In the town of Lysander, NY 48 overlaps NY 631 for a short distance westward to an intersection with the northern end of NY 690. Here, NY 48 turns north, and begins to run as an alternate to NY 481. Both routes run from the Syracuse area to downtown Oswego. NY 48 runs right along the western side of the Oswego River, while NY 481 runs along the eastern side of the river. Both routes run through downtown Fulton and Oswego which are the two cities along the Oswego River. At several points, all that separates the two routes is the river itself.