New York

[Rothman]

I've taken some sort of diabolical joy in watching the big ground-mounted sign that lists colleges in Albany on NY 85 NB slowly fall to the ground.

[Rothman]

The new state budget includes funding for Northway Exit 3 (or whatever they're numbering the new ramps). If you're remotely familiar with the area, you will know that the project is much needed and long overdue.

I disagree with how needed this project is.  It's been pushed off for years because people make do with going through the lights at the end of Wolf Road and Region 1 certainly has other issues that need addressing overall due to their unfortunate hyperfocus on Interstates in the early 2000s (i.e., non-Interstates have gone to pot condition-wise and they've been trying to dig themselves out from under that backlog...MAP-21 didn't do them any favors with the added emphasis on the NHS and they've been restricted in their efforts by their fund source mix). 

In my opinion, without political pressure having been put upon NYSDOT, the project would have been pushed off even further given the other priorities Region 1 faces.  Building new while letting everything else go kaput just isn't wise.

[davewiecking]

I thought I knew most of the terms and acronyms by now, but I guess not.  What does APL stand for?

Arrow Per Lane.

[vdeane]

There's some kind of fuel pump in the front and offices.

Some NYSDOT facilities have gas, a few more diesel, and a lot more CNG.

The new state budget includes funding for Northway Exit 3 (or whatever they're numbering the new ramps). If you're remotely familiar with the area, you will know that the project is much needed and long overdue.

I disagree with how needed this project is.  It's been pushed off for years because people make do with going through the lights at the end of Wolf Road and Region 1 certainly has other issues that need addressing overall due to their unfortunate hyperfocus on Interstates in the early 2000s (i.e., non-Interstates have gone to pot condition-wise and they've been trying to dig themselves out from under that backlog...MAP-21 didn't do them any favors with the added emphasis on the NHS and they've been restricted in their efforts by their fund source mix). 

In my opinion, without political pressure having been put upon NYSDOT, the project would have been pushed off even further given the other priorities Region 1 faces.  Building new while letting everything else go kaput just isn't wise.

Seriously, that area backs up every day.  Sometimes the traffic getting off there backs up onto the Northway in the morning, and in the evening, it's the main cause of congestion until you get near NY 7.  It also take a LONG time to get through all those lights, which is THE reason why no reasonable alternative routes to the Northway exist for my commute.  Even when the Northway is a parking lot and you're constantly hitting a complete stop, it's STILL faster than taking Wolf Road through, and getting off at exit 4 if it's congested (especially NB) is a hopeless cause.

[Rothman]

There's some kind of fuel pump in the front and offices.

Some NYSDOT facilities have gas, a few more diesel, and a lot more CNG.

The new state budget includes funding for Northway Exit 3 (or whatever they're numbering the new ramps). If you're remotely familiar with the area, you will know that the project is much needed and long overdue.

I disagree with how needed this project is.  It's been pushed off for years because people make do with going through the lights at the end of Wolf Road and Region 1 certainly has other issues that need addressing overall due to their unfortunate hyperfocus on Interstates in the early 2000s (i.e., non-Interstates have gone to pot condition-wise and they've been trying to dig themselves out from under that backlog...MAP-21 didn't do them any favors with the added emphasis on the NHS and they've been restricted in their efforts by their fund source mix). 

In my opinion, without political pressure having been put upon NYSDOT, the project would have been pushed off even further given the other priorities Region 1 faces.  Building new while letting everything else go kaput just isn't wise.

Seriously, that area backs up every day.  Sometimes the traffic getting off there backs up onto the Northway in the morning, and in the evening, it's the main cause of congestion until you get near NY 7.  It also take a LONG time to get through all those lights, which is THE reason why no reasonable alternative routes to the Northway exist for my commute.  Even when the Northway is a parking lot and you're constantly hitting a complete stop, it's STILL faster than taking Wolf Road through, and getting off at exit 4 if it's congested (especially NB) is a hopeless cause.

Congestion mitigation through building new infrastructure versus preserving old, which NYSDOT's stated policy is "preservation first."

[cl94]

There's some kind of fuel pump in the front and offices.

