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Best Route from Boston to New York

Started by Roadgeekteen, April 20, 2021, 12:47:20 AM

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What is the best route between Boston and New York?

95
6 (10%)
90-84-91-95
12 (20%)
90-84-15
23 (38.3%)
90-84-684
8 (13.3%)
Other
11 (18.3%)

Total Members Voted: 60

odditude

Quote from: NJRoadfan on April 23, 2021, 10:56:04 PM
Quote from: Alps on April 23, 2021, 03:19:09 PM
You don't need to bypass 95 heading south, only north.

Friends don't let friends take the Cross Bronx....especially southbound.
but you're already in the city by then!


02 Park Ave

I like 90-395-95.

It is an easier drive, but then i always schedule my journey to avoid being on I-95 west of New Haven during the rush hour.
C-o-H

roadman

Quote from: NJRoadfan on April 23, 2021, 10:56:04 PM
Quote from: Alps on April 23, 2021, 03:19:09 PM
You don't need to bypass 95 heading south, only north.

Friends don't let friends take the Cross Bronx....especially southbound.

I drove the Cross Bronx exactly once in the early 1990s.  Those signs that read "If you've broken down, do NOT get out of your vehicle" (or words to that effect) didn't exactly inspire confidence.  Nor did the low hovering police helicopter blaring to someone who had ignored that advice "GET BACK IN YOUR CAR NOW!!!"
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

bluecountry

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 20, 2021, 02:17:46 PM
Quote from: webny99 on April 20, 2021, 01:33:11 PM
On that note - and because I'm sure people will have opinions on this - which is better, CT 15 or I-95?
CT 15 is more scenic, I-95 is a higher quality road.
95 most definitely is not a higher quality road.
It sucks in CT, it was built pre interstate and is not to interstate standards.
I can go faster and smoother on 15, not to mention it is a lot more scenic.

Roadgeekteen

Quote from: bluecountry on April 26, 2021, 08:46:51 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 20, 2021, 02:17:46 PM
Quote from: webny99 on April 20, 2021, 01:33:11 PM
On that note - and because I'm sure people will have opinions on this - which is better, CT 15 or I-95?
CT 15 is more scenic, I-95 is a higher quality road.
95 most definitely is not a higher quality road.
It sucks in CT, it was built pre interstate and is not to interstate standards.
I can go faster and smoother on 15, not to mention it is a lot more scenic.
CT 15 isn't great either, as it's only 4 lanes.
God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

roadman65

Quote from: roadman on April 25, 2021, 06:04:11 PM
Quote from: NJRoadfan on April 23, 2021, 10:56:04 PM
Quote from: Alps on April 23, 2021, 03:19:09 PM
You don't need to bypass 95 heading south, only north.

Friends don't let friends take the Cross Bronx....especially southbound.

I drove the Cross Bronx exactly once in the early 1990s.  Those signs that read "If you've broken down, do NOT get out of your vehicle" (or words to that effect) didn't exactly inspire confidence.  Nor did the low hovering police helicopter blaring to someone who had ignored that advice "GET BACK IN YOUR CAR NOW!!!"

If you leave your car the underworld will steal all of your car's parts and leave you with just a body and chassis on blocks. These pros can disassemble a car totally in five minutes or less and we're filmed on Channel 7 (Back in the Grimsby anchor days) to show how problematic stripping is become.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Alps

Quote from: bluecountry on April 26, 2021, 08:46:51 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 20, 2021, 02:17:46 PM
Quote from: webny99 on April 20, 2021, 01:33:11 PM
On that note - and because I'm sure people will have opinions on this - which is better, CT 15 or I-95?
CT 15 is more scenic, I-95 is a higher quality road.
95 most definitely is not a higher quality road.
It sucks in CT, it was built pre interstate and is not to interstate standards.
I can go faster and smoother on 15, not to mention it is a lot more scenic.
You kidding? 15 has tons of hills, only 2 lanes, sharper curves at the west end. People consistently fail to sustain their speeds on 15, so uphills are 55 mph and downhills are 85 mph. 95 is way better.

bluecountry

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 26, 2021, 09:40:24 AM
Quote from: bluecountry on April 26, 2021, 08:46:51 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 20, 2021, 02:17:46 PM
Quote from: webny99 on April 20, 2021, 01:33:11 PM
On that note - and because I'm sure people will have opinions on this - which is better, CT 15 or I-95?
CT 15 is more scenic, I-95 is a higher quality road.
95 most definitely is not a higher quality road.
It sucks in CT, it was built pre interstate and is not to interstate standards.
I can go faster and smoother on 15, not to mention it is a lot more scenic.
CT 15 isn't great either, as it's only 4 lanes.

