News:

why is this up in the corner now

Main Menu

Clinching NYC Interstates

Started by JayhawkCO, September 30, 2024, 01:41:02 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

JayhawkCO

Hey friends. So I just booked a trip to Africa next summer and since I used miles, I could only find availability ex-JFK, not ex-DEN. So, I have to book a separate flight to NYC. Since they're on separate tickets, I'll need to book it to leave me a quite extensive layover in case of delays (since the airlines are under no obligation to help me out with a flight that I missed due to a misconnect of my own choosing). So... since my flight to Africa doesn't leave until 22:00, I was thinking about taking the first flight out of Denver to either EWR, LGA, or JFK and then renting a car to try to clinch all of the NYC interstates that I haven't ever been on. Seems like a good way to kill a long layover, and in case of a delay on my flight, I can just scrap my driving plans without real issue.

The only interstates within the NYC borders that I've been on are I-78 through the Holland Tunnel, I-95 all the way through New York State, and I-678 from Grand Central Parkway down to JFK. Assuming I didn't worry about I-287 (I've been on part of it, but not the whole route), how long do you think it would take to clinch everything I have left (including I-495 to its end but only worrying about the part of I-87 south of I-95)? This will be on a Monday and I'm trying to decide if I should take the redeye so I have more time or if I can get it accomplished in 4 hours or so. The earliest I could get into the area without a redeye is 11:46 AM into Newark.

Thanks in advance.


vdeane

I would say that doing all of that in one day is overly ambitious.  You'd realistically need three hours to do I-495 and get back (by the time you're at Riverhead, you're east of New Haven and I-91).  Not to mention that the approaches to the triple cantilever section of I-278 have stop and go congestion during all daylight hours.

Using the 11:45 arrival to Newark, if you headed south to I-278 (don't forget the bit to US 9), you could clinch that and take I-295 south (if you U turn at the last exit before the bridge, you can grab a quick clinch of I-695 as well and come back).  After turning around at NY 25, take I-495 west into Manhattan, then left on 34th Street to FDR Drive south.  Turn right at the signs saying "Hugh L Carey Tunnel" to clinch I-478, then take the Belt Parkway and NY 878 (clinching I-878 in the process; it goes from I-678 to the JFK Expressway, eastbound only) to the JFK Expressway and take that into the airport.  It should be doable, even allowing for normal traffic/flight/airport delays.

Google's travel times suggest that it might be possible to do a loop on I-695/I-95/I-287/I-87/I-278 where I suggested doing a couple of U turns to clinch I-695, but having no experience with flying, and most of my travel in the NYC area being on weekends, I'm hesitant to recommend it.  But still, something to keep in mind if you're doing really well on time.  Probably a good idea to plot out any route you want to try on Google Maps on various Mondays at various times (including breaking at decision points) to get a good feel for how long various parts of the trip can take.  You don't want to miss your flight to Africa because of NYC traffic congestion!

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

Rothman

(I'm not touching this thread with a 10-foot cattle prod)
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

webny99

To offer a hybrid of Rothman and vdeane's replies, it would probably be advisable to take the redeye if you are really intent on clinching everything as you described. 4 hours isn't going to cut it, and I would recommend at least an hour or two buffer for unexpected delays which are bound to pop up at some point just by virtue of leaving and returning to any NYC metro airport.

JayhawkCO

Yeah, I think 4 hours would be comfortable enough if I didn't worry about I-495. That's the wrinkle. I need to get my mind wrapped around which interstate junctions don't operate in every direction too, so I can try to plan the most efficient route. At this point, flying into Newark seems to make the most sense (assuming I can find a one-way rental that isn't insane, dropping it at JFK).

vdeane

If you do try to clinch the LIE (I-495), try to avoid leaving the city in mid or late afternoon.  Rush hour traffic on that road is no joke.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

dgolub

Quote from: vdeane on September 30, 2024, 09:12:48 PMNot to mention that the approaches to the triple cantilever section of I-278 have stop and go congestion during all daylight hours.

I've had success early in the morning on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.  Aside from that, it's usually a parking lot during waking hours seven days a week like Valerie said.  It can take on the order of a hour to get through there now that they'd narrowed it down to two lanes.

