News:

The AARoads Wiki is live! Come check it out!

Main Menu

New York State Thruway

Started by Zeffy, September 22, 2014, 12:00:32 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

webny99

Quote from: webny99 on September 24, 2024, 10:55:45 AMThe eastbound Thruway is currently closed between Exits 41 and 40 due to a major crash. It is easily the worst possible location for a closure on the entire Buffalo-Syracuse stretch (as I outlined in this rather insane post), and there are predictably major backups on the Thruway at Exit 41, NY 318, NY 5/US 20 through Montezuma, and NY 31 in Port Byron.

Quote from: webny99 on September 26, 2024, 09:12:50 AMAs of around 4:45 this morning, there is another full closure on the EB thruway, this time due to a crash near Exit 42 that has all EB traffic exiting at Exit 43 (Manchester). NY 96 is predictably a major slog, and NY 14 has also backed up onto NY 96 for the left turn to re-enter the Thruway.

Never one for a data deep dive, I dug into the continuous count data on NY 104 from last Tuesday/Thursday.

At the Webster count location (between Five Mile and Bay) EB traffic on Tuesday had a spike of about 800 vehicles over normal between 8AM-12PM, while Thursday had a spike of about 2000 vehicles over normal between 6AM-4PM.

At the Alton count location (just east of NY 14), EB traffic on Tuesday had a similar spike of about 800 vehicles over normal, while Thursday's data isn't available yet.

Suffice to say there was definitely some extra traffic using NY 104 that correlated with the incidents on the Thruway - particularly on Thursday, when the VMS's were reporting the road closure and then the lane closure from as far west as Batavia, so traffic could have easily rerouted to NY 104 via the Rochester area freeways.


webny99

#3201
The EB Thruway is currently closed between Exit 47 (LeRoy) and Exit 46 (Henrietta) due to a crash involving a tractor trailer blocking all lanes. There was some road work on that stretch earlier, so that may have been a factor, although that is just speculation on my part.

Complicating matters for traffic detouring around the closure is a work zone lane reduction on I-490 EB near Exit 26. There's been daily lane closures from roughly 9AM to 2PM at this location for several weeks now, but it doesn't usually create too many issues as the work is being done outside of rush hour. Add in the majority of Thruway through traffic to an already tenuous stretch of highway, and there's currently a 15-minute delay approaching the work zone. That's enough for Google to now be routing traffic around the closure via the southern route, via N Rd and NY 253, which is bound to create issues on those roads as well. And whenever the road work finishes up, there's going to be an equally gnarly backup at the Thruway on-ramp at Exit 45 - which is only free flowing now thanks to the work zone bottleneck.

If it wasn't for the I-490 situation, I'd recommend heading north from Batavia to NY 262. It appears plenty of traffic had that idea too, as Google Maps data shows the new signals on NY 98 north of the Thruway have backed up right onto the Thruway off-ramp.

Also factor in that there was an evening Bills game yesterday adding to eastbound traffic today, and it's safe to say no one traveling east out of Buffalo is getting past Rochester without encountering significant delays.

Rothman

Heh.  Yeah, that Bills game was kind of a big deal. :D
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

vdeane

Quote from: webny99 on November 18, 2024, 11:21:43 AMComplicating matters for traffic detouring around the closure is a work zone lane reduction on I-490 EB near Exit 26. There's been daily lane closures from roughly 9AM to 2PM at this location for several weeks now, but it doesn't usually create too many issues as the work is being done outside of rush hour.
I hate that work zone.  That stretch of I-490 is busy enough that it's not possible to close a lane without creating some amount of stop and go traffic, so it's been the bane of my existence for drives back to Albany.  Between this project and the upcoming work on the Canal bridge, looks like that stretch of I-490 is looking at a few years of hell.  It appears that "Drivers First" died with the end of the Cuomo administration.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

02 Park Ave

Would the I-390 be a satisfactory alternative detour for accessing the Thruway for those travelling eastward today?

