NY: 75mph speed limits on the horizon?

[cu2010]

http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/230759/37/New-Push-to-Boost-State-Speed-Limit-to-75mph

[xcellntbuy]

The "Cadillac of Welfare" ultimate nanny state will never go for it.

[hotdogPi]

It mentions the Thruway, but not I-88. What about I-88?

[Jim]

As much as I think it would be great to see 75 on many stretches of interstate in New York, I strongly doubt that this has any chance of getting through the legislature.  The fact that it was introduced by an assembly democrat from the Bronx and the article quotes another assembly democrat from western New York gives me a little hope, though.  I would expect most of the opposition to come from democratic legislators from the urban areas.

[vdeane]

My intuition is giving me mixed signals here.

[mc78andrew]

This from the state that calls toll plazas toll barriers. They'll cut taxes on the rich before this passes.  Socialism reigns here and always will.  Thank god foreigners bring their money to nyc and keep things a float.  Sorry for the tangent. 

Would be nice though.  People slam on their brakes when they are going 75 on 684, which is very dangerous. Everyone knows no one gets pulled over for 75, but people still panic.  I blow by state police even at 80 and have never had a problem.  I think the unwritten enforcement level is 80+ . 

[Henry]

Lots of states are jumping on the 75-80 bandwagon lately, especially those that never had it. I wonder what the progress is up in MI? In NY, it's a long shot at best.

[dlainhart]

They'll cut taxes on the rich before this passes.  Socialism reigns here and always will.  Thank god foreigners bring their money to nyc and keep things a float.

Dylan T. Lainhart / Binghamton, N.Y.

[HurrMark]

Doubt it...the only state east of the Mississippi with a speed limit of 75 is Maine (and that is in the extremely sparsely populated area north of Bangor). I think that 70 may be more realistic in the upstate. I do think that suburban NYC highways (LIE, NYS Thruway north of Yonkers, Cross Westchester) should go to 65 and some NYC highways outside the inner city should go to 55.

[jp the roadgeek]

Only places that I think would be considered for 75:

Thruway from 25A to Williamsville except Syracuse area.  Also ticket system SW of Buffalo.
I-81 from PA line to Watertown except Syracuse areas.
I-87 Northway from north of Lake George to Plattsburgh area.
I-88 from east of Binghamton to just before Thruway.
I-86 west of future I-99.

[empirestate]

Only places that I think would be considered for 75:

I-81 from PA line to Watertown except Syracuse areas.

Hmm, why not north of Watertown?

[MBHockey13]

They'll cut taxes on the rich before this passes.  Socialism reigns here and always will.

[vdeane]

Only places that I think would be considered for 75:

Thruway from 25A to Williamsville except Syracuse area.  Also ticket system SW of Buffalo.
I-81 from PA line to Watertown except Syracuse areas.
I-87 Northway from north of Lake George to Plattsburgh area.
I-88 from east of Binghamton to just before Thruway.
I-86 west of future I-99.

If anything, I-81 between I-781 and the Thousand Islands Bridge could easily be 75.  Only one interchange between I-781 and NY 12 (which is not used by many) and not much traffic.

I-86 between I-390 and Corning could probably only be 70 due to traffic, curves, and a couple of bridges that technically don't meet interstate standards.

I-87 on the Thruway also has sparse interchanges and could probably be 75.

[NE2]

They'll cut taxes on the rich before this passes.  Socialism reigns here and always will.

:koolaid:

[mc78andrew]

They'll cut taxes on the rich before this passes.  Socialism reigns here and always will.

:koolaid:

Look, this place sucks.  I have to live here so let me vent a little.  Prentend you are apolitical if you want to.  And send a check if you think it's not an issue. 

Folks keep mentioning the more rural parts of the state for 75 MPH.  I'm not an engineer, but wouldn't the thruway from 287 to the last toll "barrier" be a good candidate based on its design?  684 its entire length seems like an obvious one.  287 in westchester has been largely brought up to modern standards from my perspective, but probably lacks some design elements that would allow for a higher posted speed limit.  Couldn't the LIE be a candidate in Nassau county as well where the HOV lanes are? 

[Duke87]

Existing convention generally reserves higher speed limits for rural areas and uncongested roads. Don't count on seeing a 75 zone anywhere downstate even on the off chance this does pass. Although I could see a few downstate roads as 70.

I also concur with the sentiment that some roads with limited below the existing maximum need them raised. The Sprain Parkway should be 65, as should the Taconic from Hawthorne to Jefferson Valley. The LIE could go to 65 once it gets out of Queens... and to 70 or 75 at the eastern end. Likewise for the freeway section of NY 27/Sunrise Highway: the whole damn thing is 55 why? Most of it probably should be 70-75. 65 would be appropriate from Islip west, and then drop it to 55 when you hit the first signal.