1995hoo

Be prepared for heavy traffic at all hours because a crash in the wrong place, or heavy rain, can easily mess things up big time. I've also found the eastbound LIE across Queens is almost always congested during civilized hours (I've never used it late at night).
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

JayhawkCO

Yeah, the more I think about this, the less likely the plan becomes. I'll probably just get a flight into JFK about 5-6 hour early just to ensure I don't miss my flight and then hang out in the business class lounge. Thanks for everyone's input.

1995hoo

Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 08, 2024, 12:50:52 PMYeah, the more I think about this, the less likely the plan becomes. I'll probably just get a flight into JFK about 5-6 hour early just to ensure I don't miss my flight and then hang out in the business class lounge. Thanks for everyone's input.

Don't forget that if you are flying in on one airline and out on another, you may have to change terminals and re-clear security due to the idiotic airport design that prevails in the New York area.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

JayhawkCO

#10
Quote from: 1995hoo on October 08, 2024, 12:55:10 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 08, 2024, 12:50:52 PMYeah, the more I think about this, the less likely the plan becomes. I'll probably just get a flight into JFK about 5-6 hour early just to ensure I don't miss my flight and then hang out in the business class lounge. Thanks for everyone's input.

Don't forget that if you are flying in on one airline and out on another, you may have to change terminals and re-clear security due to the idiotic airport design that prevails in the New York area.

Yep. For sure. Ethiopian flies out of Terminal 7. Alaska, Frontier, and Sun Country are the only domestic airlines that fly out of Terminal 7, so I'm guaranteed to have to switch terminals (as I won't be flying any of those). Having done it at JFK before, it's not THAT bad, compared to some places I've been (Manila, Frankfurt, and Sydney come to mind). Also, I have pre-check, so that always saves some time.

Also, looks like the lounge I'll have access to is in Terminal 8, and American flies there, so, price and timing being equal, that will be my choice.

JayhawkCO

So rekindling this thread now that (I think) I've finalized my plans. To make 100% sure that I arrive in time for the big flights across the pond, I'm going to take the redeye to JFK that gets me in at 5:30 AM. I thought about taking something like a 6 AM flight out of Denver, but honestly, I think I'd get worse sleep knowing I have to wake up at 3:30-4:00 AM than just trying to get my sleep on the plane. There's a non-stop on JetBlue around 10:00, but if that flight goes belly up, my options to get to NYC in time for my international flights are slim, so red-eye it is.

So... again, to reiterate what I'd like to clinch:

I-278, I-478, I-678 (North of Queens Blvd.), I-295, I-495, and I-695.

If doable, I also wouldn't mind trying to get the portions of I-287 I'm missing (on the north, from I-87 to I-95, and on the south, from I-78 to I-95) and the portion of I-87 from I-278 to I-287 (basically the southernmost portion), but I'm aware these are very much stretch goals and I likely won't have time for this.

My thoughts are to maybe head out to Riverhead on NY27 right away when I get the car and then take I-495 back into the city and start there, but I'm having a tough time visualizing the right order to get all of these clinches done, since there are so many intersections that don't have movement between all of the different directions.

I have about 13.5 hours to do all of this, so should be ample time even in case of delays (for at least the non-stretch goal portion). Any guidance as to the order I should proceed would, of course, be appreciate. Otherwise I'll probably make a big spreadsheet of all of the interstate junctions detailing which directions I can actually utilize and then go from there.


Rothman

With that much time, you should be good.  I'd just use an app to track traffic.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

pderocco

Quote from: JayhawkCO on November 27, 2024, 11:36:56 AMI have about 13.5 hours to do all of this, so should be ample time even in case of delays (for at least the non-stretch goal portion). Any guidance as to the order I should proceed would, of course, be appreciate. Otherwise I'll probably make a big spreadsheet of all of the interstate junctions detailing which directions I can actually utilize and then go from there.
You might find the map drawing tools in Google Maps useful. I use it for planning all the time. If you've never used it, there's a bit of a learning curve, but you can get it to draw any route you want, drag it around by waypoints, and it will take care of figuring out what's connected to what.  Go to the menu, then Saved, Maps tab, Open My Maps, Create A New Map, use the Draw A Line tool, then Add Driving Route, then start drawing.