It would be longer staying with the I-490 but would enable one to avoid those construction delays,
C-o-H

webny99

Quote from: vdeane on November 18, 2024, 01:01:03 PM
Quote from: webny99 on November 18, 2024, 11:21:43 AMComplicating matters for traffic detouring around the closure is a work zone lane reduction on I-490 EB near Exit 26. There's been daily lane closures from roughly 9AM to 2PM at this location for several weeks now, but it doesn't usually create too many issues as the work is being done outside of rush hour.
I hate that work zone.  That stretch of I-490 is busy enough that it's not possible to close a lane without creating some amount of stop and go traffic, so it's been the bane of my existence for drives back to Albany.  Between this project and the upcoming work on the Canal bridge, looks like that stretch of I-490 is looking at a few years of hell.  It appears that "Drivers First" died with the end of the Cuomo administration.

I agree, but I do at least appreciate that the work has largely started after morning rush and ended before afternoon rush.

However, as I've stated many times I do have a major issue with the bridge replacements and other work not being done to accommodate future widening. In my opinion any dollar spent on that stretch that doesn't contribute to future widening is a wasted dollar. I know the bridges eventually have to be replaced, but that's exactly why the lack of foresight (if you can even call it that, considering it's needed widening for decades) is so frustrating.

webny99

Quote from: 02 Park Ave on November 18, 2024, 02:16:41 PMWould the I-390 be a satisfactory alternative detour for accessing the Thruway for those travelling eastward today?

It would be longer staying with the I-490 but would enable one to avoid those construction delays,

Absolutely. It's a little longer, but surprisingly not much. And you have to remember about 1/4 of the traffic detouring around the closure would have been exiting at Exit 46 anyways, so most of that traffic would be using I-390 south or backroads such as NY 33A/NY 252 to get back to Brighton/Henrietta, or sticking south of the Thruway and using backroads to get to Rush/Avon/Lima.

Anyway, the Thruway appears to have reopened around 1:30 PM. Reports are that the left lane remains closed, but of course Google Maps hasn't removed the closure yet, so it's impossible to tell if there are still delays.

webny99

The Thruway has reopened west of Buffalo following lake effect snow closures earlier this weekend, but a full commercial vehicle ban is still in place from Exit 46 (I-390) to the PA line. It seems odd that 46-53 would need to be closed when that stretch hasn't seen much snow at all (in fact none at all east of Exit 48), but the state's official truck detour is I-390 > I-86 > I-99 > US 15 > I-80, so I guess that explains why. Not that many trucks will take that route - no doubt most will take either I-88 or I-81 down to I-80 instead, or I-390 to I-86 to rejoin I-90 in Erie if they're west of Syracuse. I have no idea what trucks bound for Buffalo/Niagara or Canada are supposed to do, but the surface alternates are not great, and it seems bizarre to force them off the Thruway at I-390 for essentially no reason if they're bound for anywhere in the Buffalo area or Canada.

I won't have a chance to check out the supposedly truck-free Thruway myself, but I am very curious how enforceable the truck ban is... especially east of Buffalo.

Rothman

Yeah, I was just on the Thruway and the ban is still in effect.  Struck me the same way as when Wyoming sometimes "closes" I-80 by just throwing up a sign and not setting up temporary barriers of some sort to force people off of it.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Jim

Surprised to open up the forum tonight and see nothing yet in this thread about the plane that landed near Thruway Exit 23 today.

https://x.com/NYSThruway/status/1870178601452351983

Apologies if it was posted elsewhere and this is a duplicate.
Photos I post are my own unless otherwise noted.
Signs: https://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/
Travel Mapping: https://travelmapping.net/user/?u=terescoj
Counties: http://www.mob-rule.com/user/terescoj
Twitter @JimTeresco (roads, travel, skiing, weather, sports)

jeffandnicole

Quote from: Jim on December 20, 2024, 07:11:42 PMSurprised to open up the forum tonight and see nothing yet in this thread about the plane that landed near Thruway Exit 23 today.

https://x.com/NYSThruway/status/1870178601452351983

Apologies if it was posted elsewhere and this is a duplicate.

