New York

[seicer]

Basically, there's a ton of factors that need to be weighed when selecting the type of guide rail (which is apparently two words, you learn something new every day!) to use.
https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/design/dqab/hdm/hdm-repository/chapt_10.pdf
https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/design/dqab/hdm

Thank you! It still just seems weird to see basically every guide rail type used within a two-mile section of NY 13 whereas before it was basically all cable and box-beam barriers. Or if it was in a state like Kentucky, it'd be all W-shaped guide rails.

I'm still sour on their discontinuance of Corten guide rails.

[Bumppoman]

New signs are up westbound up to the bridge... no new signs observed west of the bridge, but lots of new signposts are up.  The ones in the median appear to be for new VMSs, as several new ones are in the median east of the bridge.

Several new VMSes are going up across the state. I-87 is getting them up to the Adirondack Park boundary, formerly only portables existed north of Saratoga Springs. I-88 has a bunch of poles/equipment boxes in the median, too.

Yes, there is another Governor-Initiated project to install VMS and cameras along major corridors throughout upstate to improve communication during snow and ice season. Its a good project to improve our ITS infrastructure, but the upper management's personal interest in everything being complete by Nov 1, is bordering on obsessive. The Chief of Staff is personally driving around to verify installations for some reason so he can report to the Gov's Chamber. The politics have gotten out of control.

Another type of VMS installation:
On the 4-lane divided section of NY 36 north of Hornell, about a half-mile before I-86 on each side, there are brand-new plain concrete slabs at ground level, for use as (semi-?)permanent parking spots for portable VMS's. Is this a new NYSDOT thing?

I've seen a few of these lately, there's another on Route 17 between Johnson City and Vestal.  Interesting approach.

[machias]

New signs are up westbound up to the bridge... no new signs observed west of the bridge, but lots of new signposts are up.  The ones in the median appear to be for new VMSs, as several new ones are in the median east of the bridge.

Several new VMSes are going up across the state. I-87 is getting them up to the Adirondack Park boundary, formerly only portables existed north of Saratoga Springs. I-88 has a bunch of poles/equipment boxes in the median, too.

Yes, there is another Governor-Initiated project to install VMS and cameras along major corridors throughout upstate to improve communication during snow and ice season. Its a good project to improve our ITS infrastructure, but the upper management's personal interest in everything being complete by Nov 1, is bordering on obsessive. The Chief of Staff is personally driving around to verify installations for some reason so he can report to the Gov's Chamber. The politics have gotten out of control.

Another type of VMS installation:
On the 4-lane divided section of NY 36 north of Hornell, about a half-mile before I-86 on each side, there are brand-new plain concrete slabs at ground level, for use as (semi-?)permanent parking spots for portable VMS's. Is this a new NYSDOT thing?

A number of years ago the exit ramp sign for Exit 37 on I-81 NB was knocked over in an accident and the sign was destroyed instead of replacing the sign, NYSDOT R3 poured a concrete slab and placed a portable VMS that alternated with

SANDY
CREEK
LACONA
-----
EXIT
37
--->

for over a year.

[Michael]

New signs are up westbound up to the bridge... no new signs observed west of the bridge, but lots of new signposts are up.  The ones in the median appear to be for new VMSs, as several new ones are in the median east of the bridge.

Several new VMSes are going up across the state. I-87 is getting them up to the Adirondack Park boundary, formerly only portables existed north of Saratoga Springs. I-88 has a bunch of poles/equipment boxes in the median, too.

Yes, there is another Governor-Initiated project to install VMS and cameras along major corridors throughout upstate to improve communication during snow and ice season. Its a good project to improve our ITS infrastructure, but the upper management's personal interest in everything being complete by Nov 1, is bordering on obsessive. The Chief of Staff is personally driving around to verify installations for some reason so he can report to the Gov's Chamber. The politics have gotten out of control.

