New York

[Alps]

NYSTA is more liberal with 65 than NYSDOT in my experience. The entire Thruway system Upstate aside from the free section of 90, 190 through Buffalo, and the Grand Island Bridges is 65. Thruway mainline north of the Garden State Parkway is entirely 65 aside from that aforementioned free section through Buffalo. NYSDOT wouldn't post the Castleton Bridge or a few other things at 65. The Thruway through Albany probably wouldn't be 65 if it were a NYSDOT road given how speed limits are set in Region 1.

Tell me about it.  Why NYSDOT keeps the eastern portion of the LIE at 55, especially beyond Farmingville, is beyond me.

the design speed is accually 65 on the LIE but it was lowered during the oil crisis and now its kept at 55 for a margin of error

the travel speed is accually 85 on the LIE

[SignBridge]

Originally the speed limit was 65mph on the L.I.E. in Suffolk County until the double-nickel came in the mid-1970's. And yes, it should be raised back to 65. But as Alps correctly points out, it doesn't seem to make much difference nowadays to the 85th percentile speed.

[shadyjay]

Why is the speed limit still 55 on part of I-84 in New York? Most rural freeways in New York are 65.

Well, guess what?  Up until 10-20 years ago, the speed limit on I-84 east of Newburgh was 55 MPH the whole way to CT.  Then at some point post NYSTA-control, it was raised to 65.  We used to joke, saying you had to pay to go 65 MPH in New York (at the time, I-684 was also 55).  What they kept as 55 is from the Thruway mainline to the east side of the bridge in Beacon and a couple miles in Brewster around I-684. 

As others have stated, the amount of traffic and congestion around the I-84/I-684 interchange, and the roadway geometry/traffic around the NBB warrant these areas to be 55 MPH.  Ideally, we'd have a continuous 3 lanes on I-84 from I-684 east to Danbury (and continuing to Waterbury), and the speed limit could be 65.  Theoretically, you could raise it right now from Exit 1-3 but it really doesn't make sense for only a couple miles. 

It was sometime in the much less than 20 year timeframe (probably closer to the 10-15 year mark) when the Thruway upped the speed limit from Suffern to the GSP to 65, as prior to that, the 65 MPH zone started just north of the Suffern/NY 17 exit (15A). 

[Roadgeekteen]

Why is the speed limit still 55 on part of I-84 in New York? Most rural freeways in New York are 65.

Well, guess what?  Up until 10-20 years ago, the speed limit on I-84 east of Newburgh was 55 MPH the whole way to CT.  Then at some point post NYSTA-control, it was raised to 65.  We used to joke, saying you had to pay to go 65 MPH in New York (at the time, I-684 was also 55).  What they kept as 55 is from the Thruway mainline to the east side of the bridge in Beacon and a couple miles in Brewster around I-684. 

As others have stated, the amount of traffic and congestion around the I-84/I-684 interchange, and the roadway geometry/traffic around the NBB warrant these areas to be 55 MPH.  Ideally, we'd have a continuous 3 lanes on I-84 from I-684 east to Danbury (and continuing to Waterbury), and the speed limit could be 65.  Theoretically, you could raise it right now from Exit 1-3 but it really doesn't make sense for only a couple miles. 

It was sometime in the much less than 20 year timeframe (probably closer to the 10-15 year mark) when the Thruway upped the speed limit from Suffern to the GSP to 65, as prior to that, the 65 MPH zone started just north of the Suffern/NY 17 exit (15A).

What is the 85th percentile speed on that part of I-84?

[vdeane]

It was sometime in the much less than 20 year timeframe (probably closer to the 10-15 year mark) when the Thruway upped the speed limit from Suffern to the GSP to 65, as prior to that, the 65 MPH zone started just north of the Suffern/NY 17 exit (15A). 

Interesting.  I wonder what that means for the I-287 speed limit between the Thruway mainline and NJ.  I always assumed it was 65 on the NY side and dropped to 55 at the state line, but now I'm wondering if it's actually 55 all the way until I-87.  There isn't a speed limit sign on the NY side in either direction, and it could be it was just not thought of when the Thruway mainline was raised (after all, it's treated as an exit by NYSTA).

[lstone19]

It was sometime in the much less than 20 year timeframe (probably closer to the 10-15 year mark) when the Thruway upped the speed limit from Suffern to the GSP to 65, as prior to that, the 65 MPH zone started just north of the Suffern/NY 17 exit (15A). 

