Editing Interstate 990 (section)

==History==
[[File:I-990 stub in Amherst.jpg|right|thumb|I-990's northern terminus, featuring the incomplete stub at NY&nbsp;263, seen from the Hopkins Road overpass]]
On October&nbsp;30, 1968, the [[New York State Department of Transportation]] (NYSDOT) nominated 20&nbsp;proposed highways to be added to the [[Interstate Highway System]] as part of a {{convert|1500|mi|km|adj=on}} nationwide system expansion authorized by the [[Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1968]]. One of the submitted roads was the Lockport Expressway, a {{convert|12|mi|km|adj=on}}, $22-million [[limited-access highway]] extending in a northeast–southwest direction between I-290 north of [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] and a proposed [[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]]–[[Rochester, New York|Rochester]] freeway near [[Lockport (city), New York|Lockport]].<ref>{{cite news |title=State highway program ... the status and the outlook |newspaper=The Geneva Times |date=November 1, 1968 |page=8}}</ref> When the city of Niagara Falls released its Regional Highway Plan for the Buffalo–Niagara Falls area in 1971, the Niagara Falls–Rochester highway was scrapped; as a result, the north end of the Lockport Expressway was moved to a point on [[New York State Route 31|NY&nbsp;31]] east of Lockport. In between I-290 and NY&nbsp;31, the highway would intersect the proposed [[Belt Expressway]] and [[New York State Route 78|NY&nbsp;78]] (Transit Road).<ref>{{cite map |title=Regional Highway Plan for Buffalo and Niagara Falls |year=1971 |publisher=City of Niagara Falls |url=http://www.gribblenation.net/nypics/planned/buffalo/buffalo.jpg |access-date=June 3, 2009}}</ref>

While the outer belt proposal was mostly dropped, the plans to build the Lockport Expressway gained traction in January 1979 when the {{convert|4.2|mi|km|adj=on}} portion between I-290 and North French Road was added to the Interstate Highway System and designated as I-990.<ref name="approval">{{cite news |title=2 highways get approval |newspaper=[[Tonawanda News]] |location=North Tonawanda, NY |date=January 10, 1979 |agency=[[United Press International]] |page=7}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=New highway hearing set |newspaper=Tonawanda News |date=January 4, 1977 |agency=United Press International |location=North Tonawanda, NY |page=6}}</ref> The remainder of the original {{convert|12|mi|km|adj=on}} route was excluded due to a lack of funding.<ref name="outline">{{cite news |last=Salamone |first=Chris |title=Plans for new Amherst road outlined |newspaper=Tonawanda News |date=January 11, 1980 |location=North Tonawanda, NY |page=4}}</ref> Construction began in 1980 on the part south of Sweet Home Road,<ref name="1981map">{{cite map |title=[[I Love New York]] Tourism Map |publisher=[[State of New York]] |cartography=[[Rand McNally and Company]] |year=1981}}</ref><ref name="outline" /> and the highway was opened to traffic by 1985. The section leading northeast to North French Road was built during the mid-1980s<ref name="1981map"/><ref name="1985map">{{cite map |publisher=Rand McNally and Company |title=New York |year=1985 |isbn=0-528-91040-X}}</ref> and completed by 1990.<ref>{{cite map |publisher=[[DeLorme Mapping]] |title=Upstate New York City Street Maps |edition=1st |year=1990 |cartography=DeLorme Mapping |scale=1" = 1/2 mile |page=2 |section=D1 |isbn=0-89933-300-1}}</ref> In 1986, NYSDOT began to evaluate ways to improve the highways surrounding the northern terminus of I-990. One of the potential options was an extension of the freeway to [[New York State Route 263|NY&nbsp;263]] (Millersport Highway) southwest of Lockport.<ref>{{cite news |last=Reilly |first=Ed |title=Impact statement slated on Lockport Expressway |newspaper=Tonawanda News |date=April 10, 1986 |location=North Tonawanda, NY |page=3}}</ref> This option was ultimately selected, and the new section of the freeway was opened to traffic on December&nbsp;21, 1990.<ref>{{cite news |first=Robert J. |last=McCarthy |title=New Link In Lockport Route To Open 4-Lane Highway To Buffalo Only 2 Miles Shy Of Goal |newspaper=[[The Buffalo News]] |date=December 20, 1990}}</ref> It was officially added to I-990 on October&nbsp;22, 1993.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cms.transportation.org/sites/route/docs/1993-USRN_Cmte.PDF |title=Report of the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering to the Standing Committee on Highways |date=October 23, 1993 |publisher=[[American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials]] |page=7 |access-date=July 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061014070631/http://cms.transportation.org/sites/route/docs/1993-USRN_Cmte.PDF |archive-date=October 14, 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In June 2013, I-990 was renamed from the Lockport Expressway to the Staff Sergeant William R. Wilson III Memorial Highway. This is in honor of his contributions to the US military, which included training Afghan soldiers and police to take over the country's security. Staff Sergeant Wilson also served two combat deployments to Iraq as part of [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]]. As a result, he was posthumously awarded the [[Bronze Star Medal]] and [[Purple Heart]]. He also received the [[National Defense Service Medal]], [[Iraq Campaign Medal]], and the [[Afghanistan Campaign Medal]], as well as the [[Army Service Ribbon]] and [[Overseas Service Ribbon]]. The bill to rename I-990 was sponsored by State Senator Michael Ranzenhofer and Assemblyman Raymond Walter. Signage is now displayed at each terminus showing the new name.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sisti|first=Maria|title=I-990 Renamed for Getzville Soldier Killed in Afghanistan|url=http://amherst.wgrz.com/news/news/97881-i-990-renamed-getzville-soldier-killed-afghanistan|access-date=October 13, 2013|newspaper=[[WGRZ-TV]]|date=June 22, 2013|archive-date=October 12, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131012203112/http://amherst.wgrz.com/news/news/97881-i-990-renamed-getzville-soldier-killed-afghanistan|url-status=dead}}</ref>