Joe Orlando, who was a spokesperson for the NJ Turnpike, tended to provide some humor when he talked to the press.  I still remember this story back from 2010, when a similar plane landed on the Turnpike.

He stated: "This was pretty much a non-incident in terms of what the outcome was like. The plane landed, he taxied it over into the shoulder. We can't even get motorists to do that when they break down."

https://www.nj.com/news/2010/02/small_plane_lands_on_nj_turnpi_1.html


vdeane

That wound up causing a nasty backup in both directions.  There were also backups around exit 24 and all over the local freeways too.  I don't get it.  It didn't even snow an inch, so there shouldn't have been weather delays (granted, the snow arrived six hours early, but that's well within when pre-treating the roads should have started) and Christmas doesn't usually produce congestion that I need to worry about, yet it was carmageddon out there.  I've never seen it this bad around Albany in December before.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

kalvado

Quote from: vdeane on December 20, 2024, 10:30:17 PMThat wound up causing a nasty backup in both directions.  There were also backups around exit 24 and all over the local freeways too.  I don't get it.  It didn't even snow an inch, so there shouldn't have been weather delays (granted, the snow arrived six hours early, but that's well within when pre-treating the roads should have started) and Christmas doesn't usually produce congestion that I need to worry about, yet it was carmageddon out there.  I've never seen it this bad around Albany in December before.
was pretty slippery, and looks like NYSDOT (among other agencies) dropped the ball on pre-treatment.  I believe forecast was nothing serious in the valley.. At least around 6 PM most of the roads were treated - but sidewalk, parking lot, and my car had a nice icy crust under the dusting. I was told "everything is slippery, lots of cars off the road on I-87" by those who drove after lunch. Coincidentally, map was all red at that point.
Plane actually had the same icing problems. 

vdeane

Quote from: kalvado on December 21, 2024, 10:02:11 AMwas pretty slippery, and looks like NYSDOT (among other agencies) dropped the ball on pre-treatment.  I believe forecast was nothing serious in the valley.. At least around 6 PM most of the roads were treated - but sidewalk, parking lot, and my car had a nice icy crust under the dusting. I was told "everything is slippery, lots of cars off the road on I-87" by those who drove after lunch. Coincidentally, map was all red at that point.
Plane actually had the same icing problems.
It's weird how much the ball was dropped on that.  The forecast the night before had accumulating snow for Friday evening, and normally they're out there at least 24 hours in advance, so they should have gotten it on time even allowing for the early and larger snow event.

As best I can tell, it wasn't actually an early arrival either; instead, it looks like that storm that was supposed to stay off at sea instead made landfall in Boston and we got caught in the fringes of it.



In other news, I finally stopped at the renovated Pattersonville service area today and all I can say is, what a mess.  I thought the renovated ones were supposed to be better than the new builds, but nope!  While it's the same size as it was before, it's organized in the dumbest way possible, so everyone is still in everyone else's way.  And don't bother ordering at Panera Bread unless you have an hour to wait for your food (just wait, time spent eating not included!).  I thought I'd be fine because mac and cheese is quick, but nope!  Turns out if other people order things that take a long time, you get stuck behind them, because they only do a few at a time.  After 15 minutes spent waiting and still having my order on the third page of the order screen, I gave up and cancelled it in favor of playing convenience store food roulette.  I got stuck with the breakfast sandwiches, which aren't bad but get a bit soggy after microwaving them; pro tip, even though the microwave says 1:30-2:30 for them, 1:30 is probably the most; I did 2:00 thinking the middle would be a good compromise, especially as I got two, and they were too hot.  Also, their drink selection leaves a lot to be desired; if you like Gatorade, iced coffee, or flavored water, you're in luck, because that's 80% of their selection (the remaining 20% is regular bottled water and iced tea; well, at least they have what plants crave).  No juice and the only lemonade was in the Taste NY area.  The seating area manages to be worse than the new builds, with NO normal tables; you're either sitting at a couch or in cafeteria-style seating across from a snot-nosed kid (I hope I didn't catch anything - right after I started to recover from a really nasty cold, too!).  The only real positive thing I can say for the renovated service areas over the new builds is that they at least have  a normal amount of bathroom stalls.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Rothman

