New York

[D-Dey65]

I've known that for a few decades. The intention was to have it terminate around the intersections of NY 22 and 67 in Buskirk.

Depending on what time (and who) you asked, that was one of three "intentions" that existed for a Taconic Extension north of the Berkshire Spur.  The other two were US 20 and all the way to the Canadian border.

Good point.

[cl94]

We knew this one was coming: plans posted for the new I-190 rest area on Grand Island. Exit 19 across from a certain "huge" car dealership. It will be New York's first "full" rest area not located directly on a freeway (I-81 in Alexandria Bay is seasonal and operated by the bridge authority). As NYSTA maintains this section of I-190, the retail area is not in violation of any federal laws and even if it would be, they're locating this thing off of the expressway.

[jemacedo9]

We knew this one was coming: plans posted for the new I-190 rest area on Grand Island. Exit 19 across from a certain "huge" car dealership. It will be New York's first "full" rest area not located directly on a freeway (I-81 in Alexandria Bay is seasonal and operated by the bridge authority). As NYSTA maintains this section of I-190, the retail area is not in violation of any federal laws and even if it would be, they're locating this thing off of the expressway.

It'll be HUUUUUGE, Grand Island, HUUUUUUGGGGGGEEEE..ah. 

[J N Winkler]

We knew this one was coming: plans posted for the new I-190 rest area on Grand Island. Exit 19 across from a certain "huge" car dealership. It will be New York's first "full" rest area not located directly on a freeway (I-81 in Alexandria Bay is seasonal and operated by the bridge authority). As NYSTA maintains this section of I-190, the retail area is not in violation of any federal laws and even if it would be, they're locating this thing off of the expressway.

When I flipped through the plans for this project earlier this morning, it brought back memories of my stop about a month ago at the (apparently) brand-new Mohawk rest area on the Thruway mainline, which also functions as a tourist information center with I ❤ NY branding and so is fully plugged into the Cuomosigns debacle, complete with vending machine hosting TasteNY boutique products that everyone was ignoring in favor of the free coffee.  (I liked being able to pick up a free NYS map but could have done without "iloveny.com [dot] I ❤ NY App" repeated until it became an earworm.)

Speaking of Cuomosigns, has anyone actually found a branding manual that explains how to confect them?  I have had a look on the NYSDOT website without success.  There are a couple of NYSDOT contracts for Cuomosigns with multiple examples of the "motherboard" and the signs that follow it, but they don't actually explain how to design the signs, much less deal with higher-level considerations such as how to choose attractions to list on signs.

[cl94]

The sign manuals are not online, nor are any additional signs being installed, so most of those contracts for signs on surface roads are not happening.

[J N Winkler]

The sign manuals are not online, nor are any additional signs being installed, so most of those contracts for signs on surface roads are not happening.

Probably as well.

[Buffaboy]

Well, at least the rest area looks aesthetically pleasing.

region 5 has also had several improvements underway over the past several months. Off of the top of my head, longitudinal tining has been applied to small parts of I-190 and the 4-lane section of I-90 in West Seneca.

Part of Walden Avenue (west) is being reconstructed near the Exit 52b interchange. I don't know how far along they are but it's an active scene.

Also, the Thruway has been repaved within the Ontario section, but not from NY-400 to the Lackawanna toll barrier. I wonder if this is on the agenda.

[cl94]

Well, at least the rest area looks aesthetically pleasing.

region 5 has also had several improvements underway over the past several months. Off of the top of my head, longitudinal tining has been applied to small parts of I-190 and the 4-lane section of I-90 in West Seneca.

Part of Walden Avenue (west) is being reconstructed near the Exit 52b interchange. I don't know how far along they are but it's an active scene.

Also, the Thruway has been repaved within the Ontario section, but not from NY-400 to the Lackawanna toll barrier. I wonder if this is on the agenda.

NY 400 to the Exit 55 tolls is being redone next year as part of bridge replacement/rehab projects on that stretch. No point in repaving it now if they'll have to tear half of it up next year.

[Buffaboy]

Well, at least the rest area looks aesthetically pleasing.

region 5 has also had several improvements underway over the past several months. Off of the top of my head, longitudinal tining has been applied to small parts of I-190 and the 4-lane section of I-90 in West Seneca.

Part of Walden Avenue (west) is being reconstructed near the Exit 52b interchange. I don't know how far along they are but it's an active scene.

Also, the Thruway has been repaved within the Ontario section, but not from NY-400 to the Lackawanna toll barrier. I wonder if this is on the agenda.

NY 400 to the Exit 55 tolls is being redone next year as part of bridge replacement/rehab projects on that stretch. No point in repaving it now if they'll have to tear half of it up next year.

Interesting. I have to say, if they're doing bridge replacements (at least after the US-219 merge), why not wait until the eventual upgrade to 8 lanes?

Ever since the upgrade to 8 lanes on the section I described above (when I was 5 or 6), that 6 lane section has seemed dated, even in Cheektowaga.

[Beeper1]

Thruway recently put a project to convert the ramp tolls at Woodbury exit 16 to AET. 

