Northway Exit 3 Project

[Jim]

Work is now underway on the new Northway "Exit 3" airport connector in Colonie.  Lots of trees have been cleared on both sides of the road, and yesterday I saw lots of coarse gravel being moved around just off the shoulder on the southbound side, south of the Desmond.  I think it was Monday afternoon that a lane closure spilled into afternoon rush and caused some backups southbound through the area, but otherwise my commutes have not been adversely affected by the work so far.

Here's a Daily Gazette article from last month with some information about it: https://dailygazette.com/article/2018/12/03/contract-awarded-for-50-million-airport-northway-exit

When completed, I'm hoping this will have a significant positive impact on my commute, as I normally exit the NB Northway at 4 to get on Albany-Shaker east toward Maxwell Road.  I return the opposite way, entering the Northway SB from WB Albany-Shaker through what is currently a pretty dysfunctional mess when busy.  Getting the traffic between the Northway and the airport area out of that picture should make a big difference.

[kalvado]

You understand that the new exit is a replacement, not an addition, do you? You would still have to deal with the airport traffic being in your way.
And airport traffic, with 1 million pax a year, is not that huge even at the most generous assumption.
Besides airport traffic has a different distribution within the day ( e.g. many departures around 6 AM) than commute..

[Jim]

My understanding is that the current Exit 4 NB ramp stays as is, but I could be misremembering.  I know the existing configuration of Albany Shaker crossing the Northway and entering the Northway SB is changing.

As far as traffic heading toward the airport, in my experience, only a small fraction of the traffic that heads that way on Albany Shaker is destined for the airport, so I wouldn't use airport passenger counts as much of an estimate for how many vehicles take Albany Shaker in that direction.

[kalvado]

Here are some images:


Basically,
-ramp to I-87 NB stays the same;
-ramp to I-87 SB moves a bit.
- A new proper ramp from I-87 NB and
-a flyover ramp from I-87 SB are built, and these 3 ramps converge at a single point

I've seen old exit 4 NB to Wolf road shown both ways - stay as-is or removed. It makes sense to keep that ramp, but I am not sure whats the final plan.

[froggie]

The final plan is to keep the existing Exit 4 ramp, but traffic using it will only be allowed to turn right (south) onto Wolf Rd.  To get to Albany-Shaker Rd will require using the new flyover ramp.

[kalvado]

The final plan is to keep the existing Exit 4 ramp, but traffic using it will only be allowed to turn right (south) onto Wolf Rd.  To get to Albany-Shaker Rd will require using the new flyover ramp.

Which likely means it will be the least used ramp in the area (or on par with exit 5A on I-90).
Whenever I do that right turn, I am usually the only one going right - with 10 other cars turning left.

[webny99]

What about the old SB exit, will that remain or be removed?
In fact, the entire southbound C/D setup between exits 4 and 5 could be removed.

[froggie]

The entire southbound C/D setup is being removed as part of the project.  The new southbound Exit 4 ramp will be a loop ramp south of Albany-Shaker similar to the graphic kalvado posted upthread.

[kalvado]

The entire southbound C/D setup is being removed as part of the project.  The new southbound Exit 4 ramp will be a loop ramp south of Albany-Shaker similar to the graphic kalvado posted upthread.

I didn't see any renderings of exit 5 - removing CD would make exit 5 incomplete as SB on-ramp is through CD. Building another on ramp seems straightforward, but I don't think I saw that mentioned.

[froggie]

The SB on-ramp at Exit 5 will be replaced with a normal diamond-interchange-style on-ramp.  The Times-Union image is incomplete in this regard, but it's in the EIS and other NYSDOT documentation.

[kalvado]

The SB on-ramp at Exit 5 will be replaced with a normal diamond-interchange-style on-ramp.  The Times-Union image is incomplete in this regard, but it's in the EIS and other NYSDOT documentation.

I took exit 5 many times... Maybe a total of 6 or 7 times over the years. So I didn't really paid attention to that part, shame on me.

[webny99]

The entire southbound C/D setup is being removed as part of the project.  The new southbound Exit 4 ramp will be a loop ramp south of Albany-Shaker similar to the graphic kalvado posted upthread.

Good to hear!

Now, if we could just get auxiliary lanes between exits 4 and 5, and a fourth lane in each direction over the Twin Bridges, I-87 should be set for a while! 

[The Ghostbuster]

Maybe the new exit 3 can be designated SR-687, as a way of reminding people what the original exit 3 was to be.

[vdeane]

The entire southbound C/D setup is being removed as part of the project.  The new southbound Exit 4 ramp will be a loop ramp south of Albany-Shaker similar to the graphic kalvado posted upthread.

