New York

[Buffaboy]

Technically the c/d roads at Thruway exit 55 are part of US 219.

Oh I've known that, I mean how it runs parallel to I-90. Kind of like NY-49 in Utica, although there isn't direct access to I-90 (yet).

[Buffaboy]

I thought this was an interesting fact: The Voyager Golden Records contain this picture of what was at the time a modern highway in Ithaca, NY:


Here's the same scene in Street View, and here's a list of everything on the records.  The picture is in the Scenes From Earth section.

If aliens get to the spacecraft, they'll see what a real highway looks like.

[cl94]

In a surprise announcement, NYSDOT, VTrans and New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced the construction of a new Interstate spur along the US 4 and NY 149 corridor between Interstate 87 in Bolton and US 4 east of Rutland earlier today. The route, to be designated Interstate 387, will be a four-lane limited access freeway running through Warren, Washington, and Rutland Counties. In his speech, Cuomo noted that the project will include a four-lane cable-stayed signature bridge across Lake George between Bolton Landing and Shelving Rock, a signature arch bridge across South Bay and twin two-lane tunnels under Cat Mountain and West Mountain. Intermediate exits between I-87 and the current west end of the freeway will be located at NY 9N, Washington CR 7, NY 22, and VT 4A. The grade crossing near US 7 will be eliminated and the freeway will be extended east to Mendon around the southeast side of Rutland with a new interchange at US 7.

[AMLNet49]

In a surprise announcement, NYSDOT, VTrans and New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced the construction of a new Interstate spur along the US 4 and NY 149 corridor between Interstate 87 in Bolton and US 4 east of Rutland earlier today. The route, to be designated Interstate 387, will be a four-lane limited access freeway running through Warren, Washington, and Rutland Counties. In his speech, Cuomo noted that the project will include a four-lane cable-stayed signature bridge across Lake George between Bolton Landing and Shelving Rock, a signature arch bridge across South Bay and twin two-lane tunnels under Cat Mountain and West Mountain. Intermediate exits between I-87 and the current west end of the freeway will be located at NY 9N, Washington CR 7, NY 22, and VT 4A. The grade crossing near US 7 will be eliminated and the freeway will be extended east to Mendon around the southeast side of Rutland with a new interchange at US 7.

You worked hard on this April Fools prank

[Rothman]

The signature bridge across Lake George was a nice touch.

[froggie]

Ignorance is bliss, especially today...

[empirestate]

Thank god somebody finally got around to an April Fools joke. I'm pretty sure this is the first one I've seen all day, apart from the re-release of Calvin & Hobbes by Berke Breathed, of course.

[Mergingtraffic]

If you look closely at this beauty, you see it says "County of Westchester" at the bottom.  I'm thinking maybe that's why this has never been replaced b/c it's not NYS DOT maintained? I always wondered why these were never replaced.

I'm not seeing it, sorry.

I only noticed the "County of Westchester on the Exit 9N-S sign.  Just found it suspect the other signs haven't been replaced as well (Including the ones on the I-287 EB mainline in the area)

[xcellntbuy]

In a surprise announcement, NYSDOT, VTrans and New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced the construction of a new Interstate spur along the US 4 and NY 149 corridor between Interstate 87 in Bolton and US 4 east of Rutland earlier today. The route, to be designated Interstate 387, will be a four-lane limited access freeway running through Warren, Washington, and Rutland Counties. In his speech, Cuomo noted that the project will include a four-lane cable-stayed signature bridge across Lake George between Bolton Landing and Shelving Rock, a signature arch bridge across South Bay and twin two-lane tunnels under Cat Mountain and West Mountain. Intermediate exits between I-87 and the current west end of the freeway will be located at NY 9N, Washington CR 7, NY 22, and VT 4A. The grade crossing near US 7 will be eliminated and the freeway will be extended east to Mendon around the southeast side of Rutland with a new interchange at US 7.

That is one helluva news release and yes, the Lake George bridge was a special touch.

[cl94]

In real news, plans of the new LIE rest area/welcome center were released. EB side at the current parking area.

