New York

[noelbotevera]

4 sets on thruway near Utica - before and after, east and westbound. Actually some of those were in progress around 11 AM today.
Someone must feel those are really high priority to have crews doing installation on weekend... I wonder who foots the bill - state or NYSTA?
Installation before exit 25 eastbound is real nice with ugly blue squeezed between bunch of real signs. Almost qualifies for a salad - especially nice with that "lane ends in 1 mile" clusterfuck.
I wonder if engineering got to sign those off, or nobody cares anyway?

Apparently Cuomo wanted the signs up yesterday so whoever is paying for these signs authorized overtime, whatever, to get them up as soon as possible.  I know the bigger of the signs are $2500 in materials.

Yet they can't put up county line signs? Flipping ridiculous.

PennDOT is even worse with this. There's so many dumb safety corridor signs that aren't even enforced that sometimes, the useful signs gets stolen and is never put back up. This has happened on their INTERSTATES.

[mariethefoxy]

the set of signs on the LIE Westbound at Exit 44 (Route 135) was taken down.

There are two sets on the LIE Westbound that I know of, past Exit 52 (where the now closed parking area is) and past Exit 40W.

[cl94]

A set was put up in each direction at the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. If you're unfamiliar with the area, that bridge gets mostly local traffic.

[machias]

4 sets on thruway near Utica - before and after, east and westbound. Actually some of those were in progress around 11 AM today.
Someone must feel those are really high priority to have crews doing installation on weekend... I wonder who foots the bill - state or NYSTA?
Installation before exit 25 eastbound is real nice with ugly blue squeezed between bunch of real signs. Almost qualifies for a salad - especially nice with that "lane ends in 1 mile" clusterfuck.
I wonder if engineering got to sign those off, or nobody cares anyway?

Apparently Cuomo wanted the signs up yesterday so whoever is paying for these signs authorized overtime, whatever, to get them up as soon as possible.  I know the bigger of the signs are $2500 in materials.

Yet they can't put up county line signs? Flipping ridiculous.

Not sure that NYSDOT nor NYSTA really want to put up the signs to begin with. This is a pet project of King Andy and he is the one demanding the signs be put up, to correlate with all the commercials they're showing about the signs. Commercials being shown in New York state, no less.

[vdeane]

Wasn't FHWA complaining about the welcome signs a while ago?  If anything, these are worse.  You'd think they'd be threatening to revoke NY's highway money (or have done so already).

[cl94]

Wasn't FHWA complaining about the welcome signs a while ago?  If anything, these are worse.  You'd think they'd be threatening to revoke NY's highway money (or have done so already).

I was thinking that. I might send the head office an email quoting the section of the MUTCD banning URLs and their explanation. Per Section 2D.50 (community wayfinding signs):

Standard:
32 Except for signs that are intended to be viewed only by pedestrians, bicyclists stopped out of the flow of traffic, or occupants of parked vehicles, Internet and e-mail addresses, including domain names and uniform resource locators (URL), shall not be displayed on any community wayfinding guide sign or sign assembly.

[vdeane]

And, though it's not specifically mentioned, I would think that phone apps would be within the spirit of that standard.  Perhaps they could add them with the next MUTCD.

[kalvado]

Wasn't FHWA complaining about the welcome signs a while ago?  If anything, these are worse.  You'd think they'd be threatening to revoke NY's highway money (or have done so already).

At least thruway is not getting federal funds, as far as I remember. toll bridge across Hudson - probably the same.
In fact, I don't see I-84, 86 and 81 mentioned here. I also believe there was nothing on Northway (yet?). Maybe this is sort of working around MUTCD scope? 

[cl94]

Wasn't FHWA complaining about the welcome signs a while ago?  If anything, these are worse.  You'd think they'd be threatening to revoke NY's highway money (or have done so already).

At least thruway is not getting federal funds, as far as I remember. toll bridge across Hudson - probably the same.
In fact, I don't see I-84, 86 and 81 mentioned here. I also believe there was nothing on Northway (yet?). Maybe this is sort of working around MUTCD scope?

I-84 has the signs.

[vdeane]

I seem to recall FHWA threatening a state over the actions of an agency/municipality that didn't receive federal funds before.  Personally, I'd rather the Thruway director tell Cuomo to shove the signs where the sun doesn't shine, but then people who are willing to call out politicians and higher ups on BS tend not to get put in positions of authority.

(personal opinion emphasized)

[Alps]

Wasn't FHWA complaining about the welcome signs a while ago?  If anything, these are worse.  You'd think they'd be threatening to revoke NY's highway money (or have done so already).