Yes, but with no trucks, fewer exits, and better vision.

Quote from: Alps on April 26, 2021, 06:39:26 PM
Quote from: bluecountry on April 26, 2021, 08:46:51 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 20, 2021, 02:17:46 PM
Quote from: webny99 on April 20, 2021, 01:33:11 PM
On that note - and because I'm sure people will have opinions on this - which is better, CT 15 or I-95?
CT 15 is more scenic, I-95 is a higher quality road.
95 most definitely is not a higher quality road.
It sucks in CT, it was built pre interstate and is not to interstate standards.
I can go faster and smoother on 15, not to mention it is a lot more scenic.
You kidding? 15 has tons of hills, only 2 lanes, sharper curves at the west end. People consistently fail to sustain their speeds on 15, so uphills are 55 mph and downhills are 85 mph. 95 is way better.

That's much better than having no shoulders WITH trucks and tons of exits and poor merges.

I can go faster on 15 then 95, and it is a lot more pleasing to the eye.

Alps

Quote from: bluecountry on April 28, 2021, 11:02:47 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 26, 2021, 09:40:24 AM
Quote from: bluecountry on April 26, 2021, 08:46:51 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 20, 2021, 02:17:46 PM
Quote from: webny99 on April 20, 2021, 01:33:11 PM
On that note - and because I'm sure people will have opinions on this - which is better, CT 15 or I-95?
CT 15 is more scenic, I-95 is a higher quality road.
95 most definitely is not a higher quality road.
It sucks in CT, it was built pre interstate and is not to interstate standards.
I can go faster and smoother on 15, not to mention it is a lot more scenic.
CT 15 isn't great either, as it's only 4 lanes.

Yes, but with no trucks, fewer exits, and better vision.

Quote from: Alps on April 26, 2021, 06:39:26 PM
Quote from: bluecountry on April 26, 2021, 08:46:51 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 20, 2021, 02:17:46 PM
Quote from: webny99 on April 20, 2021, 01:33:11 PM
On that note - and because I'm sure people will have opinions on this - which is better, CT 15 or I-95?
CT 15 is more scenic, I-95 is a higher quality road.
95 most definitely is not a higher quality road.
It sucks in CT, it was built pre interstate and is not to interstate standards.
I can go faster and smoother on 15, not to mention it is a lot more scenic.
You kidding? 15 has tons of hills, only 2 lanes, sharper curves at the west end. People consistently fail to sustain their speeds on 15, so uphills are 55 mph and downhills are 85 mph. 95 is way better.

That's much better than having no shoulders WITH trucks and tons of exits and poor merges.

I can go faster on 15 then 95, and it is a lot more pleasing to the eye.
95 has shoulders, you know. I can go faster on I-95 when both roads are free-flowing. If both roads are not free-flowing, I take whichever one has less delay.

TheDon102

Quote from: bluecountry on April 28, 2021, 11:02:47 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 26, 2021, 09:40:24 AM
Quote from: bluecountry on April 26, 2021, 08:46:51 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 20, 2021, 02:17:46 PM
Quote from: webny99 on April 20, 2021, 01:33:11 PM
On that note - and because I'm sure people will have opinions on this - which is better, CT 15 or I-95?
CT 15 is more scenic, I-95 is a higher quality road.
95 most definitely is not a higher quality road.
It sucks in CT, it was built pre interstate and is not to interstate standards.
I can go faster and smoother on 15, not to mention it is a lot more scenic.
CT 15 isn't great either, as it's only 4 lanes.

Yes, but with no trucks, fewer exits, and better vision.

Quote from: Alps on April 26, 2021, 06:39:26 PM
Quote from: bluecountry on April 26, 2021, 08:46:51 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 20, 2021, 02:17:46 PM
Quote from: webny99 on April 20, 2021, 01:33:11 PM
On that note - and because I'm sure people will have opinions on this - which is better, CT 15 or I-95?
CT 15 is more scenic, I-95 is a higher quality road.
95 most definitely is not a higher quality road.
It sucks in CT, it was built pre interstate and is not to interstate standards.
I can go faster and smoother on 15, not to mention it is a lot more scenic.
You kidding? 15 has tons of hills, only 2 lanes, sharper curves at the west end. People consistently fail to sustain their speeds on 15, so uphills are 55 mph and downhills are 85 mph. 95 is way better.

