Work has started on converting exit numbers along state Route 690 and Interstate 690 to a mile-based numbering scheme as part of a larger initiative to do the same on major highways throughout the region.

Changes will be made to unnumbered exit signs along state Route 690 in the Town of Van Buren, starting with the existing unnumbered exit for State Route 370/State Route 31 E Baldwinsville, which will be converted to Exit 1, and will continue east into the city of Syracuse, to existing Exit 8 for Hiawatha Blvd. The numbers will be based on the distance moving from west to east.

Exit 9, for Bear Street, through Exit 17, for Bridge Street/East Syracuse, will be converted in accordance with the completion of work on the I-81 viaduct project. 

The project will update the existing, sequentially numbered exit signs with new panels that delineate the exit by its mileage location along the highway. The state said it will give motorists a better indication of how many miles they need to travel to reach their destinations, facilitating improved traffic management and enhancing safety and emergency response.

The new mile-based exit numbers will be added to the upper panel on the existing signs.