Some NYSDOT facilities have gas, a few more diesel, and a lot more CNG.

The new state budget includes funding for Northway Exit 3 (or whatever they're numbering the new ramps). If you're remotely familiar with the area, you will know that the project is much needed and long overdue.

I disagree with how needed this project is.  It's been pushed off for years because people make do with going through the lights at the end of Wolf Road and Region 1 certainly has other issues that need addressing overall due to their unfortunate hyperfocus on Interstates in the early 2000s (i.e., non-Interstates have gone to pot condition-wise and they've been trying to dig themselves out from under that backlog...MAP-21 didn't do them any favors with the added emphasis on the NHS and they've been restricted in their efforts by their fund source mix). 

In my opinion, without political pressure having been put upon NYSDOT, the project would have been pushed off even further given the other priorities Region 1 faces.  Building new while letting everything else go kaput just isn't wise.

Seriously, that area backs up every day.  Sometimes the traffic getting off there backs up onto the Northway in the morning, and in the evening, it's the main cause of congestion until you get near NY 7.  It also take a LONG time to get through all those lights, which is THE reason why no reasonable alternative routes to the Northway exist for my commute.  Even when the Northway is a parking lot and you're constantly hitting a complete stop, it's STILL faster than taking Wolf Road through, and getting off at exit 4 if it's congested (especially NB) is a hopeless cause.

Congestion mitigation through building new infrastructure versus preserving old, which NYSDOT's stated policy is "preservation first."

And I donxt think anyone is complaining. The area has been a mess since I was a young child and it has only gotten worse as the population has surged.

[Alps]

There's some kind of fuel pump in the front and offices.

Some NYSDOT facilities have gas, a few more diesel, and a lot more CNG.

The new state budget includes funding for Northway Exit 3 (or whatever they're numbering the new ramps). If you're remotely familiar with the area, you will know that the project is much needed and long overdue.

I disagree with how needed this project is.  It's been pushed off for years because people make do with going through the lights at the end of Wolf Road and Region 1 certainly has other issues that need addressing overall due to their unfortunate hyperfocus on Interstates in the early 2000s (i.e., non-Interstates have gone to pot condition-wise and they've been trying to dig themselves out from under that backlog...MAP-21 didn't do them any favors with the added emphasis on the NHS and they've been restricted in their efforts by their fund source mix). 

In my opinion, without political pressure having been put upon NYSDOT, the project would have been pushed off even further given the other priorities Region 1 faces.  Building new while letting everything else go kaput just isn't wise.

Seriously, that area backs up every day.  Sometimes the traffic getting off there backs up onto the Northway in the morning, and in the evening, it's the main cause of congestion until you get near NY 7.  It also take a LONG time to get through all those lights, which is THE reason why no reasonable alternative routes to the Northway exist for my commute.  Even when the Northway is a parking lot and you're constantly hitting a complete stop, it's STILL faster than taking Wolf Road through, and getting off at exit 4 if it's congested (especially NB) is a hopeless cause.

Congestion mitigation through building new infrastructure versus preserving old, which NYSDOT's stated policy is "preservation first."

The new infrastructure replaces old. They're not adding a new highway, just reconfiguring an existing interchange.

[Buffaboy]

One could argue that the some of the expressways that were planned for Albany should've been constructed.

[cl94]

One could argue that the some of the expressways that were planned for Albany should've been constructed.

I-687 is redundant given the late-80s reconstruction of Exit 1. A lot of the traffic that currently exists in the area could be fixed by building a flyover at I-787 Exit 9 (or extending the merge lane) and adding another EB lane on NY 7 to give an alternate. The choke point on I-87 is north of where it would have come in, anyway. At Exit 1, the original expressway connection to I-787 isn't needed, but a direct ramp would do wonders for traffic, even if it's E-ZPass only.

A completed South Mall (at least on the east end) would have been nice to reduce traffic at the Patroon Island Bridge, especially if they had it continue to US 4 to run over current NY 43. If they still wanted to do it, it could be completed while removing a remarkably small amount of buildings. On the west side, a decent street-level connection that makes the movement to I-90 already exists.

