New York

[froggie]

Agree.  I also wouldn't classify it as desolate as cl94 is claiming.  Ticonderoga has plenty of services (including a WalMart Supercenter) as does Whitehall, and there's a fair bit of traffic between Ticonderoga and Crown Point as well as some of the segments south of Whitehall.

The only part I'd call "desolate", and that's mainly because of the narrowness and the acute lack of traffic on it, is from Westport to where it meets US 9 (and I-87) south of Keeseville.

[empirestate]

Agree.  I also wouldn't classify it as desolate as cl94 is claiming.  Ticonderoga has plenty of services (including a WalMart Supercenter) as does Whitehall, and there's a fair bit of traffic between Ticonderoga and Crown Point as well as some of the segments south of Whitehall.

The only part I'd call "desolate", and that's mainly because of the narrowness and the acute lack of traffic on it, is from Westport to where it meets US 9 (and I-87) south of Keeseville.

As NYS goes, to me, US 20 is much more desolate across, say, Madison County and the central region. Far more desolate still would be Tug Hill, or eastern Oswego County. But the Taconics, and the Champlain Valley is comparatively lush.

[Duke87]

To be fair, the description of "little more than a gas station or two in some small towns (typically a Stewarts) and 2 McDonald's." is, taken literally, accurate. There may be quite a few of those small towns along the way, but south of Plattsburgh NY 22 does not pass directly through any medium or large towns until you get down into the NYC metro area. Because of this it makes a decent route to use for distance travel. I've used it as an alternative to the Taconic on a few occasions simply as a way to break the monotony without adding too much time.

But yeah, if you think that's "desolate", man you need to get out of the Northeast more.

[cl94]

But yeah, if you think that's "desolate", man you need to get out of the Northeast more.

That's definitely true.

But that being said, NY 22 is one of the few extended stretches of major highway in this state that has long portions without cell service. Except for Whitehall and Ticonderoga, most of the stretch from Cambridge to Keeseville is dead or intermittent.

[vdeane]

NY 22 in Washington and northern Rensselear Counties never struck me as desolate (also not from Ticonderoga to Port Henry), though I'll admit, the services are primarily small businesses, not chains, and even where the chains exist, they sometimes require exiting off NY 22 (Granville in particular; almost all the businesses are on NY 149, not NY 22).  If you're OK with eating at Stewarts, you'll be fine; if you're willing to get a slice of pizza from a random corner store, there's no issue; if you need McDonalds, then you had better look at Google Maps before you leave (I think Subway is more common, but not by much).

[okc1]

New STIP includes for WNY SEIS for US 219 in Cattaraugus County and preliminary design for "cap" over Kensington Expwy along Humboldt Pkwy https://www.dot.ny.gov/programs/stip/files/R5.pdf

[D-Dey65]

Another NY 22 question; How many rest areas exist on that road besides the two north of the Appalachian Trail Metro-North station? And should there be signage for that station?

Rest areas? You mean like parking areas? Not many.

Oh yeah. They do call them parking areas at that one.  But thanks for the info.

[Buffaboy]

New STIP includes for WNY SEIS for US 219 in Cattaraugus County and preliminary design for "cap" over Kensington Expwy along Humboldt Pkwy https://www.dot.ny.gov/programs/stip/files/R5.pdf

Is the 219 thing related to the itty bitty stub they want to build in Salamanca?

Edit: never mind, it actually included the SEIS for the whole Peters to Salamanca!! I'll be 30 by the time it's built though.

[RobbieL2415]

Have to agree.  NY 22 is quite scenic.

Yes.  I just don't like getting stuck behind tourists going 10 under the limit.

[Alps]

Have to agree.  NY 22 is quite scenic.

Yes.  I just don't like getting stuck behind tourists going 10 under the limit.

I won't admit to passing on double yellows with plenty of sight distance to get around tourists.

[empirestate]

Have to agree.  NY 22 is quite scenic.