Another type of VMS installation:
On the 4-lane divided section of NY 36 north of Hornell, about a half-mile before I-86 on each side, there are brand-new plain concrete slabs at ground level, for use as (semi-?)permanent parking spots for portable VMS's. Is this a new NYSDOT thing?

The slabs may be new, but I can think of a couple portable VMSes that have been in a single location for several years:

• NY 5 eastbound before NY 695 (since at least November 2016)
• I-81 southbound before the Hiawatha Blvd exit (since at least June 2009)
• NY 370/Onondaga Lake Parkway in both directions before the low railroad bridge (since at least October 2013)

All dates are based on Street View.  Even though the VMSes are portable, they're on the 511 site.  I recall seeing portable VMSes being used for the State Fair on the 511 site too, but they were actually temporary.  For the I-81 VMS, it's been "temporary" for over 10 years!  Is it cheaper to use a portable VMS for that long instead of installing a permanent one?  For the ones on NY 370, I'm surprised they used temporary VMSes when they installed an overheight warning system.  There's plans to improve the system, so I wonder if there will be permanent VMSes installed when that happens.

[Rothman]

On Tuesday I learned that some portable VMSes in NY have cameras.

[kalvado]

On Tuesday I learned that some portable VMSes in NY have cameras.

given the proliferation of cameras all over the place, I still have two questions:
1. Why only some of them?
2. Where can I view those feeds?

[Rothman]

On Tuesday I learned that some portable VMSes in NY have cameras.

given the proliferation of cameras all over the place, I still have two questions:
1. Why only some of them?
2. Where can I view those feeds?

1) Don't know.
2) You can't.

[astralentity]

Has there been any discussion on other interstates in NY getting their exit numbers converted next year or so?  I see MA is finally going to start as of next year.

[Rothman]

Has there been any discussion on other interstates in NY getting their exit numbers converted next year or so?  I see MA is finally going to start as of next year.

Not on the ones that really matter (I-90/I-87).

[astralentity]

Has there been any discussion on other interstates in NY getting their exit numbers converted next year or so?  I see MA is finally going to start as of next year.

Not on the ones that really matter (I-90/I-87).

Christ.  I don't see it being very difficult to do, just time consuming.  I think I speak for most NYers when I say I'm sick of having three sets of exit numbers for both highways.

[Rothman]

Unfortunately, your perception of the majority of NYers is off.  As long as I've lived in NY, people see messing with exit numbers as unneeded.  Even on the Northway, people use the numbers for navigation (Up at Exit 19...or whatever).

Most drivers don't care.

[astralentity]

Unfortunately, your perception of the majority of NYers is off.  As long as I've lived in NY, people see messing with exit numbers as unneeded.  Even on the Northway, people use the numbers for navigation (Up at Exit 19...or whatever).

Most drivers don't care.

I guess we'll have to see what happens.  If I-84 and I-99 were successful, then that perception might change.

[vdeane]

Most people think of the Northway and Thruway as separate roads around here.  Meanwhile, most around Rochester don't navigate by exit numbers, and my aunt and uncle keep asking when NY will join "the rest of the world" and go distance-based.

[Beltway]

Unfortunately, your perception of the majority of NYers is off.

On the high side or on the low side?   

[lstone19]

Most people think of the Northway and Thruway as separate roads around here.

To many in that area, the route number is secondary to the road name. Having spent many summers at Lake George growing up, if we were to give someone directions, it would be "Thruway Exit 24, then the Northway to Exit 20", not "I-87 exit 24, then I-87 exit 20". So no confusion because the exit numbers are specific to the road name most people used. Having lived through the days when I-87 going south at Newburgh magically jumped across the river to head down what is now I-684, you just never thought of that section of the Thruway as I-87 because you weren't following I-87, you were following the Thruway.

[The Ghostbuster]

I believe Interstate 86/NY 17 could have a sequential-to-milepost conversion without too much trouble (or protest). That would eliminate the first exit being Exit 4 (becoming Exit 1), and would eliminate the need to use the numerous missing exits numbers along the corridor. 1, 2, 3, 5, 22, 55, 85 and 86 (when/if the missing link around Hale Eddy is built), as well as the missing numbers 88, 91, 95, as well as former 117 would all be rendered redundant if the Interstate 86/NY 17 corridor had such a conversion.