I-88 would be useless without replacing the Twin Bridges and having it extend into Vermont (which was a pipe dream to begin with, given the terrain and the amount of Troy that would need to be destroyed). The main draw for the center section is nonexistent as long as NYSTA allows toll-free travel between Exits 24 and 25A.

Moving to the northern end of the region, what would be useful is I-92, or at least a portion of it. NY 149 and US 4 are miserable, even during the off-season (i.e. right now). Queues during the peak season can near 1 mile in length (yes, I kept track once) and the off-peak parts of the year have a steady stream of vehicles.

[kalvado]

One could argue that the some of the expressways that were planned for Albany should've been constructed.

I would argue, that DOT needs some semi-descent traffic engineers. But that is probably too much to ask.

[Bumppoman]

Does anyone know what happened with county routes throughout the state in the last 1-2 years?  Suddenly there was a HUGE uptick in signage (at least in the Southern Tier, all of which I travel regularly on back roads for work).  Did some new funding come available to do these projects, or was there a mandate that counties needed to sign the highways better?

[dgolub]

Does anyone know what happened with county routes throughout the state in the last 1-2 years?  Suddenly there was a HUGE uptick in signage (at least in the Southern Tier, all of which I travel regularly on back roads for work).  Did some new funding come available to do these projects, or was there a mandate that counties needed to sign the highways better?

No idea, it certainly hasn't made any difference down here.  Nassau and Westchester counties are still completely unsigned.

[cl94]

Does anyone know what happened with county routes throughout the state in the last 1-2 years?  Suddenly there was a HUGE uptick in signage (at least in the Southern Tier, all of which I travel regularly on back roads for work).  Did some new funding come available to do these projects, or was there a mandate that counties needed to sign the highways better?

No idea, it certainly hasn't made any difference down here.  Nassau and Westchester counties are still completely unsigned.

I have noticed no change. Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Essex Counties were always well-signed. Warren started signing ~7 years ago and has been gradually improving. Most of Erie's remaining signs have actually come down pretty recently, with no counties in Western New York outside of the Southern Tier signing their highways. Schenectady County still only posts the numbers on blades, while markers are rare in the Finger Lakes as well.

[Jim]

Does anyone know what happened with county routes throughout the state in the last 1-2 years?  Suddenly there was a HUGE uptick in signage (at least in the Southern Tier, all of which I travel regularly on back roads for work).  Did some new funding come available to do these projects, or was there a mandate that counties needed to sign the highways better?

Additional data point: I believe more pentagons have appeared in Montgomery County in recent years.  I don't remember any that existed for more than a few years, but admittedly my travels are mainly in the eastern part of the county.  I also believe that there are still many county-maintained roads that do not have pentagons.

[Bumppoman]

Does anyone know what happened with county routes throughout the state in the last 1-2 years?  Suddenly there was a HUGE uptick in signage (at least in the Southern Tier, all of which I travel regularly on back roads for work).  Did some new funding come available to do these projects, or was there a mandate that counties needed to sign the highways better?

No idea, it certainly hasn't made any difference down here.  Nassau and Westchester counties are still completely unsigned.

I have noticed no change. Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Essex Counties were always well-signed. Warren started signing ~7 years ago and has been gradually improving. Most of Erie's remaining signs have actually come down pretty recently, with no counties in Western New York outside of the Southern Tier signing their highways. Schenectady County still only posts the numbers on blades, while markers are rare in the Finger Lakes as well.

Huh, that's interesting.  Every road in Broome County has been signed with green name signs having a small blue pentagon with the number, as well as standard pentagon signage.  Wednesday I was in Delaware, Sullivan, and Ulster Counties and noticed quite a bit of new signage on their county roads.  I've seen the same in Chenango County and Tompkins County.

[Duke87]

Was there any centralized push at all to get more county routes signed? My understanding is that many counties over the past bunch of years have made the decision to put up signs independent of each other but for the same reason: often map data will have the numbers, and when someone's GPS tells them "turn right on county road 26", that's a problem if there's no sign for county road 26. I'm sure many counties decided it was easier to just put up signs than to continually fight with GPS manufacturers to remove the numbers from their data.