[D-Dey65]

We knew this one was coming: plans posted for the new I-190 rest area on Grand Island. Exit 19 across from a certain "huge" car dealership. It will be New York's first "full" rest area not located directly on a freeway (I-81 in Alexandria Bay is seasonal and operated by the bridge authority). As NYSTA maintains this section of I-190, the retail area is not in violation of any federal laws and even if it would be, they're locating this thing off of the expressway.

It'll be HUUUUUGE, Grand Island, HUUUUUUGGGGGGEEEE..ah. 

You got that tagline from this guy, didn't you?
http://fuccillo.com/Dealership/Locations.cfm

Anyway, I think it sucks that they're not locating it directly on I-190. I really don't like this trend of building rest areas and service areas off of the roads they're intended for.

[jemacedo9]

We knew this one was coming: plans posted for the new I-190 rest area on Grand Island. Exit 19 across from a certain "huge" car dealership. It will be New York's first "full" rest area not located directly on a freeway (I-81 in Alexandria Bay is seasonal and operated by the bridge authority). As NYSTA maintains this section of I-190, the retail area is not in violation of any federal laws and even if it would be, they're locating this thing off of the expressway.

It'll be HUUUUUGE, Grand Island, HUUUUUUGGGGGGEEEE..ah. 

You got that tagline from this guy, didn't you?
http://fuccillo.com/Dealership/Locations.cfm

Anyway, I think it sucks that they're not locating it directly on I-190. I really don't like this trend of building rest areas and service areas off of the roads they're intended for.

Indeed I did. His commercials make me laugh. One of those "it's so annoying it's actually comical" laughs...

[Buffaboy]

Looking at NY-5 east of Canandaigua, it begs the question: why is the ROW so wide? Was an expressway once planned there?

[froggie]

Doubtful.  Probably setbacks that the town required of the retail areas.

[cl94]

Doubtful.  Probably setbacks that the town required of the retail areas.

Likely a combination of that, a place to put snow, and drainage. Canandaigua is in the snow belt and several of those wide areas contain retention basins. Several of the Finger Lakes are marshy at both ends.

[baugh17]

Doubtful.  Probably setbacks that the town required of the retail areas.

Likely a combination of that, a place to put snow, and drainage. Canandaigua is in the snow belt and several of those wide areas contain retention basins. Several of the Finger Lakes are marshy at both ends.

The travel lanes of US 20/NY 5 between Canandaigua and Geneva used to be incredibly wide.   It was in 1993 when they moved the edge striping *IN* to where it is now (For a few years, you could see both the old and "new" edge stripes...there was probably about a two or three foot separation between the two).

[Buffaboy]

The new U.S. 62 Bridges in S. Buffalo opened today. They're definitely wider and up to code, but since it was dark out I couldn't tell what they looked like altogether.

Also, NY 5 now has a 4 way intersection with Hoover Road in Hamburg, and the Walden Avenue reconstruction near Anderson Road is progressing along.

[D-Dey65]

Just give me more reasons to hate the state I was born in, and life in general, Cuomo!

Well, he just gave me another one.


https://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/dot-lane-closures-for-jericho-turnpike-route-135-interchange-1.14650876

[cl94]

Just give me more reasons to hate the state I was born in, and life in general, Cuomo!

Well, he just gave me another one.


https://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/dot-lane-closures-for-jericho-turnpike-route-135-interchange-1.14650876

They're just closing the unnecessary ramps and the associated weave lane. No big issue here.

[vdeane]

But I thought Cuomo was proposing to build the tunnel NY 135 would connect to?  You'd need that ramp if NY 135 were extended.

[SignBridge]

I don't think that's going to happen........ This is the first I've heard of this project in a very long time. I'm not aware of Cuomo try to re-introduce it recently.  Have you heard something that we didn't, here on Long Island?

[Duke87]

It's always struck me as odd that those ramps were actually opened to traffic in the first place. 25 is not a divided highway so there's no real need for the "Jersey U-turn" there. Typically in this sort of stub situation you'd expect those ramps to have been never used... or never even paved, just graded.

[cl94]

It's always struck me as odd that those ramps were actually opened to traffic in the first place. 25 is not a divided highway so there's no real need for the "Jersey U-turn" there. Typically in this sort of stub situation you'd expect those ramps to have been never used... or never even paved, just graded.

Precisely. NY generally would have left these as ghost ramps (and this state certainly has its share of those). Only other NY examples I can think of are (or in one case, were) on Staten Island.

[vdeane]

Sounds like a quirk of Region 10, then (since those ramps would have been built before Region 11 split off).

I don't think that's going to happen........ This is the first I've heard of this project in a very long time. I'm not aware of Cuomo try to re-introduce it recently.  Have you heard something that we didn't, here on Long Island?

A 5 million dollar study is in the state budget.
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/politics-on-the-hudson/2017/08/04/westchester-long-island-tunnel-cuomo/104292586/

[RestrictOnTheHanger]

On these new signs, what exactly are the fonts being used? These were installed recently on the southbound FDR. Did region 11 put them up, or was it NYCDOT?

Pics were taken this morning