New York

[cl94]

Must depend on location. Enforcement has been pretty lax recently from my experience. Hell, just today, traffic on the Thruway south of Albany was moving 80+ with few cops to be seen.

[baugh17]

Must depend on location. Enforcement has been pretty lax recently from my experience. Hell, just today, traffic on the Thruway south of Albany was moving 80+ with few cops to be seen.

One day during the past week, I think I saw Troopers staked out at three different locations along NY 5S between Ilion and Utica (A notorious speed trap to begin with).

[machias]

Must depend on location. Enforcement has been pretty lax recently from my experience. Hell, just today, traffic on the Thruway south of Albany was moving 80+ with few cops to be seen.

One day during the past week, I think I saw Troopers staked out at three different locations along NY 5S between Ilion and Utica (A notorious speed trap to begin with).

That stretch, along with the stretch of NY 12 north of Utica, should both be 65 MPH. They're more open than NY 49 is. The speed limits are purposely set low to encourage revenue generation.

[webny99]

It wouldn't surprise me if they're trying to ramp up enforcement.  It's been documented in several states that the drop in traffic due to COVID has greatly increased the rate of excessive speeding.

I'm not sure what constitutes "excessive"... but I do seem to have more company doing 70 mph in a 55 on my commute that I used to.
But then there also seems to be more people that go exactly the speed limit and refuse to exceed it, causing a bit less consistency overall.

I haven't seen anything really crazy, though. There's the odd person or motorbike doing about 80 in a 55, or 90 in a 65. But that seems to be about where it maxes out around here, both before and during the pandemic.

[STLmapboy]

A friend I met at a camp in Minnesota recently moved from Marshfield, WI, to Pittsford, NY (outside Rochester). Out of curiosity I went on GSV around the area. That led me to this horrific decaying bridge at his exit (NY-31). Some of the other bridges (Erie Canal) are in bad shape as well, and the median is a flimsy guardrail on the fully-asphalted 2-2 roadway. Any plans to widen/repave/expand 490 and replace aging bridges east of Rochester?

[webny99]

A friend I met at a camp in Minnesota recently moved from Marshfield, WI, to Pittsford, NY (outside Rochester). Out of curiosity I went on GSV around the area. That led me to this horrific decaying bridge at his exit (NY-31). Some of the other bridges (Erie Canal) are in bad shape as well, and the median is a flimsy guardrail on the fully-asphalted 2-2 roadway. Any plans to widen/repave/expand 490 and replace aging bridges east of Rochester?

Hey, that's not far from me at all. I'd be curious what brought them to the area!

The I-490/Marsh Road bridge was even worse than that before it finally got replaced a few years ago. The Exit 27 ramp overpass has also been replaced recently. I haven't heard anything official about Kreag Rd, the canal, or NY 31, but they're all badly in need in of replacement.

Sadly, no plans to widen that segment. I have a strong love-hate relationship with that stretch of I-490, which is something I've discussed a lot on this forum. On the one hand, it's often bogged down with traffic because 72,000 cars per day is just way too much for four lanes to handle. On the other hand, it's one of the most intense freeways in the state if not the country, making it fun to drive, and it's certainly one of the oddest locations for a 65 speed limit in NY. Plus that old guardrail, which isn't something you see very often anymore.

[seicer]

I was always curious as to how strong those box guardrails are.

The pavement in that area is horrible. It's one of the oldest interstates in upstate and was built circa 1955 and the bridges and pavement are original.

[SignBridge]

Strictly a guess, but I would think those box beams would be strong enough to stop a passenger car or small SUV. So they would be acceptable on parkways with no heavy truck traffic. But on any road with with trucks and busses, I would think the standard W-beam guide rail would be a better choice.

One parkway where the box-beam was appropriate when erected in the late 1960's was the Taconic Parkway in Putnam County. Space was very limited so the thinner guide rail was perfect for that road. When I drove that route again a few years ago, I was surprised to see that very little had changed on the Putnam County segment in the years since that box-beam installation.