NYSTA can take care of their own road.  No need to bring in NYSDOT. :D
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

storm2k

Quote from: vdeane on December 21, 2024, 09:09:13 PM
Quote from: kalvado on December 21, 2024, 10:02:11 AMwas pretty slippery, and looks like NYSDOT (among other agencies) dropped the ball on pre-treatment.  I believe forecast was nothing serious in the valley.. At least around 6 PM most of the roads were treated - but sidewalk, parking lot, and my car had a nice icy crust under the dusting. I was told "everything is slippery, lots of cars off the road on I-87" by those who drove after lunch. Coincidentally, map was all red at that point.
Plane actually had the same icing problems.
It's weird how much the ball was dropped on that.  The forecast the night before had accumulating snow for Friday evening, and normally they're out there at least 24 hours in advance, so they should have gotten it on time even allowing for the early and larger snow event.

As best I can tell, it wasn't actually an early arrival either; instead, it looks like that storm that was supposed to stay off at sea instead made landfall in Boston and we got caught in the fringes of it.



In other news, I finally stopped at the renovated Pattersonville service area today and all I can say is, what a mess.  I thought the renovated ones were supposed to be better than the new builds, but nope!  While it's the same size as it was before, it's organized in the dumbest way possible, so everyone is still in everyone else's way.  And don't bother ordering at Panera Bread unless you have an hour to wait for your food (just wait, time spent eating not included!).  I thought I'd be fine because mac and cheese is quick, but nope!  Turns out if other people order things that take a long time, you get stuck behind them, because they only do a few at a time.  After 15 minutes spent waiting and still having my order on the third page of the order screen, I gave up and cancelled it in favor of playing convenience store food roulette.  I got stuck with the breakfast sandwiches, which aren't bad but get a bit soggy after microwaving them; pro tip, even though the microwave says 1:30-2:30 for them, 1:30 is probably the most; I did 2:00 thinking the middle would be a good compromise, especially as I got two, and they were too hot.  Also, their drink selection leaves a lot to be desired; if you like Gatorade, iced coffee, or flavored water, you're in luck, because that's 80% of their selection (the remaining 20% is regular bottled water and iced tea; well, at least they have what plants crave).  No juice and the only lemonade was in the Taste NY area.  The seating area manages to be worse than the new builds, with NO normal tables; you're either sitting at a couch or in cafeteria-style seating across from a snot-nosed kid (I hope I didn't catch anything - right after I started to recover from a really nasty cold, too!).  The only real positive thing I can say for the renovated service areas over the new builds is that they at least have  a normal amount of bathroom stalls.

That's unfortunately typical of service plazas everywhere these days. Not just the higher end brands too. The Popeyes at the Vince Lombardi Service Area on the Turnpike, my goodness talk about lines. And the Burger Kings at a bunch of the Parkway service areas also just take absolutely forever. They used to just prepare the burgers and fries ahead of time and put them in shelves to be grabbed, but they moved to the "make it as it's ordered" model and that slows things down a LOT at most of these areas.

vdeane

Quote from: storm2k on December 22, 2024, 02:54:45 PMThat's unfortunately typical of service plazas everywhere these days. Not just the higher end brands too. The Popeyes at the Vince Lombardi Service Area on the Turnpike, my goodness talk about lines. And the Burger Kings at a bunch of the Parkway service areas also just take absolutely forever. They used to just prepare the burgers and fries ahead of time and put them in shelves to be grabbed, but they moved to the "make it as it's ordered" model and that slows things down a LOT at most of these areas.
I miss the old service areas.  It was much faster when you could just get a burger at McDonald's or pizza slices at Sbarro.  And there was much more room, even at the four that are physically the same size.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

roadman65

I'm curious to know the purpose of having an interchange with Electronics Parkway near Syracuse considering that it's less than a mile from Exit 36 to I-81.

The roadway isn't even a major road in the area, but gets an exchange.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Flyer78

Easy access to what was a GE facility, "back in the day."  Also, the original interchange with I-81 was different, if I recall correctly from other frequent posters here.