JayhawkCO

#14
Alright. I think I have a plan. Since I get in at 5:30 and realistically don't have to be at the airport until at least 19:00, but could get away with later, I have plenty of time. So I've decided to go further afield:

Exit JFK heading west on Belt Parkway
Exit onto I-278 West, taking it all the way to US1-9, then turning around on I-278 East
I-95 South
Garden State Parkway South
I-195 West to I-95 (Clinching I-195)
I-95 North
I-287 North all the way to its end (Clinching I-287 and New Jersey's interstates)
I-95 South to Playland Parkway exit turning around
I-95 North
I-287 West briefly
I-684 North to its end then turn around (Clinching I-684)
Saw Mill River Parkway South
I-87 South to its end
I-278 East to its end
I-95 North
I-295 South
Right before the Throgs Neck Bridge, take the Harding Avenue exit and head back NW on the Throgs Nest Expressway, then Lawton Avenue back across the highway to get back onto I-295 to its split with I-695
I-695 North (Clinching I-695)
I-95 North taking the Orchard Beach/City Island exit to loop back around and get back on I-95 South
I-95 South
I-695 South
I-295 South
I-495 East to its end
Turn around and take I-495 West to its end (Clinching I-495)
FDR Drive South to I-478
I-478 South (Clinching I-478)
I-278 West
Take Exit for 6th Avenue West, then turn back around on I-278
I-278 East to its end (Clinching I-278)
I-678 South to Grand Central Parkway (Clinching I-678)
Grand Central Parkway East
I-295 North (Clinching I-295)
I-495 East
Cross Island Parkway South
Belt Parkway West
Back to JFK

I think that accounts for everything remotely close to NYC. The closest interstate to NYC I wouldn't have clinched in its entirety is I-587 up in Kingston, but that can wait for another day. I'm showing the trip at 521 miles (seems crazy for just "NYC", but I'll gain 255 miles of new clinched interstates as well as plenty of more "virgin territory". About 167 miles will be on interstate that I've either previously clinched or will have clinched on this trip, most of which is yo-yoing on I-495, using the part of I-287 I've already driven, and some segments of I-95. Also, the way I built the trip, I have plenty of bailout points if traffic is looking dicey. GMaps says this is right under 10 hours, but me breaking it down into an Excel spreadsheet and picking my own speeds, I have it at 11h37m, which seems about right. Average speed is a little less than 45 mph that way.

cockroachking

Some thoughts:

- I would recommend taking I-95 north into CT from I-287's eastern terminus rather than going down to Playland Pkwy, since I-287's "mainline" ends at I-95 north and is shown as such in Travel Mapping. Turning around at Exit 2 in CT says it would be the same time-wise as Playland.

- It says it is only one minute longer (and less tolls) to take US-1&9 SB, then US-9 SB, from I-278 to the Garden State Pkwy. More interesting than turning around I would say, but that stretch of US-1&9 can be prone to traffic. Something to consider for some variety.

- Either on the way out or back to Riverhead, you might want to consider taking the Northern State Pkwy to change things up, if the traffic cooperates. The section in Nassau County can frequently be faster than I-495 anyway, traffic dependent.

- Assuming you are planning on turning around at Exit 20 on I-278 (6th Ave in Brooklyn), that will leave you just shy of a clinch of I-278. The lack of exit movements means that you would have to cross the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge again and turn around at Exit 15 in Staten Island in order to get that small missing piece in Bay Ridge.

- I would recommend taking I-295 south to NY-25 before I-495, clinching I-295, then turning around to go back to I-495. This would allow you to remove the last few steps from your itinerary and take I-678 straight back to JFK from the Bruckner Interchange. This also helps since there are no direct ramps from I-678 SB to the Grand Central Pkwy EB at the Kew Gardens Interchange. 

- And of course, be prepared to sit in lots of traffic, because NYC.

JayhawkCO

Appreciate all this advice. Will adjust accordingly.



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.