Atlantic Beach Mini-Meet (10/2021)

[dgolub]

I'm planning to host a mini-meet next month to walk over the Atlantic Beach Bridge (NY 878), Nassau County's one and only toll bridge and one of the few in the area that doesn't accept E-ZPass.  The meet will be entirely outdoors, making it super-low risk from a COVID-19 perspective.  It will entail three miles of walking, round-trip, taking us across the bridge and through the tollbooth and the Seagirt Boulevard interchange.  Afterwards, we might head up to New Hyde Park and Mineola to see some of the grade crossing eliminations that have been completed as part of the LIRR Third Track project.

[74/171FAN]

Well this would be a way for me to hopefully cover the Wittpenn Bridge if it is open then.

[kevinb1994]

I'm out-I have a family trip scheduled.

[NE2]

I'm out - this is New York, not Florida.

[baugh17]

Maybe.  I've been contemplating a drive south and east to be taken sometime while I'm on my three week vacation in October so I might consider incorporating this into said drive.

Something to consider: There was talk about a meet in Cumberland MD taking place sometime in October.  Not sure what the status is at this time.

[Alps]

Well this would be a way for me to hopefully cover the Wittpenn Bridge if it is open then.

ha
but seriously I just looked today and found no info at all.

[74/171FAN]

Well this would be a way for me to hopefully cover the Wittpenn Bridge if it is open then.

ha
but seriously I just looked today and found no info at all.

Same here (though it would be yesterday when I posted this).

[vdeane]

Interesting.  I've been looking to finish up Region 10, so maybe I'll book a hotel for a couple nights and include this.  Might be a good alternate to the Cumberland meet too, which for having not heard anything on it since a month and a half ago, I'm starting to think might not be happening (understandable with Delta).

[SSOWorld]

I've already used up all my road trip time for the year.

[Laura]

I'm postponing the Cumberland/Western MD meet to 2022 so you can go ahead and have it on October 9 (which is currently winning).

Especially since it will be entirely outside with a walking tour, I am interested in attending this mini-meet and my first choice date is October 9. I just have a lot going on personally and don't have the mental bandwidth to host a meet myself right now.

[74/171FAN]

If this meet is October 9th, that could potentially mean two New York trips for me within the same week.  I am planning to meet my parents and some friends of theirs in Cooperstown earlier that week.  (I plan to clinch PA 191 on that trip.  Hopefully, I will not have the same problems that Duke87 had on the northern section of this road.)

[roadwaywiz95]

Am keeping an eye on this one. There will be a significant amount of weekend work on my job site this fall, so my availability is uncertain - voted for 10/9 b/c I want to see the best turnout possible.

[dgolub]

I'm postponing the Cumberland/Western MD meet to 2022 so you can go ahead and have it on October 9 (which is currently winning).

Awesome!  I totally want to go to that, and with the current coronavirus situation, I don't plan on staying in any hotels at the moment.

[dgolub]

Facebook event is up at https://www.facebook.com/events/3096769023933773/.

[hbelkins]

Facebook event is up at https://www.facebook.com/events/3096769023933773/.

I got the FB invite, and as much as I'd love to make this trip to finally visit Suffolk and Nassau to clinch New York's counties, I am unable to drive such a long distance at this time (or for the foreseeable future).

[mtantillo]

Are there any details about lunch (are we meeting at a place with picnic tables or something....assume BYO)? Are people planning on a post-meet dinner/event?

I'll try to come but it'll probably be a game time decision.

[vdeane]

Are there any details about lunch (are we meeting at a place with picnic tables or something....assume BYO)? Are people planning on a post-meet dinner/event?

I'll try to come but it'll probably be a game time decision.

Looking at the area, it looks like we might just be doing street parking?  I don't see anything around the area, so it looks like "eat before you get there" is the name of the game.

[signalman]

If this meet is October 9th, that could potentially mean two New York trips for me within the same week.  I am planning to meet my parents and some friends of theirs in Cooperstown earlier that week.  (I plan to clinch PA 191 on that trip.  Hopefully, I will not have the same problems that Duke87 had on the northern section of this road.)

I drove it between NY 17 and I-80 on my way home from Quad Cities. The road itself is fine and a typical 2 lane rural PA road (both in terms of geometry and pavement quality). Not sure what experience Anthony had on that section, but I had a very close call with a deer in broad daylight near the intersection with PA 371. Expect this section to take 2 hours.

[74/171FAN]

If this meet is October 9th, that could potentially mean two New York trips for me within the same week.  I am planning to meet my parents and some friends of theirs in Cooperstown earlier that week.  (I plan to clinch PA 191 on that trip.  Hopefully, I will not have the same problems that Duke87 had on the northern section of this road.)

I drove it between NY 17 and I-80 on my way home from Quad Cities. The road itself is fine and a typical 2 lane rural PA road (both in terms of geometry and pavement quality). Not sure what experience Anthony had on that section, but I had a very close call with a deer in broad daylight near the intersection with PA 371. Expect this section to take 2 hours.