Interesting.  I wonder what that means for the I-287 speed limit between the Thruway mainline and NJ.  I always assumed it was 65 on the NY side and dropped to 55 at the state line, but now I'm wondering if it's actually 55 all the way until I-87.  There isn't a speed limit sign on the NY side in either direction, and it could be it was just not thought of when the Thruway mainline was raised (after all, it's treated as an exit by NYSTA).

It might be useful to find out who owns what in that section (NYSDOT vs NYSTA). I'm old enough to remember Exit 15 when it was a low-speed trumpet with a toll booth (when the ticket section ended at Spring Valley) and in those days, the ramps to/from NJ 17 actually went slightly into NJ (the gore areas extended south of the border based on the state line signage). In those days, NY 17 went over the hill past Hillburn rather than via the Thruway to 15A (which did not exist then). So it's entirely possible that all of I-287/NY 17 between the Thruway mainline and the NJ state line is just considered Thruway ramp rather than NYSDOT freeway mainline as historically, the Thruway ramps went all the way to the border.

[vdeane]

Judging by the signage (Clearview, no reference markers, used a NYSTA-spec welcome sign back when those existed, etc.), looks like it's still basically considered a Thruway ramp.  Doesn't really make a lot of sense for NYSDOT to take over just a quarter of a mile or so.  Judging by this signage, it might actually be 65, but that's not wholly conclusive; it's possible such signage was plopped on all approaches reflexively.  I can't think of such a mistake in NY off the top of my head, but I've seen it elsewhere; in NH, heading south from Franconia Notch, there was a chain of work zones with "left lane ends, merge right" signs advertising a closer for a lane that didn't exist on the single-lane portion and was already closed when moving from one work zone to an adjacent one.  And on I-70, I think there were similar signs advertising the reduced speed of 60 for a work zone in MD... posted in the 55 portion in PA (yep, even with a work zone, the speed limit still went up!).  So who knows.

[SignBridge]

Ah yes, the signs in vdeane's link above are the ones that wrongly show I-287 as going south instead of east. Good old NYSTA. Lot's of goofy signing.

[cl94]

Everything between Exit 15 and the state line is (and AFAIK always has been) maintained by NYSTA. NYSDOT may have controlled the ramps between the Hillburn Bypass and NJ, but those merged with the Thruway access right at the state line. It is (and always has been) considered part of the Exit 15 complex.

[empirestate]

NYSDOT may have controlled the ramps between the Hillburn Bypass and NJ, but those merged with the Thruway access right at the state line.

They did, you can see the SH number here.

[baugh17]

You're all talking about 65 vs. 55 as if anyone enforces below 75 in either case.

Don't get me going on NY 5S and the revenue generators in Frankfort.

[Sam]

Don't get me going on NY 5S and the revenue generators in Frankfort.

Ha! They've got it down alright. If you go to court, they'll plead it down to a $100 parking ticket. You get no points on your license, it costs you a little less money, they keep it all and beat the state out of the surcharges.

[dkblake]

Don't get me going on NY 5S and the revenue generators in Frankfort.

Ha! They've got it down alright. If you go to court, they'll plead it down to a $100 parking ticket. You get no points on your license, it costs you a little less money, they keep it all and beat the state out of the surcharges.

That's a nice upstate discount! A few years ago I met a "revenue generator" in Suffolk County and pled down to a $450 parking ticket with no points.

[fmendes]

Why doesnt the State DOT fix the Cluster F**k on the Cross bronx at the Major Deegan even the smallest thing as to Allowing trucks to use the lower level of the George Washington bridge to prevent trucks from weaving across three lanes of traffic they could also stripe a solid line in the middle of the Washington bridge to guide vehicles coming from the major deegan weaving across 3 lanes and squeezing on the upper level

[empirestate]

Why doesnt the State DOT fix the Cluster F**k on the Cross bronx at the Major Deegan even the smallest thing as to Allowing trucks to use the lower level of the George Washington bridge to prevent trucks from weaving across three lanes of traffic they could also stripe a solid line in the middle of the Washington bridge to guide vehicles coming from the major deegan weaving across 3 lanes and squeezing on the upper level

Primarily because the state DOT doesn't manage the George Washington Bridge.