[noelbotevera]

On another topic, what's with the awkward interchange with US 9 and US 44/NY 55 in Poughkeepsie? Obviously it's an old interchange with the left exits/merges and short accel lanes, but why choose said design in the first place? It does no favors for US 9 -> Mid Hudson Bridge traffic (US 9 NB competes with exiting SB traffic) and if they were to redesign the interchange it could do with flyovers directly accessing 44/55 WB.

[vdeane]

Strictly a guess, but I would think those box beams would be strong enough to stop a passenger car or small SUV. So they would be acceptable on parkways with no heavy truck traffic. But on any road with with trucks and busses, I would think the standard W-beam guide rail would be a better choice.

One parkway where the box-beam was appropriate when erected in the late 1960's was the Taconic Parkway in Putnam County. Space was very limited so the slimmer guide rail was perfect for that road. When I drove that route again a few years ago, I was surprised to see that very little had changed on the Putnam County segment in the years since that box-beam installation.

Box beam is actually more rigid and requires less deflection space than W beam.  From page 10-54 of the NYSDOT Highway Design Manual:

10.2.3.4 Box Beam

This railing is a square structural steel tube, 6 inches on a side with a 3/16 inch wall
thickness. The rail is significantly more rigid than a W-beam and must be shop curved for
radii under 720 feet. Details of the system are shown on the Standard Sheets for 606 series
items. The system develops most of its redirective strength through beam action and
therefore does not require anchor blocks. Note that runs must be at least 125 feet in length
(measured as full length of rail, toe to toe, of terminals) for the system to develop its
intended deflection resistance.

The main advantages of box beam guide rail are that:
- It requires less space for deflection than an equivalently supported W-beam.
- Its splice connection detail practically eliminates spearing problems.
- It is less of a visual obstruction than W-beam.
- It has a stronger, more rigid rail element and is therefore better at bridging between
points of support. (When struck, the corrugations in W-beam tend to flatten,
reducing its beam strength and increasing its tendency to fold around objects behind
the rail, rather than supporting itself as a rigid beam against them. This only
becomes an issue when vehicles strike the rail and cause more than the standard
deflection or objects are present within the deflection distance.)

The main disadvantages of box beam guide rail are that:
- It is less forgiving than cable or weak-post W-beam guide rail.
- It is significantly more expensive than cable or weak-post W-beam guide rail (but
only about 20% more expensive than heavy-post blocked-out corrugated rail).
- It is more difficult to repair.
- Significant repair delays may occur if damaged rail must be replaced with sections
shop-curved to the correct radius.

Box beam guide rail may be warranted when either of the following conditions apply:
- The appropriate clear zone width can not be economically obtained and the available
space between any nonremovable hazard and the edge of shoulder is adequate for
box beam but not for cable or W-beam on weak-posts.
- It is necessary to transition to a rigid barrier system.

https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/design/dqab/hdm/hdm-repository/chapt_10.pdf

[kalvado]

Can I be the first to say...."eww"?

I'm pretty sure I was disgusted by the NYSDMV's proposals before they were carried out.

Casual observation: I saw 3 new plates with general issue ABC-1234 combination transferred from previous plates (first letter other than K). I don't think I saw that many transferred sequences on yellow plates throughout their tenure. I would interpret that as people liking new design enough to willingly replace older plates...

[SignBridge]

Thanks vdeane for posting that info re: box-beam guide rails. Very interesting and informative.

[baugh17]

Casual observation: I saw 3 new plates with general issue ABC-1234 combination transferred from previous plates (first letter other than K). I don't think I saw that many transferred sequences on yellow plates throughout their tenure. I would interpret that as people liking new design enough to willingly replace older plates...

I've seen three in the past week (One each of B, E, and F).  Two of those on my way home from work on Thursday.