[vdeane]

I assume this is the version with no truck parking.  Honestly, what's the point?  NY wouldn't even be able to use federal funding because of Cuomo's "Taste NY" thing.  Wasn't the reason for adding the rest areas in the first place to add truck facilities?

(personal opinion emphasized)

[cl94]

I assume this is the version with no truck parking.  Honestly, what's the point?  NY wouldn't even be able to use federal funding because of Cuomo's "Taste NY" thing.  Wasn't the reason for adding the rest areas in the first place to add truck facilities?

(personal opinion emphasized)

It is and I agree that it is bullshit. Quite ironic that the plans went online today. Unless they're planning to add another truck facility, this will take away one of the very few truck parking areas on the Island.

[Buffaboy]

In a surprise announcement, NYSDOT, VTrans and New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced the construction of a new Interstate spur along the US 4 and NY 149 corridor between Interstate 87 in Bolton and US 4 east of Rutland earlier today. The route, to be designated Interstate 387, will be a four-lane limited access freeway running through Warren, Washington, and Rutland Counties. In his speech, Cuomo noted that the project will include a four-lane cable-stayed signature bridge across Lake George between Bolton Landing and Shelving Rock, a signature arch bridge across South Bay and twin two-lane tunnels under Cat Mountain and West Mountain. Intermediate exits between I-87 and the current west end of the freeway will be located at NY 9N, Washington CR 7, NY 22, and VT 4A. The grade crossing near US 7 will be eliminated and the freeway will be extended east to Mendon around the southeast side of Rutland with a new interchange at US 7.

great minds think alike. I posted this beauty on another forum yesterday

ALBANY — As Erie County and its inner- and mid- ring suburbs grow, so does the need for improved transportation, according to local and state officials. Banking on TIGER grants, they believe that a revival of the 1971 Outer Belt plan is necessary. A bypass of Amherst, a cut across the East Side, and a Lancaster Relief Route were all proposed during the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. The outer belt highway was proposed during this timeframe as well, but went into hiatus during the mid- 1980s and was ultimatly shelved from the region's long range planning document in 1993.

In a statement forwarded to The News, Rep. Chris Collins took a bullish approach to the plan, saying the area's transportation infrastructure has become overcrowded in recent years, and cited the frequent delays at Exit 51 in Cheektowaga.

"The state DOT informed me that the 90/33 interchange is nearing the end-of-life cycle, and that a replacement would cost an exorbitant amount of money. Their recommendation was that a reliever highway may in fact be necessary.

Part of the area beltway had been completed by 1975, including the Milestrip Expressway in Blasdell and the LaSalle Expressway in Niagara Falls, both of which were designed to join in the eastern suburbs. According to the statement, the proposed beltway would follow the initial proposed path from the 1971 regional plan, taking it through Orchard Park, Elma, Lancaster and Amherst, ultimatly joining with the LaSalle Expressway east of Niagara Falls.

Collins noted in his statement that he is aware of the potential issues with the routing of the route, but says that the eminent domain would be justifiable under the current circumstances.

"When you look at the routing, it's clear that it takes up a lot of land," Collins said. "The DOT has said that much of this is negotiable in their study of alternatives and that there may be alterations to cut down on costs."

The Greater Buffalo-Niagara Regional Transportation Council, responsible for the area's transportation planning, has shifted towards public transportation and mass transit in the latest study. While the agency did not immediately responded for comment, it has been amenable to policy changes in the past.

The fact that people believed this is amazing.

[Rothman]

I assume this is the version with no truck parking.  Honestly, what's the point?  NY wouldn't even be able to use federal funding because of Cuomo's "Taste NY" thing.  Wasn't the reason for adding the rest areas in the first place to add truck facilities?

(personal opinion emphasized)

The federal aid ineligibility threat has not been carried out yet, insofar as I know.

*knows something everyone else doesn't know about this whole mess but can't tell and boasts of his secret knowledge like a six-year-old*

[cl94]

I assume this is the version with no truck parking.  Honestly, what's the point?  NY wouldn't even be able to use federal funding because of Cuomo's "Taste NY" thing.  Wasn't the reason for adding the rest areas in the first place to add truck facilities?