Yes.  I just don't like getting stuck behind tourists going 10 under the limit.

I won't admit to passing on double yellows with plenty of sight distance to get around tourists.

Tourist are much easier to handle when you picture each with a giant dollar sign above his head. Helps me get through Times Square when I have to. :-)

[kalvado]

Tourist are much easier to handle when you picture each with a giant dollar sign above his head. Helps me get through Times Square when I have to. :-)

Great way of looking at things! 

[cl94]

Have to agree.  NY 22 is quite scenic.

Yes.  I just don't like getting stuck behind tourists going 10 under the limit.

I won't admit to passing on double yellows with plenty of sight distance to get around tourists.

Tourist are much easier to handle when you picture each with a giant dollar sign above his head. Helps me get through Times Square when I have to. :-)

Eh, having grown up in Lake George (which owes its existence to tourism), I still think they're morons. Traffic in the Adirondacks wouldn't be so bad if the tourists F-ing moved.

[kalvado]

Have to agree.  NY 22 is quite scenic.

Yes.  I just don't like getting stuck behind tourists going 10 under the limit.

I won't admit to passing on double yellows with plenty of sight distance to get around tourists.

Tourist are much easier to handle when you picture each with a giant dollar sign above his head. Helps me get through Times Square when I have to. :-)

Eh, having grown up in Lake George (which owes its existence to tourism), I still think they're morons. Traffic in the Adirondacks wouldn't be so bad if the tourists F-ing moved.

There would probably be no roads in Adirondack if tourists didn't show up... Maybe some unimproved logging dirt paths...

[Mr_Northside]

Is the 219 thing related to the itty bitty stub they want to build in Salamanca?

Edit: never mind, it actually included the SEIS for the whole Peters to Salamanca!! I'll be 30 by the time it's built though.

From the age given in your profile, that implies that it would be built within 10 years.
That's overly optimistic.

[empirestate]

Have to agree.  NY 22 is quite scenic.

Yes.  I just don't like getting stuck behind tourists going 10 under the limit.

I won't admit to passing on double yellows with plenty of sight distance to get around tourists.

Tourist are much easier to handle when you picture each with a giant dollar sign above his head. Helps me get through Times Square when I have to. :-)

Eh, having grown up in Lake George (which owes its existence to tourism), I still think they're morons. Traffic in the Adirondacks wouldn't be so bad if the tourists F-ing moved.

I said it makes them easier to handle. I didn't say it makes me think they're not morons.

[seicer]

I'm not sure if this is programmed, but are they starting construction (rebuilding, practically) of I-88 for the first few miles from Binghamton? I can't believe it hasn't been rebuilt, much less patched, since it was completed and is easily one of the worst highways I've ever driven on.

[Rothman]

I'm not sure if this is programmed, but are they starting construction (rebuilding, practically) of I-88 for the first few miles from Binghamton? I can't believe it hasn't been rebuilt, much less patched, since it was completed and is easily one of the worst highways I've ever driven on.

It has been discussed at length at NYSDOT.  Not sure if it is part of the official program yet.  Sort of stuck like NY 85 was for a time, insofar as I can tell.

[cl94]

I'm not sure if this is programmed, but are they starting construction (rebuilding, practically) of I-88 for the first few miles from Binghamton? I can't believe it hasn't been rebuilt, much less patched, since it was completed and is easily one of the worst highways I've ever driven on.

It has been discussed at length at NYSDOT.  Not sure if it is part of the official program yet.  Sort of stuck like NY 85 was for a time, insofar as I can tell.

Just be glad they're finally doing a couple stretches further north. Those have been bad since I was little.

[burgess87]

There's been some guide sign replacements on IH 190 near downtown Buffalo:  the old "Ballpark and Arena-Exit 6" signs have been replaced with:  "Coca-Cola Field and KeyBank Center - Exit 6".  One of the Seneca Street off-ramps off the Elm Street exit has had "Canalside" added to the exit sign.  The advance and exit signage for Route 5 (the Skyway) have been replaced with the Buffalo Outer Harbor and Lackawanna as the control cities.

