New York

[cl94]

It's worth noting that some states also renumbered everything regardless of length and it is my personal belief that this should be done in New York, especially as some of these already have a bunch of A/B exits. Take I-787, for example, which has 3A/B and 4 A/B southbound. I-190 has numbering gaps that would be remedied by renumbering everything and you'd never get above B.

[D-Dey65]

Not a good idea to eliminate a shoulder. It impedes emergency vehicle response. Also, I believe Interstate highways are required to have continuous shoulders, though you wouldn't know it to drive some of the older highways in the NYC area that were designated as Interstates.

Okay, so what about replacing the Oyster Bay Branch bridge with longer beams that only require pylons for the divider, and shifting the westbound service road slightly further up? Even if they don't connect the acceleration lane from the Northern State with the deceleration lane for Exit 37, they shouldn't squeeze all those drivers from the parkway into that one short acceleration lane.

[Buffaboy]

W.r.t the Utica roundabout, its great for pedestrians but bad for Arterial finishing. When I was going to school in Utica, crossing Oriskany St to get to the bus station or train station was like playing Frogger, and that's no joke.

Speaking of roundabouts, the Sowles Road/US 62 roundabout is nearing completion.

I hear Carmel Indiana is the top city for light replacements for roundabouts. I'm sure Clifton Park is behind that. I'd like to see Hamburg be up there. It would be nice to see 4 lane roundabouts somewhere in R5.

[machias]

New Roundabout proposed in Downtown Utica.

http://www.uticaod.com/news/20161118/roundabout-proposed-for-downtown-utica

I think this is a good project, but it's a shame that there doesn't seem to be anything in the near future about finishing the Arterial and removing the two remaining lights.

The removal of the two lights on the Arterial is still in the long range plans but I don't believe it has been funded yet. The original project was so suppose to encompass that entire stretch of roadway but they scaled it back, due to funding and I believe also due to political pressure.  At least the project is still on the books.

[Alps]

Not a good idea to eliminate a shoulder. It impedes emergency vehicle response. Also, I believe Interstate highways are required to have continuous shoulders, though you wouldn't know it to drive some of the older highways in the NYC area that were designated as Interstates.

Okay, so what about replacing the Oyster Bay Branch bridge with longer beams that only require pylons for the divider, and shifting the westbound service road slightly further up? Even if they don't connect the acceleration lane from the Northern State with the deceleration lane for Exit 37, they shouldn't squeeze all those drivers from the parkway into that one short acceleration lane.

Get back to me with the cost of replacing a railroad bridge.

[cl94]

Not a good idea to eliminate a shoulder. It impedes emergency vehicle response. Also, I believe Interstate highways are required to have continuous shoulders, though you wouldn't know it to drive some of the older highways in the NYC area that were designated as Interstates.

Okay, so what about replacing the Oyster Bay Branch bridge with longer beams that only require pylons for the divider, and shifting the westbound service road slightly further up? Even if they don't connect the acceleration lane from the Northern State with the deceleration lane for Exit 37, they shouldn't squeeze all those drivers from the parkway into that one short acceleration lane.

Get back to me with the cost of replacing a railroad bridge.

Exactly. Not worth it. Plus, continuous shoulders is a relatively new requirement. Most Interstates in the Northeast don't have continuous full-width shoulders on/under bridges.

[SignBridge]

Cl94, I'm not positive, but I think continuous shoulders were a requirement on new Interstate highways from the beginning of the program in 1956. Patterned after the then new existing toll-roads of the 1950's. Agreed, many Interstates in the NYC area don't have them, but I think those were designed and/or built before the Interstate specs became the standard, and were grandfathered in. 

[cl94]

Cl94, I'm not positive, but I think continuous shoulders were a requirement on new Interstate highways from the beginning of the program in 1956. Patterned after the then new existing toll-roads of the 1950's. Agreed, many Interstates in the NYC area don't have them, but I think those were designed and/or built before the Interstate specs became the standard, and were grandfathered in.

NYSDOT and NYSTA didn't start using continuous shoulders over bridges until at least the late 70s. You'd be hard-pressed to find a bridge that isn't relatively new in this state that has full shoulders. Other states are similar.

That being said, there is still an exemption for long bridges and tunnels due to cost.

[kalvado]

Cl94, I'm not positive, but I think continuous shoulders were a requirement on new Interstate highways from the beginning of the program in 1956. Patterned after the then new existing toll-roads of the 1950's. Agreed, many Interstates in the NYC area don't have them, but I think those were designed and/or built before the Interstate specs became the standard, and were grandfathered in.

NYSDOT and NYSTA didn't start using continuous shoulders over bridges until at least the late 70s. You'd be hard-pressed to find a bridge that isn't relatively new in this state that has full shoulders. Other states are similar.

That being said, there is still an exemption for long bridges and tunnels due to cost.

Talking about long bridges.. The new Tappan Zee - is it designed as full-shouldered?

[cl94]

Cl94, I'm not positive, but I think continuous shoulders were a requirement on new Interstate highways from the beginning of the program in 1956. Patterned after the then new existing toll-roads of the 1950's. Agreed, many Interstates in the NYC area don't have them, but I think those were designed and/or built before the Interstate specs became the standard, and were grandfathered in.

NYSDOT and NYSTA didn't start using continuous shoulders over bridges until at least the late 70s. You'd be hard-pressed to find a bridge that isn't relatively new in this state that has full shoulders. Other states are similar.

That being said, there is still an exemption for long bridges and tunnels due to cost.

Talking about long bridges.. The new Tappan Zee - is it designed as full-shouldered?

Yes.