(personal opinion emphasized)

The federal aid ineligibility threat has not been carried out yet, insofar as I know.

*knows something everyone else doesn't know about this whole mess but can't tell and boasts of his secret knowledge like a six-year-old*

Oh? Is there another announcement coming?

[CobaltYoshi27]

I assume this is the version with no truck parking.  Honestly, what's the point?  NY wouldn't even be able to use federal funding because of Cuomo's "Taste NY" thing.  Wasn't the reason for adding the rest areas in the first place to add truck facilities?

(personal opinion emphasized)

The federal aid ineligibility threat has not been carried out yet, insofar as I know.

*knows something everyone else doesn't know about this whole mess but can't tell and boasts of his secret knowledge like a six-year-old*

Oh? Is there another announcement coming?

Long Island also doesn't need these rest stops. There are nearly 60 exits on 495, a lot of them containing places to stop, and it's only 71 miles long. It only takes an hour and fifteen minutes max to reach Riverhead from NYC.

[cl94]

I assume this is the version with no truck parking.  Honestly, what's the point?  NY wouldn't even be able to use federal funding because of Cuomo's "Taste NY" thing.  Wasn't the reason for adding the rest areas in the first place to add truck facilities?

(personal opinion emphasized)

The federal aid ineligibility threat has not been carried out yet, insofar as I know.

*knows something everyone else doesn't know about this whole mess but can't tell and boasts of his secret knowledge like a six-year-old*

Oh? Is there another announcement coming?

Long Island also doesn't need these rest stops. There are nearly 60 exits on 495, a lot of them containing places to stop, and it's only 71 miles long. It only takes an hour and fifteen minutes max to reach Riverhead from NYC.

Long Island has a grand total of zero truck stops and very few places for trucks to legally park. A run from Jersey to eastern Suffolk is barely doable on a single shift if traffic is good and you have to do a round trip. Let me give you an idea of timing: a round trip from Nassau to Montauk can be ~5 hours on a good day. It takes forever to travel across the Island, especially for a truck that is basically limited to one of two limited-access routes and a few N-S connectors between them. The original idea of a rest area was to provide a better truck parking location. And 1:15 is on a weekend or at night. Good luck doing that when a truck would have to deliver.

[CobaltYoshi27]

I assume this is the version with no truck parking.  Honestly, what's the point?  NY wouldn't even be able to use federal funding because of Cuomo's "Taste NY" thing.  Wasn't the reason for adding the rest areas in the first place to add truck facilities?

(personal opinion emphasized)

The federal aid ineligibility threat has not been carried out yet, insofar as I know.

*knows something everyone else doesn't know about this whole mess but can't tell and boasts of his secret knowledge like a six-year-old*

Oh? Is there another announcement coming?

Long Island also doesn't need these rest stops. There are nearly 60 exits on 495, a lot of them containing places to stop, and it's only 71 miles long. It only takes an hour and fifteen minutes max to reach Riverhead from NYC.

Long Island has a grand total of zero truck stops and very few places for trucks to legally park. A run from Jersey to eastern Suffolk is barely doable on a single shift if traffic is good and you have to do a round trip. Let me give you an idea of timing: a round trip from Nassau to Montauk can be ~5 hours on a good day. It takes forever to travel across the Island, especially for a truck that is basically limited to one of two limited-access routes and a few N-S connectors between them. The original idea of a rest area was to provide a better truck parking location. And 1:15 is on a weekend or at night. Good luck doing that when a truck would have to deliver.

We actually do have one stop past exit 48, even though it is an eastbound sort of deal. And 495 is actually fine so long as it isn't rush hour.

[cl94]

I assume this is the version with no truck parking.  Honestly, what's the point?  NY wouldn't even be able to use federal funding because of Cuomo's "Taste NY" thing.  Wasn't the reason for adding the rest areas in the first place to add truck facilities?

(personal opinion emphasized)

The federal aid ineligibility threat has not been carried out yet, insofar as I know.

*knows something everyone else doesn't know about this whole mess but can't tell and boasts of his secret knowledge like a six-year-old*

Oh? Is there another announcement coming?