It was mentioned on one of the roadwaywiz webinars.  I cannot remember which specific one it was offhand,  but I think it was a pothole.

My thoughts on the deer situation are that I should stop driving if I am ruminating about hitting a deer.  I have seen just as many while driving during the day as driving overnight.  (To the point that I saw one crossing the Thruway once just south of Harriman during mid-afternoon)

[Duke87]

If this meet is October 9th, that could potentially mean two New York trips for me within the same week.  I am planning to meet my parents and some friends of theirs in Cooperstown earlier that week.  (I plan to clinch PA 191 on that trip.  Hopefully, I will not have the same problems that Duke87 had on the northern section of this road.)

I drove it between NY 17 and I-80 on my way home from Quad Cities. The road itself is fine and a typical 2 lane rural PA road (both in terms of geometry and pavement quality). Not sure what experience Anthony had on that section, but I had a very close call with a deer in broad daylight near the intersection with PA 371. Expect this section to take 2 hours.

It was mentioned on one of the roadwaywiz webinars.  I cannot remember which specific one it was offhand,  but I think it was a pothole.

It was a physical flaw in the road of some sort, most likely a large pothole. It was after dark and I didn't actually see it, but I felt it. Blew out the tire, dented the rim, bent the strut and even after all this was fixed the camber on that wheel remained out of spec for the rest of that car's life.

As this was now seven years ago I would assume whatever it was has long since been fixed (though with PennDOT you never know!)

[dgolub]

Are there any details about lunch (are we meeting at a place with picnic tables or something....assume BYO)? Are people planning on a post-meet dinner/event?

I'll try to come but it'll probably be a game time decision.

Looking at the area, it looks like we might just be doing street parking?  I don't see anything around the area, so it looks like "eat before you get there" is the name of the game.

Yes and yes.  Street parking on Doughty Boulevard (Nassau CR 75), and eat before or after.

[signalman]

If this meet is October 9th, that could potentially mean two New York trips for me within the same week.  I am planning to meet my parents and some friends of theirs in Cooperstown earlier that week.  (I plan to clinch PA 191 on that trip.  Hopefully, I will not have the same problems that Duke87 had on the northern section of this road.)

I drove it between NY 17 and I-80 on my way home from Quad Cities. The road itself is fine and a typical 2 lane rural PA road (both in terms of geometry and pavement quality). Not sure what experience Anthony had on that section, but I had a very close call with a deer in broad daylight near the intersection with PA 371. Expect this section to take 2 hours.

It was mentioned on one of the roadwaywiz webinars.  I cannot remember which specific one it was offhand,  but I think it was a pothole.

It was a physical flaw in the road of some sort, most likely a large pothole. It was after dark and I didn't actually see it, but I felt it. Blew out the tire, dented the rim, bent the strut and even after all this was fixed the camber on that wheel remained out of spec for the rest of that car's life.

As this was now seven years ago I would assume whatever it was has long since been fixed (though with PennDOT you never know!)

The pavement was of typical crumbling PennDOT quality when I drove it in June. Not great, but not horrible and no actual potholes were observed or felt. Really the only negative experience on the northern section was the fore mentioned deer that darted out of the woods in front of me. Shook me up some, but it was a good test for the quality of my brakes and my reaction time.

[vdeane]

While plotting out my route home for this trip, I noticed that there's a section of NJ 7/Kingsland Street (which I had planned to clinch) closed until May 2022 for a bridge replacement project.  Is this like other similar projects where the bridge was closed to vehicles but pedestrian access has been maintained?  I'm wondering if I could at least clinch it as a pedestrian (although those lots don't like people parking in them, but the NJ Transit lot appears to allow parking on weekends at least) or if I have to try to figure out a way to sight clinch it (should be possible on the Washington Avenue side with the Stop & Shop parking lot, but the Passaic Avenue side has a hill that would appear to make this impossible).

[dgolub]

All right, I put together a guide for the meet itself: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2nigeiu6shp8fk7/2021%20Atlantic%20Beach%20Mini-Meet%20Guide.pdf?dl=0

Let me know what your thoughts are as to lunch.  Perhaps a picnic at Jones Beach or Eisenhower Park after the meet?  Also, let me know if there's interest in seeing LIRR Third Track stuff.  If so, I can add some of that as an optional post-meet activity.

[Alps]

While plotting out my route home for this trip, I noticed that there's a section of NJ 7/Kingsland Street (which I had planned to clinch) closed until May 2022 for a bridge replacement project.  Is this like other similar projects where the bridge was closed to vehicles but pedestrian access has been maintained?  I'm wondering if I could at least clinch it as a pedestrian (although those lots don't like people parking in them, but the NJ Transit lot appears to allow parking on weekends at least) or if I have to try to figure out a way to sight clinch it (should be possible on the Washington Avenue side with the Stop & Shop parking lot, but the Passaic Avenue side has a hill that would appear to make this impossible).

I have to think you could walk it, even if unofficially. No one's there on a Saturday morning.