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Northway Exit 3 Project

Started by Jim, January 16, 2019, 08:19:31 AM

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Jim

My first experience through the area after the new ramp's opening nearly left me to be its first casualty.  What I thought was going to be a temporary lane shift of Albany-Shaker WB just after passing under the Northway seems to be permanent.  Or at least it looks permanently striped.  The two through lanes make a hard shift left, using the real estate that was old left turn lane for the left through lane, leaving a short, new right turn lane onto 155 EB.  Then just across the intersection, traffic makes a hard shift back right.  In the left lane, I observed two left-lane cars a few seconds in front of me completely ignore the shift and drive in a straight line, fortunately when no one was in the right lane.  I came to the intersection and did the shift, but to oncoming left turn traffic it apparently still looks I was moving over to turn left (which would be onto the now nonexistent ramp).  A driver turned left right in front of me and I am convinced he thought I was in the wrong for going straight through my green light.  Hard braking on my part narrowly avoided a crash. 

Further ahead, driver confusion was apparent as I saw an SUV make a U-Turn just before the light at the new ramps.
Photos I post are my own unless otherwise noted.
Signs: https://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/
Travel Mapping: https://travelmapping.net/user/?u=terescoj
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Twitter @JimTeresco (roads, travel, skiing, weather, sports)


Jim

Uncovered NB signs and my first ride across the new flyover:

http://www.teresco.org/pics/exit3-20191108/
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)

kalvado

Quote from: Jim on November 08, 2019, 04:24:11 PM
Uncovered NB signs and my first ride across the new flyover:

http://www.teresco.org/pics/exit3-20191108/
Went there on Wednesday, the day ramp opened.
"To I-87 north" at the end of ramp is a cute thingie - you can only see it while coming off I-87..

On a separate note, there is a Times Union report on Cuomo II ceremony at the exit: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Work-on-Northway-Exit-3-nearly-complete-14814062.php
Other than driving the wrong way for whatever reason, since governor's car carries general issue license plate - should it have a validation sticker either on a plate or on a windshield? What about inspection sticker?

machias

Quote from: Jim on November 08, 2019, 04:24:11 PM
Uncovered NB signs and my first ride across the new flyover:

http://www.teresco.org/pics/exit3-20191108/

Weird there's no guidance arrow under the I-87 marker. Going with that approach you shouldn't have a guidance arrow under the Airport symbol either.

vdeane

My drives home on Thursday and Friday weren't as magical as Wednesday.  It seemed everyone was paying attention while Cuomo was touting the fact that children can now learn to count on the Northway, but afterwards promptly forgot about the new auxiliary lane between exits 4 and 5 and resumed their early merging behavior.

Quote from: Jim on November 06, 2019, 08:51:34 PM
My first experience through the area after the new ramp's opening nearly left me to be its first casualty.  What I thought was going to be a temporary lane shift of Albany-Shaker WB just after passing under the Northway seems to be permanent.  Or at least it looks permanently striped.  The two through lanes make a hard shift left, using the real estate that was old left turn lane for the left through lane, leaving a short, new right turn lane onto 155 EB.  Then just across the intersection, traffic makes a hard shift back right.  In the left lane, I observed two left-lane cars a few seconds in front of me completely ignore the shift and drive in a straight line, fortunately when no one was in the right lane.  I came to the intersection and did the shift, but to oncoming left turn traffic it apparently still looks I was moving over to turn left (which would be onto the now nonexistent ramp).  A driver turned left right in front of me and I am convinced he thought I was in the wrong for going straight through my green light.  Hard braking on my part narrowly avoided a crash. 

Further ahead, driver confusion was apparent as I saw an SUV make a U-Turn just before the light at the new ramps.
It looks like they haven't finished paving in the area (the EB lanes are uneven), and there's a LOT of extra space on the north side of the road.  I also recall reading that they were going to add a second left turn lane onto I-87 north, which hasn't happened yet.  I'm guessing they're still not done yet.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Rothman

Drivers are having lane confusion on Albany Shaker EB through the lights.  The striping and signage don't line up well.  Right lane also seems to dump you in the right turn only lane for the time being, causing cars to jump left.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Jim

Driving through a few more times this week, WB Albany Shaker to get on I-87 South, I can confidently say that driver confusion is high.  Cars sitting at what used to be the left turn lane with a directional signal waiting to turn left into a barricade.  Others not following the crazy lane shift and shift back.  Others pulling U-Turns thinking they missed the ramp, I expect because their GPS is yelling at them.  If nothing else, the lane shifting needs to be signed better, and some clear signage indicating where to find the new SB I-87 onramp.  I'm tempted to avoid the area on my way home this afternoon.  Fridays tend to have more people unfamiliar with the area anyway, so it seems like a recipe for delays and accidents.
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)

vdeane

I've observed a few cars getting on the Northway who don't seem to know that there's an auxiliary lane and still try to merge as early as they can, whether there's space for them without others stopping to let them in or not.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Rothman

The EB issue on Albany Shaker is unacceptable, as it seems they are declaring the striping done.  The left lane is not aligned with any lane under the bridge and the right lane causes confusion as people think they're in a right turn only lane.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

vdeane

Honestly, it seems like the contractor just packed up and left after Cuomo's ribbon cutting.  I haven't seen any additional work happen since, despite the fact that paving is obviously not finished on Albany-Shaker and most tenth mile markers on the Northway are still missing.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

froggie

Winter?  Not exactly easy to pave when temps are below 50F.