I was thinking that. I might send the head office an email quoting the section of the MUTCD banning URLs and their explanation. Per Section 2D.50 (community wayfinding signs):

Standard:
32 Except for signs that are intended to be viewed only by pedestrians, bicyclists stopped out of the flow of traffic, or occupants of parked vehicles, Internet and e-mail addresses, including domain names and uniform resource locators (URL), shall not be displayed on any community wayfinding guide sign or sign assembly.

I thought FHWA issued an update - perhaps unofficial - relaxing the mandate about URLs and phone numbers, given how connected everyone is and the ability for passengers to visit sites.

[kalvado]

Wasn't FHWA complaining about the welcome signs a while ago?  If anything, these are worse.  You'd think they'd be threatening to revoke NY's highway money (or have done so already).

I was thinking that. I might send the head office an email quoting the section of the MUTCD banning URLs and their explanation. Per Section 2D.50 (community wayfinding signs):

Standard:
32 Except for signs that are intended to be viewed only by pedestrians, bicyclists stopped out of the flow of traffic, or occupants of parked vehicles, Internet and e-mail addresses, including domain names and uniform resource locators (URL), shall not be displayed on any community wayfinding guide sign or sign assembly.

I thought FHWA issued an update - perhaps unofficial - relaxing the mandate about URLs and phone numbers, given how connected everyone is and the ability for passengers to visit sites.

It is up to SIX meaningless signs in progression. I am uploading a video of one of those spots...

[kalvado]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTxhZRCGSsE
UGS: 3 signs can be seen intermixed with the real ones, two more were there before this video starts.
DO you think this 1- mile stretch is sort of overloaded ?

[Rothman]

4 sets on thruway near Utica - before and after, east and westbound. Actually some of those were in progress around 11 AM today.
Someone must feel those are really high priority to have crews doing installation on weekend... I wonder who foots the bill - state or NYSTA?
Installation before exit 25 eastbound is real nice with ugly blue squeezed between bunch of real signs. Almost qualifies for a salad - especially nice with that "lane ends in 1 mile" clusterfuck.
I wonder if engineering got to sign those off, or nobody cares anyway?

Apparently Cuomo wanted the signs up yesterday so whoever is paying for these signs authorized overtime, whatever, to get them up as soon as possible.  I know the bigger of the signs are $2500 in materials.

Yet they can't put up county line signs? Flipping ridiculous.

*shrugs*

Where there's a political will, there's a way.

[Rothman]

HELP truck sponsored by State Farm? Oh, wait..

Were there even HELP trucks before State Farm started operating them?  My impression was they were a service State Farm decided to do and got NYSDOT to put signs on the roads for.

HELP predates State Farm's involvement.  In fact, NYSDOT still funds them.

[cl94]

A couple more sets of FYAs have gome up in Region 1:

NY 146 at Blue Barns Rd in Clifton Park
Central Avenue just west of NY 155 in Colonie (not yet active).

The Central Avenue one replaces a protected-only left turn. Clifton Park replaced doghouses.

[amroad17]

Welcome to New York--signs every 1000 feet.   

Watched the video above.  Constant reading material there near Schenectady, huh?

[D-Dey65]

Interesting thing I notice today: all the rest areas and parking areas on the Northway now say they're sponsored by Geico.

So are the toll booths on the Suncoast Parkway. This sort of thing doesn't just happen in New York.

[machias]

Driving east on the Thruway at Exit 34A, crews were working last night at around 11:30 pm taking the Cuomo welcome signs down or relocating them. There were only two left in the series with one coming down as I passed by.


In the other direction they were digging post holes. The "Finger Lakes Region" sign, which was interspersed with the Cuomo signs, had been removed. Perhaps that was getting moved downstream or something.

Again, these were crews working at 11:30 at night doing sign work.

[dgolub]

Welcome to New York--signs every 1000 feet.   

Yesterday, I discovered that there's also one where you come out of the Lincoln Tunnel (NY 495) in Manhattan.

[Flyer78]

Interesting thing I notice today: all the rest areas and parking areas on the Northway now say they're sponsored by Geico.

The state line and Preble rest areas on I-81 N now feature stand-alone signs indicating Geico's Sponsorship. At least at Preble, I saw no reference to Geico at the area itself.

[cl94]

Interesting thing I notice today: all the rest areas and parking areas on the Northway now say they're sponsored by Geico.

The state line and Preble rest areas on I-81 N now feature stand-alone signs indicating Geico's Sponsorship. At least at Preble, I saw no reference to Geico at the area itself.

From what I can tell, it's statewide.

[cu2010]

Yep, statewide.

[noelbotevera]

Hmm, what's dumber, this "Text Stop" thing or "Adopt-A-Highway"...?

[74/171FAN]

Hmm, what's dumber, this "Text Stop" thing or "Adopt-A-Highway"...?

What is wrong with "Adopt-A-Highway"? I thought it was supposed to allow companies or groups to clean up litter a few times a years from whatever road is "adopted" by that respective group.