[SignBridge]

Cl94, you're saying that even the original Thruway, built in 1954 didn't have continuous shoulders?

[cl94]

Not full-width. NYSDOT didn't have shoulders period.

[Buffaboy]

Speaking of shoulders, I wonder what I-90 between Exit 53 and 54 looked like before it was reconstructed. I don't remember at all.

[J N Winkler]

Cl94, I'm not positive, but I think continuous shoulders were a requirement on new Interstate highways from the beginning of the program in 1956. Patterned after the then new existing toll-roads of the 1950's. Agreed, many Interstates in the NYC area don't have them, but I think those were designed and/or built before the Interstate specs became the standard, and were grandfathered in.

I think the Ohio Turnpike was pretty much the only early public-authority turnpike that provided full-width shoulders on bridges.  In their case, they actually made the shoulders a little wider on bridges, presumably to compensate for the limit the bridge railing places on how far a vehicle can pull away from the traveled way.



On a different topic, this one is for the boxed-street-name nostalgists:  NYSDOT's just-advertised signing contract for the Taconic State Parkway (D263236) has street names in boxes, but in mixed-case to comply with the 2009 MUTCD.  Sign panel detail sheets alone run to over 300 pages.  The treatment of boxed street names differs from that in D263288 (also currently under advertisement), which is in the classic style with all-uppercase Series D.

[Snappyjack]

Speaking of shoulders, I wonder what I-90 between Exit 53 and 54 looked like before it was reconstructed. I don't remember at all.

As far as I can remember, it pretty much looked like the rest of the 6 lane Buffalo stretch.

[vdeane]

On a different topic, this one is for the boxed-street-name nostalgists:  NYSDOT's just-advertised signing contract for the Taconic State Parkway (D263236) has street names in boxes, but in mixed-case to comply with the 2009 MUTCD.  Sign panel detail sheets alone run to over 300 pages.  The treatment of boxed street names differs from that in D263288 (also currently under advertisement), which is in the classic style with all-uppercase Series D.

Boxed street names?  Are you thinking of the street blades for the at-grade intersections by chance?

[J N Winkler]

Boxed street names?  Are you thinking of the street blades for the at-grade intersections by chance?

Nope.  There are plenty of those in this contract, but there are also dozens of large sign panels with route shields, distance expressions, and street names in boxes.

[storm2k]

On a different topic, this one is for the boxed-street-name nostalgists:  NYSDOT's just-advertised signing contract for the Taconic State Parkway (D263236) has street names in boxes, but in mixed-case to comply with the 2009 MUTCD.  Sign panel detail sheets alone run to over 300 pages.  The treatment of boxed street names differs from that in D263288 (also currently under advertisement), which is in the classic style with all-uppercase Series D.

Boxed street names?  Are you thinking of the street blades for the at-grade intersections by chance?

Yes, I just thumbed through the entire thing, and it looks like the boxes you're thinking of are for street name blades. The Taconic is a mix of grade separated exits and regular intersections in its northern regions.

Boxed street names?  Are you thinking of the street blades for the at-grade intersections by chance?

Nope.  There are plenty of those in this contract, but there are also dozens of large sign panels with route shields, distance expressions, and street names in boxes.

I just thumbed through the whole thing. Did not see any BGS's with the street names in a box in the whole thing.

[J N Winkler]

I have examined the construction plans and, yes, all of the large sign panels are shown with unboxed street names.  But the signface layouts (in the Supplemental Information downloadable ZIP) include sign panel details for about 21 large panel signs with boxed street names.

[machias]

The I-684 sign project that was just put out to bid had all CAPS/Boxed street names on the guide signs, but I exchanged email with R8 and they are changing the plans to comply with the MUTCD. I'd imagine they'd do the same with the Taconic project.

[dgolub]

The I-684 sign project that was just put out to bid had all CAPS/Boxed street names on the guide signs, but I exchanged email with R8 and they are changing the plans to comply with the MUTCD. I'd imagine they'd do the same with the Taconic project.

Since when does I-684 even have that many street name on it?  Hardscrabble Road (CR 138), and I think that's it, unless I'm overlooking something...

[machias]

The I-684 sign project that was just put out to bid had all CAPS/Boxed street names on the guide signs, but I exchanged email with R8 and they are changing the plans to comply with the MUTCD. I'd imagine they'd do the same with the Taconic project.

Since when does I-684 even have that many street name on it?  Hardscrabble Road (CR 138), and I think that's it, unless I'm overlooking something...

You're right, it was the Hardscrabble Road plans.

[vdeane]

I have examined the construction plans and, yes, all of the large sign panels are shown with unboxed street names.  But the signface layouts (in the Supplemental Information downloadable ZIP) include sign panel details for about 21 large panel signs with boxed street names.

Ah.  I wasn't looking in the ZIP file, just the couple hundred page PDF of the plans.

[SidS1045]

The I-684 sign project that was just put out to bid had all CAPS/Boxed street names on the guide signs, but I exchanged email with R8 and they are changing the plans to comply with the MUTCD. I'd imagine they'd do the same with the Taconic project.

Since when does I-684 even have that many street name on it?  Hardscrabble Road (CR 138), and I think that's it, unless I'm overlooking something...

You're right, it was the Hardscrabble Road plans.

Are they planning to mark the Saw Mill Pkwy and Hutchinson River Pkwy exits with text or shields?

[J N Winkler]

The I-684 sign project that was just put out to bid had all CAPS/Boxed street names on the guide signs, but I exchanged email with R8 and they are changing the plans to comply with the MUTCD. I'd imagine they'd do the same with the Taconic project.

Do you know if they are planning to release the revised plans as an amendment before the letting date?