracuse area that serves as an extension of an Interstate Highway; the other is NY 690.
From its southern terminus to the Fulton city line, NY 481 is a four-lane freeway with a handful of interchanges. It enters Fulton as a four-lane surface road, but gradually narrows to two lanes as it heads through the northern portion of the city. North of Fulton, NY 481 becomes a four-lane limited-access highway and proceeds to the outskirts of Oswego, where it reverts into a two-lane road. NY 481 also serves as a faster alternate to NY 48 from the Syracuse area to downtown Oswego. Both travel along the Oswego River, with NY 481 on the eastern side and NY 48 on the western side.
NY 481 was commissioned in 1970 from North Syracuse to Fulton and extended northward to Oswego in 1982. The portion of the route north of Fulton was designated as NY 20 from 1924 to 1927 and NY 57 from 1927 to 1982. The segment of NY 481 south of Fulton follows a newer facility that was built in the 1970s. NY 481 and I-481 comprise the Veterans Memorial Highway.