New York State Thruway

[WNYroadgeek]

NYSTA has now fully opened all exits EXCEPT 56 (NY 179/Blasdell/Orchard Park), 57 (NY 75/Hamburg), 57A (Eden/Angola), and 58 (NY 5/US 20/Silver Creek/Irving) offramps due to local travel bans: https://twitter.com/NYSThruway8790/status/535918679364730881

[Dougtone]

Tandem truck restrictions now lifted between Exits 46-61 as well.

[Dougtone]

Now showing that Thruway Exit 58 has been reopened.

[MikeSantNY78]

As I already have tickets, I'm going either way. I'd prefer Detroit as it's easier to get there if the Thruway isn't yet open, but I'd get to either city.

You might be in luck, because according to various tweets, Pittsburgh is out as well.

Yeah. 10 inches of snow is an inch of water. 7 feet of snow is 8.4 inches of water. Multiply that by the several hundred acres covered. That all has to drain. I expect water levels to rise by several feet. Much of West Seneca, Clarence, and south Buffalo will be underwater next week.

Um, wow. Buffalo is getting it rough this week. I bet several highways will close again (assuming they reopen) once the snow melts and floods the roadways.

Most of the major roads are on high ground. What'll be submerged are some of the residential areas. NY 240 and 277 might will see some problems in West Seneca, US 62 might be closed near the Buffalo River, and NY 78 will almost certainly be closed in Depew (those underpasses flood several times a year from rain).

Living near there, I can tell you that the 78 stretch between Walden and Gould/Terrace (w/all those railroad trestles) can play havoc with traffic. Maybe if the floods do enough damage, it'll be the impetus to widen that piece of road, put up new train structures, and fix it up right...

[cl94]

As I already have tickets, I'm going either way. I'd prefer Detroit as it's easier to get there if the Thruway isn't yet open, but I'd get to either city.

You might be in luck, because according to various tweets, Pittsburgh is out as well.

Yeah. 10 inches of snow is an inch of water. 7 feet of snow is 8.4 inches of water. Multiply that by the several hundred acres covered. That all has to drain. I expect water levels to rise by several feet. Much of West Seneca, Clarence, and south Buffalo will be underwater next week.

Um, wow. Buffalo is getting it rough this week. I bet several highways will close again (assuming they reopen) once the snow melts and floods the roadways.

Most of the major roads are on high ground. What'll be submerged are some of the residential areas. NY 240 and 277 might will see some problems in West Seneca, US 62 might be closed near the Buffalo River, and NY 78 will almost certainly be closed in Depew (those underpasses flood several times a year from rain).

Living near there, I can tell you that the 78 stretch between Walden and Gould/Terrace (w/all those railroad trestles) can play havoc with traffic. Maybe if the floods do enough damage, it'll be the impetus to widen that piece of road, put up new train structures, and fix it up right...

I saw somewhere that there are plans to reconstruct the area, but I don't remember where. Issue is that people don't know how to drive without shoulders. Still 10 ft lanes.

[WNYroadgeek]

All exits on I-90 EXCEPT 57A are now fully reopened (the travel bans for areas around exits 56, 57, and 58 have been lifted). I-190 exits 1-5 also remain closed.

EDIT: Exit 57A is now fully reopened.

[machias]

I just noticed that the westbound sign for Exit 32 (Westmoreland) at the exit ramp is now externally lit with a bright ground mounted lamp that is solar powered. The solar panel is quite large. This is the first time I've ever seen the Thruway Authority do this; has anyone noticed any other signs lit in this manner?

[cl94]

I just noticed that the westbound sign for Exit 32 (Westmoreland) at the exit ramp is now externally lit with a bright ground mounted lamp that is solar powered. The solar panel is quite large. This is the first time I've ever seen the Thruway Authority do this; has anyone noticed any other signs lit in this manner?

Nope, but Exits 48 and 48A got above-gore sign lighting recently. Don't think they're solar.

