AARoads Forum

Regional Boards => Northeast => Topic started by: roadman65 on April 08, 2012, 07:24:23 PM

Title: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: roadman65 on April 08, 2012, 07:24:23 PM
I was noticing that on the google street view that some of the infamous Taconic State Parkway at grade intersections are being phased out.

Look at the Carpenter Road intersection just north of NY 52, as the intersection is still there, but no vehicles are allowed to cross the median there.  No Left Turn assemblies are on the Parkway itself restricting the movement to Emergency Response Vehicles ONLY!  Then on Carpenter Road itself "DO NOT ENTER" signs are erected at the crossover making all vehicles turn onto the near carrigeway of the roadway.  I am suprised this is allowed as trucks are not permitted on the Taconic as well as Dominos Pizza drivers making deliveries that means that if commercial vehicles are on Carpenter Road their drivers have no alternative but to go on to a road restricted to them!

I read on Wycipedia and Steve Anderson's Roads that as population increases in Dutchess and Columbia Counties, these intersections are becoming a problem as the once scenic route is now a commuter route.   So far, it seems that the situation is being addressed with RIRO at these intersections and from what I have seen on google just north of the I-84 cloverleaf an overpass has been added to grade separate the intersection that once existed there.  Also, the gas stations that were on the Parkway itself have been closed as well.

Are there plans to make this a full freeway like in Westchester County in Putnam, Dutchess, and Columbia Counties that anyone here is aware of?  It would be practicle to remove these even though history is being threatened.   Then NYSDOT could make it a 65 mph roadway like the other freeways in rural areas.
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: Alps on April 08, 2012, 11:11:34 PM
Why can you not spell Wikipedia?
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: bugo on April 09, 2012, 12:36:52 AM
Quote from: Steve on April 08, 2012, 11:11:34 PM
Why can you not spell Wikipedia?

At least he didn't confuse "its" with "it's."  That's my biggest pet peeve in all of grammar.  If I am reading a post and they confuse the two, I quit reading the post.  If they're not smart enough to be able to tell the two words apart, then they don't deserve for their posts to be read.
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: Alps on April 09, 2012, 12:39:14 AM
Quote from: bugo on April 09, 2012, 12:36:52 AM
Quote from: Steve on April 08, 2012, 11:11:34 PM
Why can you not spell Wikipedia?

At least he didn't confuse "its" with "it's."  That's my biggest pet peeve in all of grammar.  If I am reading a post and they confuse the two, I quit reading the post.  If they're not smart enough to be able to tell the two words apart, then they don't deserve for their posts to be read.
Your silly.
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: ARMOURERERIC on April 09, 2012, 01:17:10 AM
I prefer to be like Data on ST NG, and not use contractions to begin with
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: bugo on April 09, 2012, 01:58:53 AM
Quote from: Steve on April 09, 2012, 12:39:14 AM
Quote from: bugo on April 09, 2012, 12:36:52 AM
Quote from: Steve on April 08, 2012, 11:11:34 PM
Why can you not spell Wikipedia?

At least he didn't confuse "its" with "it's."  That's my biggest pet peeve in all of grammar.  If I am reading a post and they confuse the two, I quit reading the post.  If they're not smart enough to be able to tell the two words apart, then they don't deserve for their posts to be read.
Your silly.

Its in my jeans.
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: Takumi on April 09, 2012, 08:51:50 AM
I hate it when people can't tell the difference between "your" and "you're". There so stupid. Its not to hard.
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: mgk920 on April 09, 2012, 10:42:08 AM
I can't stand it when people put apostrophe's into their plural's.

:spin:

Mike
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: agentsteel53 on April 09, 2012, 11:59:45 AM
I hate people who speak English. 
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: signalman on April 09, 2012, 02:39:49 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on April 09, 2012, 11:59:45 AM
I hate people who speak English. 

What if they can only write it and not speak it?
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: Dr Frankenstein on April 09, 2012, 02:49:46 PM
I don't think the TSP could become a full freeway. It would need a lot of major changes, like wider curve alignments, actual shoulders, and many other things.

However, I wouldn't be surprised that the at-grade intersections will eventually completely disappear on that road, and be converted to interchanges.
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: NE2 on April 09, 2012, 02:53:35 PM
Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on April 09, 2012, 02:49:46 PM
I don't think the TSP could become a full freeway. It would need a lot of major changes, like wider curve alignments, actual shoulders, and many other things.