[cl94]

Don't get me going on NY 5S and the revenue generators in Frankfort.

Ha! They've got it down alright. If you go to court, they'll plead it down to a $100 parking ticket. You get no points on your license, it costs you a little less money, they keep it all and beat the state out of the surcharges.

Oh yeah, this is a thing in most of Upstate. Tickets with points have a portion that goes to the state, tickets without points stay local. So if you're willing to go to court, they're very happy to plead it down to something with no points and potentially a smaller fine because the town comes out ahead.

[Buffaboy]

Upon doing research this evening on the Southtowns Connector in Buffalo, I discovered that the original plan was for the expressway to run parallel with the CSX tracks in existence about a mile east of the current NY 5 alignment, between NY 179 and I-190. They would then remove the Skyway bridge and convert the existing highway into a boulevard. This was back in the 1990s. That project devolved into what we saw constructed about 10-15 years ago, which was a pathetic reconstruction of NY 5, in place, and the Skyway needed to be repaired every 5 or so years. Now they want to tear the Skyway down, again, but this time they (the politicians) don't feel like building any expressway alternative to carry the leftover traffic, but would rather funnel people onto a 40 MPH new side street. I don't understand how this area operates. Meanwhile you have Salt Lake City building dozens of miles of expressways without any hitches.

https://esd.ny.gov/sites/default/files/C_Chapter_2_Project_Evolution.pdf

[Buffaboy]

Don't get me going on NY 5S and the revenue generators in Frankfort.

Ha! They've got it down alright. If you go to court, they'll plead it down to a $100 parking ticket. You get no points on your license, it costs you a little less money, they keep it all and beat the state out of the surcharges.

Oh yeah, this is a thing in most of Upstate. Tickets with points have a portion that goes to the state, tickets without points stay local. So if you're willing to go to court, they're very happy to plead it down to something with no points and potentially a smaller fine because the town comes out ahead.

And speaking of NY 5, the last time I was pulled over, I was doing 60 in the 40 MPH speed trap zone at 5 AM. The Lackawanna police gave me the option to do just that.

[fmendes]

Why doesnt the State DOT fix the Cluster F**k on the Cross bronx at the Major Deegan even the smallest thing as to Allowing trucks to use the lower level of the George Washington bridge to prevent trucks from weaving across three lanes of traffic they could also stripe a solid line in the middle of the Washington bridge to guide vehicles coming from the major deegan weaving across 3 lanes and squeezing on the upper level

Primarily because the state DOT doesn't manage the George Washington Bridge.

well i know that what im talking about is the Bridge at the Highbridge interchange

[Roadgeek Adam]

And speaking of NY 5, the last time I was pulled over, I was doing 60 in the 40 MPH speed trap zone at 5 AM. The Lackawanna police gave me the option to do just that.

Woodlawn is good for that. Dirtiest speed trap in the county.

[WashuOtaku]

Reuters recently released an article regarding Interstate 81 through Rochester Syracuse. It's an interesting read and I assume I-81 will be rerouted around the city if the plans mention are done.

[webny99]

Reuters recently released an article regarding Interstate 81 through Rochester. It's an interesting read and I assume I-81 will be rerouted around the city if the plans mention are done.

Syracuse, not Rochester. But yes, I-81 would be re-routed along I-481. This is a hot topic: there's a whole thread about it with almost 1k replies here.

[crispy93]

Regardless, I think it could be 65 mph no problem. But NY just doesn't seem to see Long Island as "rural". I struggle to see it that way myself at times.

NY 27 is even more egregious: https://goo.gl/maps/rfQML9sCt42XK53E9

I asked NYSDOT about it, TL;DR Long Island is too densely populated: https://i.imgur.com/j32xRdC.png

I wonder what the real reason is.

[Roadgeekteen]

Regardless, I think it could be 65 mph no problem. But NY just doesn't seem to see Long Island as "rural". I struggle to see it that way myself at times.

I asked NYSDOT about it, TL;DR Long Island is too densely populated: https://i.imgur.com/j32xRdC.png

Lol what a dumbass.

[Buffaboy]

And speaking of NY 5, the last time I was pulled over, I was doing 60 in the 40 MPH speed trap zone at 5 AM. The Lackawanna police gave me the option to do just that.

Woodlawn is good for that. Dirtiest speed trap in the county.

And NY 5 south of Woodlawn