NY 787 begins as a four-lane freeway as it lowers to grade level a small distance north of the I-787/NY 7 interchange.

After intersections with Dyke Avenue and Bridge Avenue (the latter leading to lower Van Schaick Island) on the western bank of the Hudson River, NY 787 intersects NY 470, an east–west route linking Cohoes to northern Troy via upper Van Schaick Island.

Although NY 787 terminates here, New Courtland Street (later named North Mohawk Street and Cohoes Crescent Road) continues northwest from the intersection along the Mohawk River to U.S. Route 9 in Colonie, just south of the hamlet of Crescent, in Saratoga County.

At the beginning of NY 787, some reference markers have the letter "I" along the top (route) row.

[citation needed] The southernmost section of NY 787 was originally built in the early 1970s as part of I-787.