However, I wouldn't be surprised that the at-grade intersections will eventually completely disappear on that road, and be converted to interchanges.
The only necessary condition for becoming a freeway is lack of at-grade intersections. Everything else is just design standards.

But naked RIROs sans channelization are debateable.
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: 1995hoo on April 09, 2012, 03:32:53 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on April 09, 2012, 11:59:45 AM
I hate people who speak English.  

To paraphrase Brer Fox, I can read English, but I can't write English.
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: Duke87 on April 09, 2012, 07:16:46 PM
The gradual closing of median breaks in Putnam and Dutchess counties has been going on for over a decade now, due to safety concerns. Getting rid of them all entirely is a noble goal and may evenutally happen, but progress is slow. Mostly it's just turning intersections into RIRO pairs, though one former intersection (Bryant Pond Rd) has been converted to a full interchange.

The six-laning and actual freewayization of the TSP currently ends at the Putnam county line (after having been extended up from Baldwin Rd about five years ago). I am not aware of any active plans to extend it further though I know it has been proposed in the past. The Putnam county section sorely needs some modernization although widening it to six lanes is probably excessive.

My other pet peeve: exit numbers. Why does this highway (along with the Sprain) not have them posted?
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: vdeane on April 10, 2012, 12:09:53 PM
No idea.  Actually, I can't think of any upstate roads with exit numbers that aren't interstate, future interstate, or interstate extension.

Quote from: NE2 on April 09, 2012, 02:53:35 PM
Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on April 09, 2012, 02:49:46 PM
I don't think the TSP could become a full freeway. It would need a lot of major changes, like wider curve alignments, actual shoulders, and many other things.

However, I wouldn't be surprised that the at-grade intersections will eventually completely disappear on that road, and be converted to interchanges.
The only necessary condition for becoming a freeway is lack of at-grade intersections. Everything else is just design standards.

But naked RIROs sans channelization are debateable.
Just look at "exit 111" on NY 17.  It's just a RIRO with fancy pavement striping to make it look like an interchange.

As far as I know, there are no plans to upgrade it for I-86 either though I can't imagine it being interstate standard.
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: NE2 on April 10, 2012, 01:40:10 PM
Quote from: deanej on April 10, 2012, 12:09:53 PM
Just look at "exit 111" on NY 17.  It's just a RIRO with fancy pavement striping to make it look like an interchange.

As far as I know, there are no plans to upgrade it for I-86 either though I can't imagine it being interstate standard.
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041118/NEWS/311189992
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: vdeane on April 11, 2012, 11:41:50 AM
I wonder why none of this is on NYSDOT's projects page.

Incidentally, is there a source that lists all the remaining work NY 17 needs before I-86 can be designated everywhere?  The NYSDOT projects page suggests that it should be nearly done now, yet it isn't.
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: Rob Adams on April 12, 2012, 06:08:43 PM
A couple of former at-grades were upgraded over the past 20 years or so, including Bryant Pond Rd, Beekman Rd, and Bulls Bridge Rd.  Many of the other at-grades were closed, but some of them in upper Dutchess County and Columbia County are still open.
Title: Re: Taconic State Parkway finally becoming a freeway?
Post by: roadman65 on April 14, 2012, 09:29:32 AM
Quote from: bugo on April 09, 2012, 12:36:52 AM
Quote from: Steve on April 08, 2012, 11:11:34 PM
Why can you not spell Wikipedia?

At least he didn't confuse "its" with "it's."  That's my biggest pet peeve in all of grammar.  If I am reading a post and they confuse the two, I quit reading the post.  If they're not smart enough to be able to tell the two words apart, then they don't deserve for their posts to be read.

You are right about grammar being important.  It does create a challenge though because the English language does not pronounce many words the way it is spelled.  Some words like congratulations, government, and the most famous being psycho you have to use letters in them that are not even pronounced.

Anyway, that is what caused one post a while ago when a user wanted to know why there were missing numbers from the interstate grid.  Instead of wording his post like that, he phrased it differently that made him sound like a kindergarden graduate and others made fun of his post.   One even thinking that he and ethanman (everyone's favorite 13 year old) were the same person and using the smiling face icon with the many question marks to avoid going into detail.