Long Island also doesn't need these rest stops. There are nearly 60 exits on 495, a lot of them containing places to stop, and it's only 71 miles long. It only takes an hour and fifteen minutes max to reach Riverhead from NYC.

Long Island has a grand total of zero truck stops and very few places for trucks to legally park. A run from Jersey to eastern Suffolk is barely doable on a single shift if traffic is good and you have to do a round trip. Let me give you an idea of timing: a round trip from Nassau to Montauk can be ~5 hours on a good day. It takes forever to travel across the Island, especially for a truck that is basically limited to one of two limited-access routes and a few N-S connectors between them. The original idea of a rest area was to provide a better truck parking location. And 1:15 is on a weekend or at night. Good luck doing that when a truck would have to deliver.

We actually do have one stop past exit 48, even though it is an eastbound sort of deal. And 495 is actually fine so long as it isn't rush hour.

Unless you're referring to the Dix Hills parking area, there's nothing in the area other than the weigh station.

[cl94]

On a different note, does anybody know when NY 5S was moved over to the old railroad bridge over Schoharie Creek? I drove through there last week and was quite surprised to be driving on the rail bridge. The trail was shifted to the former NY 5S bridge.

[empirestate]

On a different note, does anybody know when NY 5S was moved over to the old railroad bridge over Schoharie Creek? I drove through there last week and was quite surprised to be driving on the rail bridge. The trail was shifted to the former NY 5S bridge.

Wasn't it as a result of the Thruway bridge collapse?

[Jim]

On a different note, does anybody know when NY 5S was moved over to the old railroad bridge over Schoharie Creek? I drove through there last week and was quite surprised to be driving on the rail bridge. The trail was shifted to the former NY 5S bridge.

Wasn't it as a result of the Thruway bridge collapse?

That was one of the times, yes, but in recent years 5S has been switched back and forth a few times.  I think this most recent switch was done by early last fall.  I seem to remember it being switched back over to the railroad bridge when I drove out that way to get on the Thruway at 28 headed west in September.  Maybe it was later than that, though.

Were they alternating traffic now on the RR bridge?  It was very annoying all summer when they were working on the RR bridge and had one lane alternating (with traffic lights) on the original automobile bridge (the one to the south/upstream) to keep half of the bridge dedicated for the bike trail.

[cl94]

On a different note, does anybody know when NY 5S was moved over to the old railroad bridge over Schoharie Creek? I drove through there last week and was quite surprised to be driving on the rail bridge. The trail was shifted to the former NY 5S bridge.

Wasn't it as a result of the Thruway bridge collapse?

That was one of the times, yes, but in recent years 5S has been switched back and forth a few times.  I think this most recent switch was done by early last fall.  I seem to remember it being switched back over to the railroad bridge when I drove out that way to get on the Thruway at 28 headed west in September.  Maybe it was later than that, though.

Were they alternating traffic now on the RR bridge?  It was very annoying all summer when they were working on the RR bridge and had one lane alternating (with traffic lights) on the original automobile bridge (the one to the south/upstream) to keep half of the bridge dedicated for the bike trail.

It was two-way traffic. The trail crossed over to the other bridge on either side.

[MisterSG1]

Technically the c/d roads at Thruway exit 55 are part of US 219.

So V, if the collector lanes at this point are indeed US 219, and the core lanes are I-90 or the Thruway, does this mean that the Thruway Authority ONLY is responsible for maintenance of the core? While the NYSDOT would be responsible for the collectors? I was wondering this and I'm sure you would know the answer as it did cross my mind when you posted that reply.

[cl94]

Technically the c/d roads at Thruway exit 55 are part of US 219.

So V, if the collector lanes at this point are indeed US 219, and the core lanes are I-90 or the Thruway, does this mean that the Thruway Authority ONLY is responsible for maintenance of the core? While the NYSDOT would be responsible for the collectors? I was wondering this and I'm sure you would know the answer as it did cross my mind when you posted that reply.

I'll beat her to the answer- that is correct. Signs at the gore points indicate the change in maintenance. Similarly, the I-190 C-D road at I-290 heading NB is maintained by NYSDOT (and according to mileposts, it is the zero point for I-290).