I would even hazard a guess that the counties which have not decided to put up signs are counties that for whatever reason have not experienced a particular problem with GPS devices calling out route numbers there are no signs for.

[vdeane]

A lot of the counties that don't post signs are the more urban ones, so it's possible that people traveling in those counties are looking more for street names than county route numbers.

[Buffaboy]

Oneida County has a bunch.

[cl94]

In the case of Warren County, tourism maps distributed by the county had numbers long before they were posted. CR 7 is one that really sticks out. I have a Warren County map from the late 90s showing the number quite prominently. Of course, this was back before Washington County used the pentagon, but that's a different story.

[froggie]

A completed South Mall (at least on the east end) would have been nice to reduce traffic at the Patroon Island Bridge, especially if they had it continue to US 4 to run over current NY 43. If they still wanted to do it, it could be completed while removing a remarkably small amount of buildings.

It's not that easy.  Sure, there may not be many buildings in the way, but you'd A) have to be careful to avoid impacts to the Amtrak station, and B) up the hill towards I-90, take your pick of plowing through a gravel pit or a cemetery.

Moving to the northern end of the region, what would be useful is I-92, or at least a portion of it. NY 149 and US 4 are miserable, even during the off-season (i.e. right now). Queues during the peak season can near 1 mile in length (yes, I kept track once) and the off-peak parts of the year have a steady stream of vehicles.

149's biggest issue, by far, is lack of a direct connection to the Northway.  As for US 4, while a freeway would be nice, the bulk of its problems would be remedied by a few periodic sets of passing lanes.

[machias]

Oneida County has a bunch.

Oneida County was just signed within the last seven years or so. When CR 840 was signed, the county folks made a point of saying that no other county routes would be signed. Then they signed them two years later.

[Alps]

Does anyone know what happened with county routes throughout the state in the last 1-2 years?  Suddenly there was a HUGE uptick in signage (at least in the Southern Tier, all of which I travel regularly on back roads for work).  Did some new funding come available to do these projects, or was there a mandate that counties needed to sign the highways better?

Shovel-ready projects for Federal stimulus funding?

[dgolub]

Was there any centralized push at all to get more county routes signed? My understanding is that many counties over the past bunch of years have made the decision to put up signs independent of each other but for the same reason: often map data will have the numbers, and when someone's GPS tells them "turn right on county road 26", that's a problem if there's no sign for county road 26. I'm sure many counties decided it was easier to just put up signs than to continually fight with GPS manufacturers to remove the numbers from their data.

I would even hazard a guess that the counties which have not decided to put up signs are counties that for whatever reason have not experienced a particular problem with GPS devices calling out route numbers there are no signs for.

As far as I know, Nassau has been very effective in keeping their CR numbers off of commercial maps by denying that they exist, although you can find them on the LHI from NYSDOT (or on my web site).  Westchester, however, has had a lot of their CR numbers show up on Google Maps, but I have yet to ever see any CR signage in Westchester.

[mariethefoxy]

Suffolk is really hit or miss with county routes being signed. some like 97, 83, 11, 1, 2, 80, 10, 6, 104, 105, 19, 34, and 39 (the ones i know off the top of my head) are signed really well. Others like 92, 82 are signed really sporadically, same with 3 (its signed well in the town of Islip but the town of Huntington has a real lack of Route 3 signs). the county routes in the town of huntington in particular have a tendency to be signed badly, and a lot of them aren't signed at all.

[machias]

Chautauqua County has had excellent county route signage since I lived there in the mid 1980s. Their destination signs were always easy to spot because they would be supported with a diagonal cross bar from about 1/2 up the installation to the ground behind the sign. County route markers themselves were all over the place, but cardinal directions came later.

Oswego County started posting pentagon markers in the early 1980s, complete with cardinal directions right from the onset.  Prior to that there were a very few black on white small squares on some of the county routes.

Jefferson County just started posting in the late 1990s. They still use what looks like Series A numerals from time to time.

To the best of my knowledge, Onondaga County has only ever posted CR 57 (even though it's actually CR 91). The latest generation of county route markers were hideous looking.