[vdeane]

Can I be the first to say...."eww"?

I'm pretty sure I was disgusted by the NYSDMV's proposals before they were carried out.

Casual observation: I saw 3 new plates with general issue ABC-1234 combination transferred from previous plates (first letter other than K). I don't think I saw that many transferred sequences on yellow plates throughout their tenure. I would interpret that as people liking new design enough to willingly replace older plates...

I wonder how they get them, given that the DMV is still not open for all services.  Licence plate replacement is one of the services they are NOT open for.

[kalvado]

Can I be the first to say...."eww"?

I'm pretty sure I was disgusted by the NYSDMV's proposals before they were carried out.

Casual observation: I saw 3 new plates with general issue ABC-1234 combination transferred from previous plates (first letter other than K). I don't think I saw that many transferred sequences on yellow plates throughout their tenure. I would interpret that as people liking new design enough to willingly replace older plates...

I wonder how they get them, given that the DMV is still not open for all services.  Licence plate replacement is one of the services they are NOT open for.

Online, maybe? Registration renewal is one of those things which easily work by mail. Custom plates arrive by mail anyway.

[baugh17]

Can I be the first to say...."eww"?

I'm pretty sure I was disgusted by the NYSDMV's proposals before they were carried out.

Casual observation: I saw 3 new plates with general issue ABC-1234 combination transferred from previous plates (first letter other than K). I don't think I saw that many transferred sequences on yellow plates throughout their tenure. I would interpret that as people liking new design enough to willingly replace older plates...

I wonder how they get them, given that the DMV is still not open for all services.  Licence plate replacement is one of the services they are NOT open for.

Online, maybe? Registration renewal is one of those things which easily work by mail. Custom plates arrive by mail anyway.

Probably online...I've renewed our registrations online the last couple of times and you are given three renewal options: Keep your current plate and number, new plate with new number, and new plate with current number.  And the turnaround time is usually relatively quick (New documents arrive in about a week).

Also drove down toward Cooperstown and Oneonta this morning and spotted two more pre-Excelsior combos on Excelsior plates (D-series and J-series...Yet to see A, C, G, and H) and also a vanity plate.

[Jim]

I renewed our two registrations online this week and opted to keep our current orange and blue plates.  It was something like an extra $25 or $30 to opt to get new plates, significantly more, I'm thinking another $40 or $50, to get new ones but keep your number.  All done online, new reg stickers will come in the mail.

[kalvado]

Can I be the first to say...."eww"?

I'm pretty sure I was disgusted by the NYSDMV's proposals before they were carried out.

Casual observation: I saw 3 new plates with general issue ABC-1234 combination transferred from previous plates (first letter other than K). I don't think I saw that many transferred sequences on yellow plates throughout their tenure. I would interpret that as people liking new design enough to willingly replace older plates...

I wonder how they get them, given that the DMV is still not open for all services.  Licence plate replacement is one of the services they are NOT open for.

Online, maybe? Registration renewal is one of those things which easily work by mail. Custom plates arrive by mail anyway.

Probably online...I've renewed our registrations online the last couple of times and you are given three renewal options: Keep your current plate and number, new plate with new number, and new plate with current number.  And the turnaround time is usually relatively quick (New documents arrive in about a week).

Also drove down toward Cooperstown and Oneonta this morning and spotted two more pre-Excelsior combos on Excelsior plates (D-series and J-series...Yet to see A, C, G, and H) and also a vanity plate.

I saw commercial, vanity, county (SP-123), and even historical one. I am actually surprised given the situation. 

[vdeane]

Online could be a way to do it; in my case, I was planning to take advantage of the free replacement for peeling plates to switch; I suppose actually paying for the new plates next year with my registration renewal would be a good way to avoid the hassle of going in to the DMV (assuming they even fully reopen by then) and replacing the sticker an extra time.  Of course, such assumes I can get the new plates before turning in the old, and I wouldn't want the sheeting to get damaged in the mail.

