 The proposed highway was initially designated as NY 781 by NYSDOT.On February 11, 2008, NYSDOT submitted an application to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials requesting that NY 781 be designated as Interstate 781.The FHWA designated NY 781 as a future Interstate Highway corridor on April 13, 2009; however, the I-781 designation was not officially assigned at this time as per United States Code an Interstate Highway designation can only be assigned to a completed highway built to Interstate Highway standards.