New York

[odditude]

What's in a name?  You think many call Washington National Airport as Reagan National?

in NOVA, i regularly hear the airports referred to as "Reagan" and "Dulles" - so that's a yes.

[vdeane]

The legitimate process still does not require Congressional approval.

It was an illegitimate way to change the name of a nationally known location.

I worked a summer in Denali National Park back in about 1996 and believe me, the Denali name was overwhelmingly dominant already.  I worked at the 'Parks Hotel Denali' not 'Parks Hotel McKinley' etc.  One of the few times when a name change is embraced more quickly by much of the public than by the bureaucracy. 

The hotel was probably named after the park rather than the mountain.

[Beltway]

I worked a summer in Denali National Park back in about 1996 and believe me, the Denali name was overwhelmingly dominant already.  I worked at the 'Parks Hotel Denali' not 'Parks Hotel McKinley' etc.  One of the few times when a name change is embraced more quickly by much of the public than by the bureaucracy. 

Two different entities.

The Denali National Park and Preserve encompasses 6 million acres (9,375 square miles) of Alaska's interior wilderness.  Its contains the 20,310-ft.-high Denali aka Mount McKinley, North America's tallest mountain peak.

This mountain is the highest mountain peak of North America.  It is the third-most topographically prominent and third-most topographically isolated summit on Earth after Mount Everest (in Tibet) and Aconcagua (in Argentina).

So it is not that simple to say, in effect, "the locals should rule and be able obtain a name change."  The mountain is world-renown.

The mountain was officially named for a prominent president for over 100 years.

Also, why just "Denali" and not "Mount Denali"?  To give it a human or spirit name?

I also question what name is in common usage, perhaps both are --

MOUNT MCKINLEY is the highest peak in North America with a summit at 20,329 ft (6,196 m). Located in the 600-mi- (965-km-) long Alaskan Mountain Range, it is approximately 150 mi (246 km) south of Fairbanks, ALASKA.
Mount McKinley is located near the center of the 6-million-acre Denali National Park and Wildlife Preserve.
http://geography.name/mckinley-mount/

[jeffandnicole]

Vdeane, I recall that there are technical differences between an old-style traffic-circle and a roundabout. Could you briefly summarize the differences in layman's terms?

I was surprised there wasn't another response answering your question yet so here goes...

The NJ traffic circles (such as Somerville and Flemington and others) generally are very large diameter sort of round traffic islands.  ONE direction of one of the roads (usually the dominant road and only in one direction of it) gets to come flying into the circle with nothing more restrictive than ad advisory speed.  In fact, the posting of the advisory speed is usually the best before you get there clue that you are on the leg of the circle that doesn't yield. 

No matter how you get into the circle (from the no stop dominant road or you dart out into a gap from one of the other yielding roads), you don't yield or stop for anything until and unless you make it back around to the dominant road.  I believe the circle has stops at that point but in practice you'd have to stop almost all the time anyway because these are busy places even off hours.

In my opinion (was a NJ resident for 3 years) the circles aren't such a terrible thing but they are VERY intimidating to the uninitiated.  Really though the main stress with them comes from them being so large and busy with multiple lanes, some of which often are forced to exit at a certain leg.  That one direction doesn't stop isn't that challenging to deal with and keeps at least that one leg from almost ever backing up too much.  Some circles (Somerville being one) have a stop light about 500 feet from one of the non favored legs of the circle which helps to create gaps in the onslaught of people coming from that leg and that helps keep the circle moving. 

Really, the circles are an industrial strength intersection that are nothing anybody would choose to build unless they had a 6 way intersection and a crap load of traffic.  But for those unfortunate intersections with NJ's unfortunate volume of traffic, they are about the only way to do what they do that allow all roads to connect to all others at that point.

Some of them have been modified recently to allow the dominant road to go around or even completely over the circle making the circle more of an 'exit to the circle' option for non-through traffic on the dominant road...

