Just west of the Brandywine Highway junction, I-81 and NY 17 cross the Chenango River as they split at a directional T interchange comprising part of an S-curve in NY 17 known locally as Kamikaze Curve. While NY 17 heads west into the curve, I-81 proceeds northward along the west bank of the river, connecting to US 11 and passing by Broome Community College on its way into the suburban town of Chenango. Here, I-81 meets the western terminus of I-88 at a junction roughly north of Binghamton. Continuing on, the freeway intersects US 11 a second time before leaving the banks of the Susquehanna River and proceeding generally northwestward into increasingly rural areas of the Southern Tier. The route makes its way across a series of hills and valleys for to the village of Whitney Point, connecting to US 11 and two state routes of regional importance—NY 26 and NY 79—at two exits on the western edge of the community.