Good to hear!

Now, if we could just get auxiliary lanes between exits 4 and 5, and a fourth lane in each direction over the Twin Bridges, I-87 should be set for a while! 

This project does add an auxiliary lane NB from exit 4 to exit 5, which will hopefully reduce the congestion from the merge with that ramp (and people jockeying for position between the two exits).

I think it was Monday afternoon that a lane closure spilled into afternoon rush and caused some backups southbound through the area, but otherwise my commutes have not been adversely affected by the work so far.

There are small backups in the morning rush (even without the lane closure) as people slow down to gawk.  You'd think people would be used to the idea of construction in the area from the NB tree clearing, which was done for a while now (at least for the flyover... the clearing for the auxiliary lane is more recent).

[Jim]

Some time between Monday afternoon and this morning, the first part of the overpass structure was placed over the southbound lanes.  Here's my SB view from a couple hours ago:

[machias]

They should just number it Exit 158.

[kalvado]

Some time between Monday afternoon and this morning, the first part of the overpass structure was placed over the southbound lanes.  Here's my SB view from a couple hours ago:

4 beams on a central pylon were mounted Monday night, and 2 out of 4 beams over southbound lane were mounted Tuesday night.
Interestingly enough, yet-to-be-paved ramp on east side of highway, which is used as a staging area, is not big enough - so a secondary staging on rest area past exit 9 is used. 2 beams were sitting there this morning, down from 4 the day before and I believe 6 before weekend.

[astralentity]

They should just number it Exit 158.

You're two miles off....  you're at about MP 160 there 

[vdeane]

So the governor did an announcement on this at the airport today.  They actually are going with exit 3 for the new flyover, but what's interesting is that they decided to "add" a new ramp.  Now instead of completely removing current SB exit 4, it will instead be re-aligned to exit directly off the Northway.  Given that the existing ramp tends to back up significantly in the morning rush hour, sometimes even into the mainline, I'm wondering how this is going to affect my commute, especially since the vast majority of traffic using exit 4 SB in the morning are going to Wolf Road or eastbound on Albany Shaker.  It's interesting that it was decided to retain the ramp, as it would seem to me like traffic that would use that ramp would also be well-served by exits 3 and 5.

Article, map, and renderings (including sign structures) below.
https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/exit-3-once-a-mystery-could-soon-be-complated-by-the-end-of-2019

(personal opinion)

EDIT: bigger versions of the graphics: https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/AlbanyAirport_Exit3.pdf

[PHLBOS]

EDIT: bigger versions of the graphics: https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/AlbanyAirport_Exit3.pdf

Regarding those signs; I personally hope that the sign fabricator/contractor doesn't take the shown-spacing between the control city/point legends too literally.  The letters appear too close together. 

And before somebody dismisses such with a "Oh, it's only a graphical representation." statement; please feel free to look at the new supplemental signage along I-90/Mass Pike.  Such also features Series E(M) lettering that's too close together.

[astralentity]

If we could just get I-87 marked from the start in the Bronx, then the whole Exit 3 thing will be moot.

[Rothman]

If we could just get I-87 marked from the start in the Bronx, then the whole Exit 3 thing will be moot.

It's an entirely new interchange, so vdeane's concerns are hardly moot.

[vdeane]

Plus it wasn't regarding the numbering (which is interesting mainly because the plan was to use 4A/4B for a while), but about configuration.  Part of me wonders if they thought the queue would be too much for a single interchange and wanted redundancy to split the queue.

(personal opinion)

[astralentity]

Plus it wasn't regarding the numbering (which is interesting mainly because the plan was to use 4A/4B for a while), but about configuration.  Part of me wonders if they thought the queue would be too much for a single interchange and wanted redundancy to split the queue.

(personal opinion)

Makes sense.  Didn't the original drawings that included I-687 showed Wolf Road still having its own interchange?

[webny99]

Plus it wasn't regarding the numbering (which is interesting mainly because the plan was to use 4A/4B for a while), but about configuration.  Part of me wonders if they thought the queue would be too much for a single interchange and wanted redundancy to split the queue.

Judging by the signs, they want westbound (airport) traffic to use Exit 3. The weird thing is that the new Exit 3 will likely be faster for those heading to eastbound Albany-Shaker, since the new loop will allow for one right turn instead of the current two left turns using Exit 4.

The only reason I can see to use Exit 4 is as a "shortcut" to the airport and points west, and for those with destinations between 155 and the airport. I don't know what traffic is usually like, so hard for me to say if people making those two movements are enough to justify the extra ramp. I guess either way there is no harm done in keeping it; probably just as cheap to tie it in to the Northway as remove it.