Traffic circles are perfectly fine traffic control devices when the volume isn't too severe. This is why circles lasted in a lot of areas of NJ that were much more suburban or rural until the mid to late 80s in most places. However, it does bear pointing out that there's also a reason NJDOT has invested in either eliminating or updating so many of them in the past 30-40 years. Once traffic volumes get much higher, they become much more dangerous and cause more problems than they solve. Somerville is probably the worst example of a traffic circle that one could ever give these days. The best option would be for it to finally be completely eliminated, but geometry, the need for land, and other factors make that impractical at best. Flemington should probably be eliminated as well, but they have done the work over there to move a lot of thru traffic on 202 out of the circle itself with the bypass roads.

Roundabouts are designed for smaller intersections to not need a traffic light and can better manage traffic than stop signs and the like.

The airport circle near Camden, NJ also received the overpass-while-keeping-the-circle treatment several decades ago.  A relatively more recent update took out a bit of the circle feel to it, especially on US 130 north.

Going back to bemybear's points...one other thing about the traditional Jersey traffic circle was, even though there were multiple lanes within the circle, they weren't marked lanes.  People just instinctively drove 2 or 3 cars wide.  Sometimes there were yield signs, sometimes there weren't.  Even written in the state's DMV handbook was that there's no official rules for a traffic circle in NJ.  Slightly amusing is the dual Brooklawn Circles...one was recently updated to have the feel of a modern roundabout, with the exception of US 130 South having the right of way entering the circle, with traffic within the circle still required to yield.  However, the 2nd circle (officially called but very rarely referred to as the Forbidden Circle, which I never understood the origins of) was not given any similar updates.  1 of the 3 legs has traffic yielding upon entry; the other conflict points have no yield signs whatsoever.

[odditude]

Also, why just "Denali" and not "Mount Denali"?  To give it a human or spirit name?

for this point, I provide Haleakalā as relevant precedent (the largest mountain on the island of Maui). it may not be common in English, but it's plenty common in other languages.

[Beltway]

Also, why just "Denali" and not "Mount Denali"?  To give it a human or spirit name?

for this point, I provide Haleakalā as relevant precedent (the largest mountain on the island of Maui). it may not be common in English, but it's plenty common in other languages.

Good point; the aforementioned Aconcagua in the Andes is similar in that regard.

[froggie]

Or the Matterhorn in the Alps.

Here in Vermont, we have a mountain that's simply called Camel's Hump.

[Rothman]

Or the Matterhorn in the Alps.

Here in Vermont, we have a mountain that's simply called Camel's Hump.

That's actually a satisfying short hike (Camel's Hump).

[webny99]

Or the Matterhorn in the Alps.
Here in Vermont, we have a mountain that's simply called Camel's Hump.

That's actually a satisfying short hike (Camel's Hump).

If it's comparable to or easier than Bald Mtn, I might be up for it this fall.
Hoping to get to Vermont sometime in late Sept. or Oct.

[RobbieL2415]

There's a vote underway for new license plate design: https://now.ny.gov/page/s/vote-for-the-next-nys-license-plate-design

I chose plate 1 because it's simple.

Honestly I wish NY had a simple California style license plate that's timeless.

Honestly, CT and MA have the nation's blandest plates.

[abqtraveler]

Any new pics for the I-84 sign replacement and exit conversion?

[Alps]

There's a vote underway for new license plate design: https://now.ny.gov/page/s/vote-for-the-next-nys-license-plate-design

I chose plate 1 because it's simple.

Honestly I wish NY had a simple California style license plate that's timeless.

Honestly, CT and MA have the nation's blandest plates.

Delaware asks you to hold its Dogfish Head.

[jp the roadgeek]

There's a vote underway for new license plate design: https://now.ny.gov/page/s/vote-for-the-next-nys-license-plate-design

I chose plate 1 because it's simple.

Honestly I wish NY had a simple California style license plate that's timeless.

Honestly, CT and MA have the nation's blandest plates.

Delaware asks you to hold its Dogfish Head.

Even though it is about to be acquired by a company in one of the aforementioned bland states?

[signalman]

There's a vote underway for new license plate design: https://now.ny.gov/page/s/vote-for-the-next-nys-license-plate-design

I chose plate 1 because it's simple.

Honestly I wish NY had a simple California style license plate that's timeless.

Honestly, CT and MA have the nation's blandest plates.