[froggie]

I-86 between I-390 and Corning could probably only be 70 due to traffic, curves, and a couple of bridges that technically don't meet interstate standards.

For similar reasons, I don't realistically see I-81 south of about Homer going above 70.  An argument could be made for "south of Syracuse" in general.

Existing convention generally reserves higher speed limits for rural areas and uncongested roads.

Interchange spacing plays a factor as well, which would rule out the Westchester (i.e. 287), most of the LIE, and the Thruway south(east) of Ramapo/Suffern.

While free-flowing traffic is often going faster, I don't reaslitically see a speed limit above 70 on the Thruway all the way up to Albany, especially between 287 and Newburgh.  Lots of hills, curves, traffic, or a combination of all three.

[Dr Frankenstein]

Existing convention generally reserves higher speed limits for rural areas and uncongested roads. Don't count on seeing a 75 zone anywhere downstate even on the off chance this does pass. Although I could see a few downstate roads as 70.

I also concur with the sentiment that some roads with limited below the existing maximum need them raised. The Sprain Parkway should be 65, as should the Taconic from Hawthorne to Jefferson Valley. The LIE could go to 65 once it gets out of Queens... and to 70 or 75 at the eastern end. Likewise for the freeway section of NY 27/Sunrise Highway: the whole damn thing is 55 why? Most of it probably should be 70-75. 65 would be appropriate from Islip west, and then drop it to 55 when you hit the first signal.

This.

No one drives 55 on the Taconic. 65-70 seems to be the usual apeed. I'd post most of it at 65, with some of the areas with tight curves at 55.

No one, really, no one drives 65 on the Northway and with reason. It should be 75 from Saratoga Springs to Plattsburgh.

Some parts of I-81 could use a 75 mph limit too.

I don't drive enough on the Thruway to care about it.

[MBHockey13]

They'll cut taxes on the rich before this passes.  Socialism reigns here and always will.

:koolaid:

[NE2]

They'll cut taxes on the rich before this passes.  Socialism reigns here and always will.

:koolaid:

[Duke87]

With regards to the Thruway, the current south end of the 65 zone is at the Spring Valley toll plaza. An argument could perhaps be made for moving that either to the Tappan Zee toll plaza or the Yonkers toll plaza.

I agree that 75 would be excessive anywhere south of Albany but 70 north of Woodbury seems reasonable. Some parts of the Thruway as I-90 might be able to get away with 75. The Northway probably shouldn't go above 70 thanks to the curves and hills except perhaps in Clinton County.

When I brought up the Taconic I was thinking of the part that's been widened and modernized (Westchester County). In Putnam County 55 is plenty. Further north the road isn't so curvy and hilly or narrow, but it still completely lacks shoulders and still has at-grade intersections (which tend to lack turn lanes), so I dunno. People do drive that fast but raising the limit seems like a harder sell for that section. Most rural divided highways in other states posted at 65 or 70 are built to significantly higher standards.

[xcellntbuy]

The old posted speed limit on the Taconic State Parkway, prior to the uniform federal speed limit of 50, and then 55 mph, was 60 mph.

[Interstatefan78]

I would say the 75mph zones would be NYS thruway Spring Valley to Williamsville and the entire Berkshire extension, but 65 mph urban speed limit in Utica, and Syracuse areas and from Spring Valley to the Westchester Bronx county line including the Tappan-Zee Bridge.
I-81 Binghamton to Syracuse, and Syracuse to the NY/ON border
I-87 from I-90 in Albany to the Canadian Border, but signs in Clinton County would need to say 75mph 120km/h so that Quebec drivers know that 120km/h is the metric version of 75mph

[Jim]

For what it's worth, I've been setting my cruise control to 75 for the Thruway portion of my commute this week between exits 24 and 27 (where possible given some rush hour congestion).  I did pass a good number of cars and especially trucks, but I'd say there were more people passing me, some going significantly faster.    Normally, I set to 72 or 73.

[empirestate]

I would say the 75mph zones would be NYS thruway Spring Valley to Williamsville and the entire Berkshire extension, but 65 mph urban speed limit in Utica, and Syracuse areas and from Spring Valley to the Westchester Bronx county line including the Tappan-Zee Bridge.

Why Utica? There's only the one interchange, and no appreciable change in the level of congestion there. Albany/Schenectady, certainly.

I-81 Binghamton to Syracuse, and Syracuse to the NY/ON border

I'm sure you're generalizing a bit, but of course you'd only take the 75mph limit up to the Thousand Islands Bridge approach. The bridge complex and everything on Wellesley Island, up to the border, would stay as it is, surely.