[steviep24]

Can I be the first to say...."eww"?

I'm pretty sure I was disgusted by the NYSDMV's proposals before they were carried out.

Casual observation: I saw 3 new plates with general issue ABC-1234 combination transferred from previous plates (first letter other than K). I don't think I saw that many transferred sequences on yellow plates throughout their tenure. I would interpret that as people liking new design enough to willingly replace older plates...

I wonder how they get them, given that the DMV is still not open for all services.  Licence plate replacement is one of the services they are NOT open for.

Online, maybe? Registration renewal is one of those things which easily work by mail. Custom plates arrive by mail anyway.

Probably online...I've renewed our registrations online the last couple of times and you are given three renewal options: Keep your current plate and number, new plate with new number, and new plate with current number.  And the turnaround time is usually relatively quick (New documents arrive in about a week).

Also drove down toward Cooperstown and Oneonta this morning and spotted two more pre-Excelsior combos on Excelsior plates (D-series and J-series...Yet to see A, C, G, and H) and also a vanity plate.

I saw commercial, vanity, county (SP-123), and even historical one. I am actually surprised given the situation.

When renewing (online or by mail) you can opt to have your old plate number on new plates but will have to pay an extra $20.00 for that in addition to the $25.00 new plate fee. I believe that can be done with vanity plates if you already had them.

I've seen new commercial plates around as well. Haven't seen other types yet.

[machias]

It's so odd to me that NYSDMV is allowing people to keep the older plate designs. Back in 1986 when we went from the original blue on gold to the Liberty plates there was no choice, and I'm pretty sure we still had to pay extra for the new design. I thought the idea was to get everyone on the same generation of license plates.

[kalvado]

It's so odd to me that NYSDMV is allowing people to keep the older plate designs. Back in 1986 when we went from the original blue on gold to the Liberty plates there was no choice, and I'm pretty sure we still had to pay extra for the new design. I thought the idea was to get everyone on the same generation of license plates.

There was the same idea in 2008 under gov. Patterson - but that was an apparent attempt for money grab in difficult times, public pressure built up and they had to retreat to keeping old design as valid and new as new issue.
That did set precedent for today's situation.
Was extensively discussed somewhere here:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=2350.1175

[D-Dey65]

New topic, and Steve Alps might want to get in on this;

I was reading his article about the New York State Thruway detour after the Schoharie Creek Bridge disaster, and while I was looking at the page I saw the pylons for the apparent abandoned railroad bridges. I was wondering if anyone has ever looked at Historic Aerials' coverage of that portion of the state?

https://historicaerials.com/?layer=map&zoom=11&lat=42.9308&lon=-74.2781

Because I see no evidence of any other parallel railroads crossing the creek from those maps. The only other line I see is on the other side of the Mohawk River.

[kalvado]

New topic, and Steve Alps might want to get in on this;

I was reading his article about the New York State Thruway detour after the Schoharie Creek Bridge disaster, and while I was looking at the page I saw the pylons for the apparent abandoned railroad bridges. I was wondering if anyone has ever looked at Historic Aerials' coverage of that portion of the state?

https://historicaerials.com/?layer=map&zoom=11&lat=42.9308&lon=-74.2781

Because I see no evidence of any other parallel railroads crossing the creek from those maps. The only other line I see is on the other side of the Mohawk River.

https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/img4/ht_icons/overlay/NY/NY_Tribes%20Hill_139361_1944_24000_geo.jpg

[froggie]

Steve Alps made some errors in his reporting of the piers and bridge abutments.  The lone pier in the middle of Schoharie Creek was for a former roadway bridge, which tied into Railroad St in Fort Hunter.  This roadway is clearly shown on the 1944 topo map image kalvado posted.

The bridge abutment further downstream that he shows in the following photo isn't for a former rail bridge, but instead was for an abandoned section of canal.