 Past Kingston , the highway runs closer to the river as it parallels U.S. Route 9W ( US 9W ) through the towns of Saugerties , Catskill , Coxsackie , and Ravena . Just north of Ravena , the Thruway meets the west end of the Berkshire Connector , a spur linking the Thruway mainline to the Massachusetts Turnpike 25 miles ( 40 km ) to the east . The highway continues into the vicinity of Albany , where it connects to Troy via I @-@ 787 at exit 23 and intersects I @-@ 90 at exit 24 . The latter of the two junctions is the busiest of the Thruway 's exits , serving an estimated 27 million vehicles a year . I @-@ 87 then runs across the capital city 's residential suburbs for 6 miles ( 9 @.@ 7 km ) to exit 24 , a complex interchange with I @-@ 90 . At this point , I @-@ 87 leaves the Thruway to access the nearby south end of the toll @-@ free Adirondack Northway , also known simply as the Northway , while I @-@ 90 merges in from the east to follow the Thruway toward Pennsylvania . 