Alps

Quote from: froggie on November 17, 2019, 10:27:07 PM
Winter?  Not exactly easy to pave when temps are below 50F.

Asphalt generally is doable, just find a reasonably above-freezing day.

storm2k

Quote from: Jim on November 08, 2019, 04:24:11 PM
Uncovered NB signs and my first ride across the new flyover:

http://www.teresco.org/pics/exit3-20191108/

Interesting that they don't use the MUTCD airport symbol on the signs. I thought that was the general guidance these days.

froggie

Quote from: Alps on November 18, 2019, 12:11:31 AM
Quote from: froggie on November 17, 2019, 10:27:07 PM
Winter?  Not exactly easy to pave when temps are below 50F.

Asphalt generally is doable, just find a reasonably above-freezing day.

Those have been in short supply up here the past couple weeks, which has made repairs from the Halloween night flooding difficult.

Granted, Albany's been warmer with less snow than up here....but even there, they've only had one day above 38F in the past week.

vdeane

It appears the contractor did come back.  I saw them this morning working on the removal of the former c/d lanes.  Still no tenth mile markers on the Northway, which one would think would be easy enough to do.  I would have thought they could have worked in the days and weekend immediately following the ribbon cutting, but maybe the governor didn't want an active work zone after his celebrations.

This project has always struck me as a little odd in terms of what they do when.  They often would appear to start a task, leaving it unfinished for several days/weeks, and then come back, repeat, etc.  Take the NB paving: they did the milling around the bridges, waited a while, paved the left lane, waited a very long while (during which the paving on the left lane had visibly started to erode), and then finally finished the job.

(personal opinion)
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Jim

#90
I was surprised by another new configuration this afternoon when I did the WB Albany-Shaker to SB I-87 part of my ride home.  The lane jog left and right on the west side of the underpass is gone (though the pavement markings still exist), with the old left turn lane now barricaded off and looks to be in preparation to become a left turn lane again.  What used to be the entrance ramp to I-87 SB has been replaced with a not-yet-open driveway into the Desmond.  I had no idea that was in the works, but it seems to makes sense to have traffic in and out of the Desmond use the light that's already there. 

Edit: if I had looked more carefully at the document vdeane posted months ago, I'd have seen that the driveway to the Desmond was in the plan: https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/AlbanyAirport_Exit3.pdf
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)

kalvado


Jim

Yes, I just went through, but fortunately in the opposite direction to all of the traffic.  Never seen Maxwell backed all the way up to Old Niskayuna.  Apparently 35 degrees is good enough to try paving, but it doesn't work out well.  Here's a screen shot I grabbed at 8:50 AM.

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)

Rothman

I will be through there on Sunday at the latest.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Rothman

Striping has been corrected -- thank goodness.  Minor issue still remains right at Albany-Shaker and Wolf Road heading eastbound.  Cars in the rightmost straight lane may still accidentally head into the left lane on the other side due to a slight misalignment.  Dashed line would help out.

However, coming westbound yesterday, the currently operating two traffic signals are way to the left at Albany-Shaker and NY 155.  On Sunday, they were over closed lanes.  Hopefully, the new signals will be operational in short order.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Jim

Now that the final configuration has been in place for a little while and people have had a chance to get used to it, I'll throw out my observations.

Not surprisingly, the Exit 4 NB ramp no longer backs up onto the mainline and usually I find just a few cars waiting at the light at Wolf Rd.  It's nice to know I never need to wait two or more (long) cycles there like could be the case previously.

My rides home from Albany Shaker WB to Northway SB have improved quite a bit.  Nothing stacks up as badly as it used to, and the light timings usually have been working pretty well.  I haven't see the left turn lane to the SB onramp stacked up too far and have yet to wait multiple cycles like I used to.

I'm still seeing some cars end up in what used to be the left turn lane onto the Northway SB which is now the left turn into the Desmond, and then they try to get back in.

So it's overall more of an improvement for my specific commute than I expected.
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)

Rothman

I am just happy they sorted out the lame striping on Albany-Shaker under the overpass.

Not sure if it's an improvement, since I usually drive E-W on Albany-Shaker, but I suppose not having a back up is a good thing.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

WNYroadgeek

Quote from: storm2k on November 18, 2019, 09:00:33 AM
Quote from: Jim on November 08, 2019, 04:24:11 PM
Uncovered NB signs and my first ride across the new flyover:

http://www.teresco.org/pics/exit3-20191108/

Interesting that they don't use the MUTCD airport symbol on the signs. I thought that was the general guidance these days.

Looks like there's even space for it next to the NY 155 shields.



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