New York State Thruway

[webny99]

Major accident on the westbound Thruway near the Montezuma wildlife refuge:
https://www.syracuse.com/crime/2021/05/crash-on-new-york-state-thruway-near-montezuma-backs-up-traffic.html

[TonyTrafficLight]

I got to enjoy the scenic Mohawk Valley part of the Thruway in travels out and back to Syracuse today.  Got a couple pictures of the billboard Froggie mentioned.




So in the last week or so I've been through or at least seen many of the interchanges from 23 to 36.  I was surprised that the toll plazas at 23 and 31 were still fully intact, as those are both interchanges with a 3di.  25 (for months), 26, 27, and 28 are completely gone, as is 35.  At 36 (I-81 interchange), it looks like they were just removed, as paving was not yet complete with a bit of a dip in one lane, and some crazy extra lines still evident.

That looks like the hill just past Little Falls Exit 29A going westbound. Tribes Hill(?) I think.

Exit 34A, 34, 33 & 32 still have all their toll plaza standing as of this past weekend.

[Jim]

That looks like the hill just past Little Falls Exit 29A going westbound. Tribes Hill(?) I think.

Not Tribes Hill, which is between Amsterdam and Fonda.  But yes, coming down the big hill west of 29A, with the old Shu-Maker Mountain ski area just off to the left when you get near the bottom of the hill.

[webny99]

Yup. I linked to the Street View location in reply# 2271.

[storm2k]

Drove the Thruway from 15 to 21 today. Harriman barrier is mostly down, just a few outer lanes remaining, but easy enough to work around since they just move all the traffic thru the existing Express EZ-Pass lanes. 21 plaza still intact, even though the new electronic gantry is fully done.

[cu2010]

Drove the Thruway between 36 and Ripley the other day. 36's booths are gone, paving continues. Williamsville is essentially gone, with only landscaping work remaining; it felt so nice not to get backed up there. Lackawanna's booths are gone but lanes remain shifted to the right; Exit 56 remains closed as a result. Ripley's booths remain.

[cl94]

34 still fully intact as of today. 48A only has the concrete splitter islands remaining, with the southernmost islands gone and being paved over. 24 looked like they were getting ready to start reconstruction.

[vdeane]

Drove the Thruway from 15 to 21 today. Harriman barrier is mostly down, just a few outer lanes remaining, but easy enough to work around since they just move all the traffic thru the existing Express EZ-Pass lanes. 21 plaza still intact, even though the new electronic gantry is fully done.

You mean Woodbury?  Harriman was the fixed-rate barrier serving 3/4 movements of exit 16.

[stormwatch7721]

What do the new toll booths look like?

[Rothman]

What do the new toll booths look like?

What new booths?

[stormwatch7721]

I thought they went unmanned and torn town with new ones.

[vdeane]

I thought they went unmanned and torn town with new ones.

I'd hardly call this or this "booths".  They're gantries.

[Jim]

Something you don't see every day:



For a few days earlier this week, this net was propped up above the Thruway just about at the WB 26 offramp during work on the overhead wires that cross the road at that location.

It was all gone as of today.

[webny99]

Something you don't see every day:



For a few days earlier this week, this net was propped up above the Thruway just about at the WB 26 offramp during work on the overhead wires that cross the road at that location.

It was all gone as of today.

Whoa, that is a major optical illusion. It looks just like a view of a lake in the distance.

[cl94]

Most of the booths west of Buffalo remain intact. 61 hasn't been touched as of today. Work is ongoing at 55 with the WB entrance ramp closed.

[thenetwork]

Just out of curiosity:  With electronic tolling replacing all of the tollbooths & barriers along the Thruway, has the Thruway Authority ever considered bringing back tolls via high-speed gantries to the I-190 stretch through Downtown Buffalo, or is there some agreement or law that will never allow that stretch to be tolled again?   And could they ever install gantry tolling along the current free section of I-90 on the mainline in Buffalo?

[storm2k]

Drove the Thruway from 15 to 21 today. Harriman barrier is mostly down, just a few outer lanes remaining, but easy enough to work around since they just move all the traffic thru the existing Express EZ-Pass lanes. 21 plaza still intact, even though the new electronic gantry is fully done.

You mean Woodbury?  Harriman was the fixed-rate barrier serving 3/4 movements of exit 16.

Yeah, meant whatever the mainline barrier that was the southern start/end of the ticket system was.

[baugh17]

Exit 30 (Herkimer) toll booths were removed in the past week. 

[vdeane]

Just out of curiosity:  With electronic tolling replacing all of the tollbooths & barriers along the Thruway, has the Thruway Authority ever considered bringing back tolls via high-speed gantries to the I-190 stretch through Downtown Buffalo, or is there some agreement or law that will never allow that stretch to be tolled again?   And could they ever install gantry tolling along the current free section of I-90 on the mainline in Buffalo?

I doubt it.  The objections that resulted in those tolls being removed in return for I-84 going back to NYSDOT was over having to pay a toll to go downtown, not over traffic congestion.

[Buffaboy]

Food for thought: a 1948 newspaper article describes the "Throughway" as being capable of supporting speeds up to 75 MPH. Why isn't this the case today? I understand those were primitive plans then, but were they carried through into 1954?

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77827745/

[empirestate]

Food for thought: a 1948 newspaper article describes the "Throughway" as being capable of supporting speeds up to 75 MPH. Why isn't this the case today?

Isn't it? Most if not all of the original Thruway could easily support 75 mph (and does, obviously).

[webny99]

It sure does support 75 mph and more.. I think he meant why isn't the limit 75 mph.

[Buffaboy]

It sure does support 75 mph and more.. I think he meant why isn't the limit 75 mph.

Yeah

[webny99]

I'd say mostly just because NY is stubborn about raising their speed limits in general. Of course, you can go 75 mph on the Thruway without worrying too much, generally nothing under 80 will get you a ticket .

I suspect they know their tolerance would increase with an increased limit, and that's one big reason they're hesitant to raise it from 65 mph.

[kalvado]

It sure does support 75 mph and more.. I think he meant why isn't the limit 75 mph.

Legally, because NYS doesn't allow speed limits above 65 - and has a full jurisdiction on Thruway.
Technically, because there need to be a safety margin between design speed and speed limit
Besides, I suspect posted speed limit has to allow travel of all vehicles at that speed 8n normal conditions, including heavy trucks. 75 may be on a high side of regular 18-wheeler traffic as of right now.