That's much better than having no shoulders WITH trucks and tons of exits and poor merges.

I can go faster on 15 then 95, and it is a lot more pleasing to the eye.

seems like you've never been on 95 in CT. Most of it has adequate shoulders not to mention much wider lanes than 15. Driving on 15 you feel claustrophobic and people hog the left lane. Traffic is pretty bad on both of them also imo

as for Boston to NYC

90-84-684-Saw Mill - Henry Hudson would be the best to get to Manhattan (albeit saw mill is not a full freeway but close enough)

shadyjay

I-95 has gotten a lot less claustrophobic in the past 10+ years as far as shoulders go.  Median work and bridge replacement has yielded wide (close to if not full car length) inner and outer shoulders in many locations.  Still tight is the east end of Norwalk where the grassy median remains (to be replaced in the next few years), the Yankee Doodle Bridge (current reconstruction project ongoing, but not sure if anything will be widened - I believe just a deck redo), and thru downtown Stamford. 

I used to have to drive to Greenwich from Rocky Hill daily during the early 00's... most of the time we took the Merritt but it was stop and go from Bridgeport down to Stamford.  The Merritt doesn't allow trucks which is a plus, but if there's an accident, there's no easy alternative, since no roads parallel the Merritt.  At least with I-95 you have options (Rt 1 and others), but all roads intersecting the Merritt go north/south. 

MikeTheActuary

Quote from: TheDon102 on May 03, 2021, 02:34:25 PM
seems like you've never been on 95 in CT. Most of it has adequate shoulders not to mention much wider lanes than 15. Driving on 15 you feel claustrophobic and people hog the left lane.

In fairness, at least when traffic is heavy-but-flowing, the left-lane camping is more a reflection of how driving in the right lane is a bit challenging thanks to frequency of exits and the lack of acceleration/deceleration lanes, and traffic volumes making it difficult to change lanes to pass entering/exiting traffic.

Personally I prefer the Parkway to 95.  I don't know that it's "better" as much as it being a bit more scenic, and the two-lane carriageways and lack of trucks limiting the chaos of the traffic, leading to a more-enjoyable-to-my-tastes drive (as long as I don't have to enter the Parkway from one of those ridiculously short ramps).

However, given the nature of traffic in Fairfield and Westchester Counties, my favorite route into NYC really depends on traffic.

bluecountry

Quote from: TheDon102 on May 03, 2021, 02:34:25 PM
Quote from: bluecountry on April 28, 2021, 11:02:47 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 26, 2021, 09:40:24 AM
Quote from: bluecountry on April 26, 2021, 08:46:51 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 20, 2021, 02:17:46 PM
Quote from: webny99 on April 20, 2021, 01:33:11 PM
On that note - and because I'm sure people will have opinions on this - which is better, CT 15 or I-95?
CT 15 is more scenic, I-95 is a higher quality road.
95 most definitely is not a higher quality road.
It sucks in CT, it was built pre interstate and is not to interstate standards.
I can go faster and smoother on 15, not to mention it is a lot more scenic.
CT 15 isn't great either, as it's only 4 lanes.

Yes, but with no trucks, fewer exits, and better vision.

Quote from: Alps on April 26, 2021, 06:39:26 PM
Quote from: bluecountry on April 26, 2021, 08:46:51 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 20, 2021, 02:17:46 PM
Quote from: webny99 on April 20, 2021, 01:33:11 PM
On that note - and because I'm sure people will have opinions on this - which is better, CT 15 or I-95?
CT 15 is more scenic, I-95 is a higher quality road.
95 most definitely is not a higher quality road.
It sucks in CT, it was built pre interstate and is not to interstate standards.
I can go faster and smoother on 15, not to mention it is a lot more scenic.
You kidding? 15 has tons of hills, only 2 lanes, sharper curves at the west end. People consistently fail to sustain their speeds on 15, so uphills are 55 mph and downhills are 85 mph. 95 is way better.

That's much better than having no shoulders WITH trucks and tons of exits and poor merges.