[cl94]

I believe Interstate 86/NY 17 could have a sequential-to-milepost conversion without too much trouble (or protest). That would eliminate the first exit being Exit 4 (becoming Exit 1), and would eliminate the need to use the numerous missing exits numbers along the corridor. 1, 2, 3, 5, 22, 55, 85 and 86 (when/if the missing link around Hale Eddy is built), as well as the missing numbers 88, 91, 95, as well as former 117 would all be rendered redundant if the Interstate 86/NY 17 corridor had such a conversion.

86/17 would be the hardest remaining route not called I-87 or I-90 due to the coordination required. 4 NYSDOT regions. Region 8 (the easternmost of the 4 involved) has been taking the lead on this, but they're trying to stick to stuff within a single region at this point.

[Alps]

Has there been any discussion on other interstates in NY getting their exit numbers converted next year or so?  I see MA is finally going to start as of next year.

Not on the ones that really matter (I-90/I-87).

Christ.  I don't see it being very difficult to do, just time consuming.  I think I speak for most NYers when I say I'm sick of having three sets of exit numbers for both highways.

Wait until they go all-electronic ORT. Once you don't need tickets, the exit renumbering becomes much easier.

[astralentity]

I believe Interstate 86/NY 17 could have a sequential-to-milepost conversion without too much trouble (or protest). That would eliminate the first exit being Exit 4 (becoming Exit 1), and would eliminate the need to use the numerous missing exits numbers along the corridor. 1, 2, 3, 5, 22, 55, 85 and 86 (when/if the missing link around Hale Eddy is built), as well as the missing numbers 88, 91, 95, as well as former 117 would all be rendered redundant if the Interstate 86/NY 17 corridor had such a conversion.

I heard that the first exit being exit 4 was from some wackadoo idea that because it ended with exit 3 in PA, that they had to continue with exit 4.

[vdeane]

Close, but not quite.  The numbers are a continuation of PA's, but why they start at 4 is a mystery - current PA exit 3 was exit 2 back when they were still sequential!

[The Ghostbuster]

How about New York City's or Long Island's exit numbers? Outside of the Hutchinson River Parkway's proposed conversion, how much resistance would be encountered to renumber all of their routes' exits to mileage-based? I would speculate that it might be easier to renumber exits in upstate New York than in New York City and Long Island. Am I wrong in making such an assumption?

[cl94]

How about New York City's or Long Island's exit numbers? Outside of the Hutchinson River Parkway's proposed conversion, how much resistance would be encountered to renumber all of their routes' exits to mileage-based? I would speculate that it might be easier to renumber exits in upstate New York than in New York City and Long Island. Am I wrong in making such an assumption?

Yes and no. Most Downstate freeways are already close to 1 exit per mile and the change would be minimal. For that reason, I'd argue that some roads do not need to be converted. However, Regions 10 and 11 don't post standard mile markers, so the distance thing won't mean much unless they decide to milepost everything, and good luck getting that to happen.

[Rothman]

Although I do want NY to switch over to mileage-based exit numbers, I do like the directional suffixes and the weirdo Long Island prefixes.

[baugh17]

Close, but not quite.  The numbers are a continuation of PA's, but why they start at 4 is a mystery - current PA exit 3 was exit 2 back when they were still sequential!

How far fetched would it be to suggest that an old (presumably abandoned) plan was to link it with a slightly realigned Bayfront Connector?

Keeping the comment on topic, I predict I-88 will be the next to switch to mileage based exits.

[Alps]

Although I do want NY to switch over to mileage-based exit numbers, I do like the directional suffixes and the weirdo Long Island prefixes.

Yeah, I'm gonna miss if they ever get rid of the prefixes. I bet they'll make the argument about having so many freeways in a small space to keep them.