Rothman

Quote from: roadman65 on December 31, 2024, 10:23:00 PMI'm curious to know the purpose of having an interchange with Electronics Parkway near Syracuse considering that it's less than a mile from Exit 36 to I-81.

The roadway isn't even a major road in the area, but gets an exchange.

Quote from: roadman65 on December 31, 2024, 10:23:00 PMI'm curious to know the purpose of having an interchange with Electronics Parkway near Syracuse considering that it's less than a mile from Exit 36 to I-81.

The roadway isn't even a major road in the area, but gets an exchange.

Look at a map: Lockheed Martin and access to Liverpool in general.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

roadman65

Quote from: Rothman on December 31, 2024, 11:17:08 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on December 31, 2024, 10:23:00 PMI'm curious to know the purpose of having an interchange with Electronics Parkway near Syracuse considering that it's less than a mile from Exit 36 to I-81.

The roadway isn't even a major road in the area, but gets an exchange.

Quote from: roadman65 on December 31, 2024, 10:23:00 PMI'm curious to know the purpose of having an interchange with Electronics Parkway near Syracuse considering that it's less than a mile from Exit 36 to I-81.

The roadway isn't even a major road in the area, but gets an exchange.

Look at a map: Lockheed Martin and access to Liverpool in general.

Liverpool has access from Oswego Road.  The interchange to I-81 to Seventh North is fine for Lockeed Martin. Why should they get their own interchange anyway.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Rothman

Quote from: roadman65 on January 01, 2025, 10:49:51 AM
Quote from: Rothman on December 31, 2024, 11:17:08 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on December 31, 2024, 10:23:00 PMI'm curious to know the purpose of having an interchange with Electronics Parkway near Syracuse considering that it's less than a mile from Exit 36 to I-81.

The roadway isn't even a major road in the area, but gets an exchange.

Quote from: roadman65 on December 31, 2024, 10:23:00 PMI'm curious to know the purpose of having an interchange with Electronics Parkway near Syracuse considering that it's less than a mile from Exit 36 to I-81.

The roadway isn't even a major road in the area, but gets an exchange.

Look at a map: Lockheed Martin and access to Liverpool in general.

Liverpool has access from Oswego Road.  The interchange to I-81 to Seventh North is fine for Lockeed Martin. Why should they get their own interchange anyway.

Your incorrect argument (direct access > indirect) does not change the transparent reality.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

kalvado

Quote from: Rothman on January 01, 2025, 01:01:13 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on January 01, 2025, 10:49:51 AM
Quote from: Rothman on December 31, 2024, 11:17:08 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on December 31, 2024, 10:23:00 PMI'm curious to know the purpose of having an interchange with Electronics Parkway near Syracuse considering that it's less than a mile from Exit 36 to I-81.

The roadway isn't even a major road in the area, but gets an exchange.

Quote from: roadman65 on December 31, 2024, 10:23:00 PMI'm curious to know the purpose of having an interchange with Electronics Parkway near Syracuse considering that it's less than a mile from Exit 36 to I-81.

The roadway isn't even a major road in the area, but gets an exchange.

Look at a map: Lockheed Martin and access to Liverpool in general.

Liverpool has access from Oswego Road.  The interchange to I-81 to Seventh North is fine for Lockeed Martin. Why should they get their own interchange anyway.

Your incorrect argument (direct access > indirect) does not change the transparent reality.
This is probably more about Thruway wearing two hats - long haul road and commuter urban highway. One mile exit spacing may be bad for the first role, but more or less normal for the second one, depending on exit volumes. Buffalo, for example, also have plenty of Thruway exits to serve local traffic

roadman65

Just like the NJ Turnpike. In North Jersey it's designed for local commuters, but South Jersey it's a long haul route hence the spacing of interchanges and what other highways they connect to.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

SignBridge

Same issue exists on I-95 (New England Twy. and Connecticut Tpk.) From the NYC line north to New Haven, exits are closely spaced like an urban expressway even though it's a long haul route.



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.