I can go faster on 15 then 95, and it is a lot more pleasing to the eye.

seems like you've never been on 95 in CT. Most of it has adequate shoulders not to mention much wider lanes than 15. Driving on 15 you feel claustrophobic and people hog the left lane. Traffic is pretty bad on both of them also imo

as for Boston to NYC

90-84-684-Saw Mill - Henry Hudson would be the best to get to Manhattan (albeit saw mill is not a full freeway but close enough)
Im from CT originally, and done the drive many times.
No way 95 is better; until and unless they make it like they did in Bridgeport.


paul02474

Quote from: MikeTheActuary on May 03, 2021, 07:27:14 PM
Quote from: TheDon102 on May 03, 2021, 02:34:25 PM
seems like you've never been on 95 in CT. Most of it has adequate shoulders not to mention much wider lanes than 15. Driving on 15 you feel claustrophobic and people hog the left lane.

In fairness, at least when traffic is heavy-but-flowing, the left-lane camping is more a reflection of how driving in the right lane is a bit challenging thanks to frequency of exits and the lack of acceleration/deceleration lanes, and traffic volumes making it difficult to change lanes to pass entering/exiting traffic.

Personally I prefer the Parkway to 95.  I don't know that it's "better" as much as it being a bit more scenic, and the two-lane carriageways and lack of trucks limiting the chaos of the traffic, leading to a more-enjoyable-to-my-tastes drive (as long as I don't have to enter the Parkway from one of those ridiculously short ramps).

However, given the nature of traffic in Fairfield and Westchester Counties, my favorite route into NYC really depends on traffic.

No matter how you describe the practice of creeping in the left lane (hogging or camping), it is a cultural distinction between Boston drivers and New York drivers.

Boston drivers view the left lane as a high performance lane, and you need to maintain a high enough speed to earn a place among the elite. New Yorkers view the left lane as a birthright.

Witness the difference in traffic patterns between Route 128 around Boston and the Major Deegan Expressway in The Bronx.

In Massachusetts, if you set your cruise control at 65 (ten miles over the speed limit) and camp out in the left lane, you will have clear sailing ahead, a bunch of angry drivers bunched up in your rear view mirror, most of which will pass to your right and cut into the left lane at the earliest possible moment to communicate the need to maintain the culturally appropriate speed (somewhere in the high 70s).

In The Bronx, people cruise at 40 miles per hour in any lane they choose, and high speed drivers respond in engaging in a speedway slalom, moving across the three lanes to gain whatever space of empty pavement offers clear passage.

The cultures clash in Connecticut, with the New Yorkers constipating the left lane and the New Englanders looking to clear the blockage using aggressive techniques.

For the purpose of this discussion, the tunnel in New Haven is the boundary between New York and New England. Fairfield County is a New York suburb and is populated by too many Yankee fans to offer any claim to being a part of New England.

Alps

Quote from: paul02474 on June 19, 2021, 08:40:22 PM
Quote from: MikeTheActuary on May 03, 2021, 07:27:14 PM
Quote from: TheDon102 on May 03, 2021, 02:34:25 PM
seems like you've never been on 95 in CT. Most of it has adequate shoulders not to mention much wider lanes than 15. Driving on 15 you feel claustrophobic and people hog the left lane.

In fairness, at least when traffic is heavy-but-flowing, the left-lane camping is more a reflection of how driving in the right lane is a bit challenging thanks to frequency of exits and the lack of acceleration/deceleration lanes, and traffic volumes making it difficult to change lanes to pass entering/exiting traffic.

Personally I prefer the Parkway to 95.  I don't know that it's "better" as much as it being a bit more scenic, and the two-lane carriageways and lack of trucks limiting the chaos of the traffic, leading to a more-enjoyable-to-my-tastes drive (as long as I don't have to enter the Parkway from one of those ridiculously short ramps).

However, given the nature of traffic in Fairfield and Westchester Counties, my favorite route into NYC really depends on traffic.

No matter how you describe the practice of creeping in the left lane (hogging or camping), it is a cultural distinction between Boston drivers and New York drivers.

Boston drivers view the left lane as a high performance lane, and you need to maintain a high enough speed to earn a place among the elite. New Yorkers view the left lane as a birthright.

Witness the difference in traffic patterns between Route 128 around Boston and the Major Deegan Expressway in The Bronx.

In Massachusetts, if you set your cruise control at 65 (ten miles over the speed limit) and camp out in the left lane, you will have clear sailing ahead, a bunch of angry drivers bunched up in your rear view mirror, most of which will pass to your right and cut into the left lane at the earliest possible moment to communicate the need to maintain the culturally appropriate speed (somewhere in the high 70s).