[empirestate]

On my trip home yesterday, I was surprised to find that construction is nearing completion on an access area for the Port Byron Erie Canal locks that have always been visible from the eastbound Thruway. Now, there will be a direct-access parking area from the eastbound side, and it's pretty well along. There are a few signs peeking out from behind their covers for this new "Port Byron Old Erie Canal Heritage Park".

[cl94]

On my trip home yesterday, I was surprised to find that construction is nearing completion on an access area for the Port Byron Erie Canal locks that have always been visible from the eastbound Thruway. Now, there will be a direct-access parking area from the eastbound side, and it's pretty well along. There are a few signs peeking out from behind their covers for this new "Port Byron Old Erie Canal Heritage Park".

Will this one be a rest area (with restrooms) like the one being built further east?

[empirestate]

On my trip home yesterday, I was surprised to find that construction is nearing completion on an access area for the Port Byron Erie Canal locks that have always been visible from the eastbound Thruway. Now, there will be a direct-access parking area from the eastbound side, and it's pretty well along. There are a few signs peeking out from behind their covers for this new "Port Byron Old Erie Canal Heritage Park".

Will this one be a rest area (with restrooms) like the one being built further east?

Not in the parking area, I don't think. But future phases call for the refurbishment of historic canal buildings at the site, which I assume would have facilities.

[Roadgeek Adam]

On my trip home yesterday, I was surprised to find that construction is nearing completion on an access area for the Port Byron Erie Canal locks that have always been visible from the eastbound Thruway. Now, there will be a direct-access parking area from the eastbound side, and it's pretty well along. There are a few signs peeking out from behind their covers for this new "Port Byron Old Erie Canal Heritage Park".

Will this one be a rest area (with restrooms) like the one being built further east?

Not in the parking area, I don't think. But future phases call for the refurbishment of historic canal buildings at the site, which I assume would have facilities.

A firm I know is working on this project (the inside) and does has restrooms under a proposal.

[empirestate]

On my trip home yesterday, I was surprised to find that construction is nearing completion on an access area for the Port Byron Erie Canal locks that have always been visible from the eastbound Thruway. Now, there will be a direct-access parking area from the eastbound side, and it's pretty well along. There are a few signs peeking out from behind their covers for this new "Port Byron Old Erie Canal Heritage Park".

Will this one be a rest area (with restrooms) like the one being built further east?

Not in the parking area, I don't think. But future phases call for the refurbishment of historic canal buildings at the site, which I assume would have facilities.

My father's firm is working on this project and does has restrooms under a proposal.

Your father's firm does has restrooms?

Seriously though, I didn't notice any structures at the site, but I didn't get the closest look. Do you mean that there are restrooms at the site, or just that there's a proposal for them?

[Roadgeek Adam]

Proposal.

[empirestate]

Proposal.

Got it; that must be part of the proposed future visitors' center:
http://www.thruway.ny.gov/news/pressrel/2014/05/2014-05-28-erie-canal-hertiage-park.html

[02 Park Ave]

Is E-85 available at any service area on the Thruway?

[cl94]

Is E-85 available at any service area on the Thruway?

Sloatsburg, New Baltimore (NB only), and Clarence, per the gas price list.

[Buffaboy]

What's going on with the Thruway budget? Buffalo media outlets keep bombarding the public with the story.

And this Canal business, why would that be funded through the NYSTA? Barges still travel down it? I'm pretty sure right now the TA could use that extra $100M...

[cl94]

What's going on with the Thruway budget? Buffalo media outlets keep bombarding the public with the story.

And this Canal business, why would that be funded through the NYSTA? Barges still travel down it? I'm pretty sure right now the TA
could use that extra $100M...

From my own analysis and non-Buffalo media, the issue is that nothing was said about the growing deficit or how the bridge would be paid for. $36 million unaccounted for and nothing about how it will be funded. Of course, the trucking lobby is against higher truck tolls (which really should be raised, as trucks cause the vast majority of wear on highways), so the state is pressuring NYSTA to keep tolls down.