[Buffaboy]

^^ The exit signs on the Thruway around Walden and William St. appear to be larger for some reason.

Also, what's the reasoning behind the decision to make Exit 57 an at grade interchange? I live not too far from it and it doesn't make sense at face value...

[roadman65]

I was reading various articles from google about NYSDOT and their plans for exit number conversion.  I got the pros and cons of the numbering.  The pros were what the FHWA claims about being better reference points, of course, but the cons are roads like I-278 where the average exit is less than a mile apart and what we see where the highest exit number is a larger number than overall mileage from NJ to the Bruckner Interchange and of course business users who rely on exit numbers for their customers  being accustomed to the existing numbers.

I also learned two things that seem to be contradictory such as NYSDOT saying its not mandatory to go mile based, but just optional and the fact that the feds want all new signs to be exit numbers in miles rather than consecutive.  Of course with US 15 going mile based I will believe the latter as the grandfather clause is in full effect where old signs can remain, but new signs must include the mile based numbering.

So what is the verdict and when can we see new exit numbers on the Thruway and free interstates and will it include the NY Parkways or are non interstates not required by FHWA MUTCD?

[Rothman]

There are no concrete plans to convert to mile-based exits on the interstates, despite lip service to the contrary.  Unless we see another large replacement like there was on the Taconic, it just isn't going to happen. 

I see signs on the interstates being replaced one at a time as needed, which means it just will not make sense to do the conversion.

May I be proven wrong.

[machias]

There are no concrete plans to convert to mile-based exits on the interstates, despite lip service to the contrary.  Unless we see another large replacement like there was on the Taconic, it just isn't going to happen. 

I see signs on the interstates being replaced one at a time as needed, which means it just will not make sense to do the conversion.

May I be proven wrong.

About five years ago I heard talk about NYSDOT trying a "new exit/old exit" numbering scheme but I don't know if that was just some random engineer musing out loud or if it was given some consideration.

I have always pushed NYSDOT to leave the exit numbering in the five boroughs alone and worry about upstate first with the conversion. It's upstate that would have improved safety benefits from distance based exit numbering, especially the Thruway. The Thruway could even leave everything below the Tappan Zee as is and move to mileage based above the Tappan Zee without confusing things too badly.

Some of the documentation of the conversion plan in NYSDOT has always had an Albany Airport exit along I-87 as exit 150. I went back and forth with them on how that should actually be exit 160 because I-87 doesn't start at the Thruway, there's 8.8 miles of it down to the Bruckner. They found that mind boggling.

[Rothman]

There are no concrete plans to convert to mile-based exits on the interstates, despite lip service to the contrary.  Unless we see another large replacement like there was on the Taconic, it just isn't going to happen. 

I see signs on the interstates being replaced one at a time as needed, which means it just will not make sense to do the conversion.

May I be proven wrong.

About five years ago I heard talk about NYSDOT trying a "new exit/old exit" numbering scheme but I don't know if that was just some random engineer musing out loud or if it was given some consideration.

I have always pushed NYSDOT to leave the exit numbering in the five boroughs alone and worry about upstate first with the conversion. It's upstate that would have improved safety benefits from distance based exit numbering, especially the Thruway. The Thruway could even leave everything below the Tappan Zee as is and move to mileage based above the Tappan Zee without confusing things too badly.

Some of the documentation of the conversion plan in NYSDOT has always had an Albany Airport exit along I-87 as exit 150. I went back and forth with them on how that should actually be exit 160 because I-87 doesn't start at the Thruway, there's 8.8 miles of it down to the Bruckner. They found that mind boggling.

There have been minor spasms of planning regarding the conversion, but nothing has ever been actually programmed as part of the capital program, other than I-99 and the Taconic.