Texas has had a black on white color scheme since 2012.  I'd say that's quite bland.

[Michael]

Syracuse.com: This will be the last NYS Fair with that traffic signal on I-690

I'm a bit disappointed that a unique Interstate quirk won't be in my local area anymore.

[Alps]

Syracuse.com: This will be the last NYS Fair with that traffic signal on I-690

I'm a bit disappointed that a unique Interstate quirk won't be in my local area anymore.

This'll also mean the end of the button copy flip signs, if they aren't already gone.

[RobbieL2415]

Syracuse.com: This will be the last NYS Fair with that traffic signal on I-690

I'm a bit disappointed that a unique Interstate quirk won't be in my local area anymore.

It's probably for the better.  Ramps keep everybody moving.

[The Ghostbuster]

Has that traffic signal on Interstate 690 been there since the Interstate first opened? Would it have been possible to provide a connection that did not need at-grade access (possibly like what they are planning to do now)?

[machias]

Syracuse.com: This will be the last NYS Fair with that traffic signal on I-690

I'm a bit disappointed that a unique Interstate quirk won't be in my local area anymore.

This'll also mean the end of the button copy flip signs, if they aren't already gone.

They're all still there, saw them last Saturday. I was thinking they had been replaced when all the ground mounted signs in the area were replaced, but the button copy signs remained intact. They're the only signs that still have patches over the exit numbers when the exits were renumbered in the late 1980s.

[RobbieL2415]

Syracuse.com: This will be the last NYS Fair with that traffic signal on I-690

I'm a bit disappointed that a unique Interstate quirk won't be in my local area anymore.

This'll also mean the end of the button copy flip signs, if they aren't already gone.

They're all still there, saw them last Saturday. I was thinking they had been replaced when all the ground mounted signs in the area were replaced, but the button copy signs remained intact. They're the only signs that still have patches over the exit numbers when the exits were renumbered in the late 1980s.

When's the last day of the fair? If my car is fixed soon I might head that way to get a look at it.  I've never seen it before.

[machias]

Syracuse.com: This will be the last NYS Fair with that traffic signal on I-690

I'm a bit disappointed that a unique Interstate quirk won't be in my local area anymore.

This'll also mean the end of the button copy flip signs, if they aren't already gone.

They're all still there, saw them last Saturday. I was thinking they had been replaced when all the ground mounted signs in the area were replaced, but the button copy signs remained intact. They're the only signs that still have patches over the exit numbers when the exits were renumbered in the late 1980s.

When's the last day of the fair? If my car is fixed soon I might head that way to get a look at it.  I've never seen it before.

The last day of the fair is Labor Day. I haven't been in a few years (just drove by while visiting family this past weekend) but I hear it's still quite good, plus road geek goodness!

Noting they had replaced all the ground mounted BGSes along NY 690 and I-690, I was disappointed to see they didn't renumber the exits (again) to correspond with the new mileposts they put up a few years ago. That would have been super nifty of Region 3.

[Michael]

Has that traffic signal on Interstate 690 been there since the Interstate first opened? Would it have been possible to provide a connection that did not need at-grade access (possibly like what they are planning to do now)?

Before the current alignment of I-690, there was a wide median with parking in the middle and a few left side exit and entrance ramps.  Check out this aerial image from 1966.  It appears that at the time, what's now the Orange Lot was still an active waste bed.  The bridges that went over the eastbound lanes of I-690 now go over a parking lot access road that I've never seen actually used.

[crispy93]

Any new pics for the I-84 sign replacement and exit conversion?

Here's Exit 50 (old 15) https://i.imgur.com/JIlIuSL.jpg
And Exit 68 (old 20) https://i.imgur.com/8H41s5J.jpg

The signs are replaced east of the Hudson, haven't been to Newburgh in a few weeks but I imagine it's made its way to Orange County.

[webny99]

Looks like the SB Thruway at I-787 was a major choke point today. As I've complained in the past, it's too bad they didn't continue the six lanes down to the Berkshire Spur.

[Alps]

Looks like the SB Thruway at I-787 was a major choke point today. As I've complained in the past, it's too bad they didn't continue the six lanes down to NY 17.

FTFY