In The Bronx, people cruise at 40 miles per hour in any lane they choose, and high speed drivers respond in engaging in a speedway slalom, moving across the three lanes to gain whatever space of empty pavement offers clear passage.

The cultures clash in Connecticut, with the New Yorkers constipating the left lane and the New Englanders looking to clear the blockage using aggressive techniques.

For the purpose of this discussion, the tunnel in New Haven is the boundary between New York and New England. Fairfield County is a New York suburb and is populated by too many Yankee fans to offer any claim to being a part of New England.

You amusingly have no idea what you're talking about. The Major Deegan is crowded because it has too many cars to fit nicely in 1-2 lanes. You're lucky it's even moving at 40. I've caught way more Massholes (and Pennholes - it appears to be specific to Commonwealths) left-lane camping than New Yorkers.

Rothman

Neither MA nor NY has a major left-lane camping issue in terms of driving culture.  Sure, it happens with someone only going five mph over the speed limit, but I find it tolerable.

OH has been infected on epidemic levels for years.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Alps

Quote from: Rothman on June 19, 2021, 10:54:21 PM
Neither MA nor NY has a major left-lane camping issue in terms of driving culture.  Sure, it happens with someone only going five mph over the speed limit, but I find it tolerable.

OH has been infected on epidemic levels for years.
OH is keep left except to pass.

Rothman

Quote from: Alps on June 20, 2021, 01:39:26 AM
Quote from: Rothman on June 19, 2021, 10:54:21 PM
Neither MA nor NY has a major left-lane camping issue in terms of driving culture.  Sure, it happens with someone only going five mph over the speed limit, but I find it tolerable.

OH has been infected on epidemic levels for years.
OH is keep left except to pass.
And it is totally unenforced given how rampant the blocking is.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

RobbieL2415

Quote from: Rothman on June 19, 2021, 10:54:21 PM
Neither MA nor NY has a major left-lane camping issue in terms of driving culture.  Sure, it happens with someone only going five mph over the speed limit, but I find it tolerable.

OH has been infected on epidemic levels for years.
Does OH have a three lane exception?

webny99

Quote from: RobbieL2415 on June 21, 2021, 01:42:14 PM
Does OH have a three lane exception?

The Ohio Turnpike has these signs, which I guess is sort of like a three-lane exception... not a big fan of them myself as they seem to explicitly allow middle-lane camping.

RobbieL2415

Quote from: webny99 on June 21, 2021, 04:15:20 PM
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on June 21, 2021, 01:42:14 PM
Does OH have a three lane exception?

The Ohio Turnpike has these signs, which I guess is sort of like a three-lane exception... not a big fan of them myself as they seem to explicitly allow middle-lane camping.
That's exactly what it is.
You are allowed to drive in the left lane as long as you are moving with the speed of traffic in said lane.
If you're driving below the speed limit, you must be in the right lane unless passing. Thus, driving at the speed limit in the center lane is not illegal. Passing on the right is also not illegal.

States such as MA and NJ do not have this, so the law is absolute. You are technically supposed to be in the right lane of a 3+ lane freeway at all times unless passing.

NJRoadfan

Most states post signs "SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT". NJ posts "KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS" due to have a law explicitly requiring lane discipline. Ohio drivers are pretty terrible though, its like they are magnetically locked in place on the road. The OHP ain't going to pull you over in New Jersey, so move it!

Ketchup99

Connecticut, annoyingly, puts up "NO PASSING ON RIGHT" signs instead of "KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS." This seems to be putting the onus on the wrong people entirely...

shadyjay

CT uses both... NO PASSING ON RIGHT and KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS.  Neither are posted with any regularity, however.  In the presently-ongoing CT 9 sign replacement project, new signs are going up that say "SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT", something that used to only be found in areas where there are "slow vehicle lanes" (climbing lanes, truck lanes, etc).  Whether or not "SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT" replaces the other two phrases remains to be seen. 

Another sign that CT used to post was a large yellow sign, with lane markings, denoting PASSING LANE/TRAVEL LANE/SLOW VEHICLE LANE.  These are being phased out as well.

Interstatefan78

You can also do 95 South to Exit 38 CT-15 Merritt Cross Parkways that way you avoid Orange, CT to NY Border I-95 traffic. Newark, NJ bound using that route is 95-15 Hutchinson Parkway then 95 again from Bronx, NY to Newark, NJ



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