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NY: 75mph speed limits on the horizon?

Started by cu2010, October 26, 2013, 08:02:56 PM

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cpzilliacus

Quote from: froggie on October 30, 2013, 08:49:03 AM
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.

IMO, it should stay 65 from Woodbury (N.Y. 17) south.  Woodbury is the southern limit of the "main" section of the Thruway's "closed" or "ticket" system.  With that in mind, I think it could be 70 or even 75 from a point north of Woodbury up to someplace near Albany. 

It's reasonably straight and not all that hilly.  And yes, the Thruway should be six lanes wide all the way to Albany.

I have not driven much of the I-90 part of the Thruway, except the Berkshire Section, so I will not comment about that.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.


vdeane

Personally, this is how I'd do the Thruway:
-NYC-Yonkers Toll Barrier: 55
-Yonkers Toll Barrier-Sloatsburg/Ramapo: 65
-Sloatsburg/Ramapo-I-481: 75
I-481-I-81: 70
I-81-I-690: 65
I-690-Depew: 75
Depew-Williamsville: 65
Williamsville-Lackawanna: 55 or 65
Lackawanna-Ripley: 75
Berkshire Spur: 75
New England Thruway: 65
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

jp the roadgeek

Quote from: vdeane on November 01, 2013, 08:05:45 PM
Personally, this is how I'd do the Thruway:
-NYC-Yonkers Toll Barrier: 55
-Yonkers Toll Barrier-Sloatsburg/Ramapo: 65
-Sloatsburg/Ramapo-I-481: 75
I-481-I-81: 70
I-81-I-690: 65
I-690-Depew: 75
Depew-Williamsville: 65
Williamsville-Lackawanna: 55 or 65
Lackawanna-Ripley: 75
Berkshire Spur: 75
New England Thruway: 65

Just don't see the New England Thruway going 65 unless CT raises its section of I-95 to match it.   Berkshire Thruway should be 65 east of the Canaan toll barrier to be consistent with the Mass Pike, then 75 west.  Still think 55 will remain on the Thruway south of the Spring Valley toll plaza until the Tappan Zee construction is complete, then go to 65 from there to the Woodbury barrier.
Interstates I've clinched: 97, 290 (MA), 291 (CT), 291 (MA), 293, 295 (DE-NJ-PA), 295 (RI-MA), 384, 391, 395 (CT-MA), 395 (MD), 495 (DE), 610 (LA), 684, 691, 695 (MD), 695 (NY), 795 (MD)

Interstatefan78

Quote from: empirestate on November 01, 2013, 04:22:43 PM
Quote from: Interstatefan78 on November 01, 2013, 11:27:10 AM
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.

Quote
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.
You mean 65 mph from exit 23-26 on the thruway itself, but when I drove it this summer most drivers do 75 on the stretch from exit 24-23 or exit 26-23

roadman65

I think 75 is pushing it.  70 would be good, especially from Ramapo/ Sloatsburg to the Berskshire Connection.  Then 65 until west of Schenectady and possibly 70 through Syracuse, but back to 70 at Baldwinsville to the Williamsville plaza, then either 60 or 55 through the free section between the two closed systems.  Finally back to 70 until the Ripley plaza.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

vdeane

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on November 02, 2013, 01:26:50 AM
Quote from: vdeane on November 01, 2013, 08:05:45 PM
Personally, this is how I'd do the Thruway:
-NYC-Yonkers Toll Barrier: 55
-Yonkers Toll Barrier-Sloatsburg/Ramapo: 65
-Sloatsburg/Ramapo-I-481: 75
I-481-I-81: 70
I-81-I-690: 65
I-690-Depew: 75
Depew-Williamsville: 65
Williamsville-Lackawanna: 55 or 65
Lackawanna-Ripley: 75
Berkshire Spur: 75
New England Thruway: 65

Just don't see the New England Thruway going 65 unless CT raises its section of I-95 to match it.   Berkshire Thruway should be 65 east of the Canaan toll barrier to be consistent with the Mass Pike, then 75 west.  Still think 55 will remain on the Thruway south of the Spring Valley toll plaza until the Tappan Zee construction is complete, then go to 65 from there to the Woodbury barrier.
I don't think we should have lower limits in certain areas just to match other states.  When I drove the NE Thruway, I was going 55-60, which felt REALLY slow (especially after driving 75 down the NJ Turnpike less than half an hour earlier), and I was being passed by everyone else like I was standing still.  With the Berkshire section, you'd have several miles of 65 for no reason if you did that; Canaan is closer to the Taconic than to the MassPike.  Given the distance between Ardsley and I-287, and the (relative) rural character of the road, no reason to keep it 55.  Also no reason to keep the section from Sloatsburg/Ramapo-NY 17 65 either; while there's more traffic than to the north, the extra lane compensates perfectly.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

hotdogPi

Should I-88 be 75 MPH? (Or 88 MPH, to match I-88?)
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

empirestate

Quote from: Interstatefan78 on November 02, 2013, 11:32:48 AM
Quote from: empirestate on November 01, 2013, 04:22:43 PM
Quote from: Interstatefan78 on November 01, 2013, 11:27:10 AM
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.

Quote
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.
You mean 65 mph from exit 23-26 on the thruway itself, but when I drove it this summer most drivers do 75 on the stretch from exit 24-23 or exit 26-23

In particular, between 24 and 25A; this is where you'll have the most urban-style entering and exiting traffic. Between 23 and 24, and between 25A and 26, that's really all thru traffic so you could bump the limit up there I suppose.