As for the Buffalo media's piss-poor coverage, the short answer is that people in Buffalo don't understand that Thruway tolls pay for the entire system, not just the stuff around Buffalo. They expected (and were ready to whine about) a toll increase to pay for Tappan Zee, not understanding that everyone else will foot the bill when I-90 and the Grand Island Bridges get rebuilt (both of which are on the long-term plans).

[Buffaboy]

What's going on with the Thruway budget? Buffalo media outlets keep bombarding the public with the story.

And this Canal business, why would that be funded through the NYSTA? Barges still travel down it? I'm pretty sure right now the TA
could use that extra $100M...

From my own analysis and non-Buffalo media, the issue is that nothing was said about the growing deficit or how the bridge would be paid for. $36 million unaccounted for and nothing about how it will be funded. Of course, the trucking lobby is against higher truck tolls (which really should be raised, as trucks cause the vast majority of wear on highways), so the state is pressuring NYSTA to keep tolls down.

As for the Buffalo media's piss-poor coverage, the short answer is that people in Buffalo don't understand that Thruway tolls pay for the entire system, not just the stuff around Buffalo. They expected (and were ready to whine about) a toll increase to pay for Tappan Zee, not understanding that everyone else will foot the bill when I-90 and the Grand Island Bridges get rebuilt (both of which are on the long-term plans).

Yes, it's a shame there can't be better accounting involved with this. I think something similar happened with the NFTA and even the Canalside business, yikes!

It's also a shame people don't realize we are a populous state that can pay for this type of stuff, and yes when the projects you mentioned are put on the table I can't think people downstate will complain about rolls and I don't know why. I'm inclined to say because of population, but I think things are just handled better down there.


iPhone

[vdeane]

Probably because people downstate are used to high tolls.  The Thruway has been the cheapest northeast toll road for a long time now, so you could say we're spoiled compared to downstate and other states.  It's also worth noting that people downstate would think of the Thruway as the entire system, while update the name "Thruway" is synonymous with the ticket system.  Statements such as "the Thruway ends at exit 50 and then you pick up I-90" do occur.  Also, the impression of tolls was not that they would be used to maintain the road, but that they would only be used to pay off the bonds for its initial construction; early Thruway segments were actually constructed by NYSDOT and it was supposed to be a free road until Dewey decided that would take too long to build.

[Pete from Boston]

People upstate think of 87 south of Harriman as not the Thruway?  How odd that anyone thinks about it at all. 

[cl94]

People upstate think of 87 south of Harriman as not the Thruway?  How odd that anyone thinks about it at all.

Depends on where you are upstate. A lot of people in Buffalo think that I-90 is the Thruway across the country. Not uncommon to hear "take the Thruway to Boston/Erie/Cleveland/Chicago/Seattle" or some variant (and yes, I've heard all of those). These people don't associate the Thruway with anything else, including any part of I-87. Others further east think of it as the ticket system Similarly, some downstate think that it ends in Buffalo (which, unlike the previous case, was true at one point in the 50s) and continues as I-90 alone, while others are so familiar with the several tolled roads of the Thruway system that every toll road in the state is the Thruway (correct, if you're not including bridges/tunnels).

I agree that upstate is spoiled by cheap tolls. Grand Island bridges are $1 (people complained like the world was ending when they got that high) and the Harriman-Ripley segment costs only $21.50 cash, a mere 4.63 cents per mile for 464.7 miles. Compare that to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, where the longest distance (Ohio-Clarks Summit) costs $51.95 (~20 miles shorter for approximately 11.7 cents/mile) and the mainline is $43.90 for 356.68 miles at 12.3 cents/mile. Yeah, there are alternates to the Thruway, but they could probably charge 50-75% more and still see increased revenue because the truckers and long-distance travelers would still use the road.

[Pete from Boston]

$43.90 would cause my E-ZPass to melt. 

[cl94]

E-ZPass is only $31.38 for the mainline, but it's still a lot compared to New York