But basically I was suggesting that if you feel the limit should be lower in Utica because it's more urban, skip that and make the change at Albany/Schenectady instead.

dlainhart


Brandon

Quote from: dlainhart on November 21, 2013, 04:59:14 PM
Quote from: 1 on November 02, 2013, 04:42:21 PM
Should I-88 be ... (Or 88 MPH, to match I-88?)
In a word: Yes.

Just don't drive a DeLorean down it unless you want to activate the flux capacitor.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

D-Dey65

Quote from: Duke87 on October 29, 2013, 11:34:33 PMThe 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.
You know, I'd like that. But, when I drove the LIE last week, I was barely able to get up to 55, and that was in the Town of Brookhaven.


Interstatefan78

What about 70 mph on the Berkshire Extension from I-87 Exit 21A up to the MA/NY border this is done due to MA raising their speed limit to 70 mph from the current 65 mph on the Mass Pike, but the I-90 Erie segment of the thruway from Exit 61 to Exit 55 goes to 70 mph to match the 70 mph zone on I-90 in Erie County PA

vdeane

I don't think speed limits should be lowered just to "match" other states.  If you want to match them, only do it immediately at the border.  I doubt Dunkirk traffic, for example, would be pleased if they had to drive slower just to match the speed limit in PA.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

froggie

QuoteAlso no reason to keep the section from Sloatsburg/Ramapo-NY 17 65 either; while there's more traffic than to the north, the extra lane compensates perfectly.

I'd argue that the extra lane is less than a "perfect compensation".  Still have a lot of curves and heavy traffic on that stretch.  I'd leave it 65.

cpzilliacus

Quote from: froggie on November 29, 2013, 09:28:37 PM
QuoteAlso no reason to keep the section from Sloatsburg/Ramapo-NY 17 65 either; while there's more traffic than to the north, the extra lane compensates perfectly.

I'd argue that the extra lane is less than a "perfect compensation".  Still have a lot of curves and heavy traffic on that stretch.  I'd leave it 65.

I know that part of the Thruway pretty well.  How much of the Thruway traffic north of Sloatsburg/Ramapo heads south to or comes north from I-287/N.J. 17?
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

froggie

QuoteHow much of the Thruway traffic north of Sloatsburg/Ramapo heads south to or comes north from I-287/N.J. 17?

Just over half.  The directional split between the movements at the 87/287 interchange is fairly close to even, but that 87 North/287 South movement is the biggest one at the interchange.

jp the roadgeek

Quote from: vdeane on November 29, 2013, 07:50:03 PM
I don't think speed limits should be lowered just to "match" other states.  If you want to match them, only do it immediately at the border.  I doubt Dunkirk traffic, for example, would be pleased if they had to drive slower just to match the speed limit in PA.

If/when the Canaan toll plaza goes to ORT, then I'll agree.  But since traffic has to stop or slow to 15 MPH even for EZ Pass, why not make the switch here rather than right at the border?    Same with the Ripley plaza before the PA line.
Interstates I've clinched: 97, 290 (MA), 291 (CT), 291 (MA), 293, 295 (DE-NJ-PA), 295 (RI-MA), 384, 391, 395 (CT-MA), 395 (MD), 495 (DE), 610 (LA), 684, 691, 695 (MD), 695 (NY), 795 (MD)

vdeane

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on November 30, 2013, 10:28:36 AM
Quote from: vdeane on November 29, 2013, 07:50:03 PM
I don't think speed limits should be lowered just to "match" other states.  If you want to match them, only do it immediately at the border.  I doubt Dunkirk traffic, for example, would be pleased if they had to drive slower just to match the speed limit in PA.

If/when the Canaan toll plaza goes to ORT, then I'll agree.  But since traffic has to stop or slow to 15 MPH even for EZ Pass, why not make the switch here rather than right at the border?    Same with the Ripley plaza before the PA line.
Because, unlike Ripley, you have several miles to go before exit B3.  Plus the post I was immediately responding to suggested a much larger area.  I have no problem with matching from Ripley to the PA line, or exit B3 to MA, but another issue with matching is that they'll go out of sync the moment the other state changes the limit... NY doesn't re-evaluate speed limits often.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Conn. Roads

Berkshire Spur eastbound is a no go. It's all 2 lane, and hilly. I run this route often, when I go to see my parents in Connecticut. The trucks get down to under 40 mph, then you get some slowpoke in the left lane. This is especially true of truckers. The loaded ones are under 40, but then you have some empty truck. Many carriers govern the trucks to 62-65 mph. One of these brain surgeons gets out to pass, and ends up plugging up the works. This is especially true between free 90, and the Taconic.

I feel the same way about I88. Climbing lanes are absent in places that need them. The Northway is much to curvy between Lake George, and Ausable.

webny99

Since this got revived, my personal opinion is that the I-90 portion of the Thruway is New York's only real candidate for 75 mph. 70 mph would be great for I-81, portions of I-86, I-87, I-88, and I-390 but I just don't foresee 75 mph on anything besides the Thruway.

There are a number of of 55 mph roads that should bump up to 65 mph, namely free I-90 and I-290 in the Buffalo area and the NY 104 freeway in Webster.
Fortunately NY is a bit better than PA about urban areas and already has 65 mph posted on several high-intensity roadways: I-190 on Grand Island, I-490 southeast of Rochester, and I-690 near Syracuse.

Rothman

How could you forget the unnecessary 55 mph speed limit on I-84.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

webny99

Quote from: Rothman on November 25, 2018, 12:48:53 PM
How could you forget the unnecessary 55 mph speed limit on I-84.

Oh yeah. And NY 17 (which I think has been hashed over before, but should also be 65 mph outside of Hale Eddy). There is precedent for posting 65 mph and 60 mph advisories on the curves; see: NY 531.



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.