New York State Thruway

[kalvado]

I wonder if the statements are now like my one bank statement, where the email arrives a day earlier than the statement is actually available.

Reminds me of a program I use at work where they email a few days in advance: "Your invoice will be ready soon!"

That has to be the most pointless genre of email I've ever received. Why on earth would you bother me with that information when I can't even do anything about it yet? It's like I'm supposed to get all excited and hyped about giving them their money.. but it's such a privilege that I have to hold my breath and wait three days to do it. Or am I supposed to start spreading the word to everyone I know that I can't see my bill yet, but I'm going to be able to see it soon, just in case one of them will be so jealous that they'll offer to pay it off for me?

You should start saving for the bill, obviously.

[route17fan]

I am currently amassing a collection of signs for the Thruway. So far, it's a modest count of 76 and plenty more still to come. For example,
 https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6299065,-73.7770135,3a,15y,0.43h,95.84t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1slfR3TJ9-tgXFJVLmUR1zSA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-5.844238592793701%26panoid%3DlfR3TJ9-tgXFJVLmUR1zSA%26yaw%3D0.43255038974254356!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDkxNy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
This is from the Thruway headquarters in NY and a "yield" is 06-50. (a "stop" sign is 01-87) What I am wondering is if anyone knows if there are documents related to the internal numbers?
Main documents including project plans and Standard Sheets use MUTCD sign numbers and identifiers. I can not locate any.
I emailed the Thruway directly and waiting for a response. (it's approaching a month now and...silence.)

I would do it myself but I had strokes and I do not drive anymore. Otherwise, I would answer my own questions.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

[webny99]

^ I wonder if something like this would be covered under FOIL. It's probably a long shot, but it might be worth emailing thruwayfoil@thruway.ny.gov, as has become my annual tradition to obtain NYSTA gantry AADT counts. They're pretty slow, but I've never not gotten a response + follow up.

[route17fan]

Thank you. Cant hurt to try. I appreciate the info.

[Jim]

I think this link to a recent Daily Gazette story about tolling troubles at 25A should be shareable to non-subscribers.

[The Ghostbuster]

It was still paywalled when I clicked on the link. I would be interested in what the story has to say.

[vdeane]

I think this link to a recent Daily Gazette story about tolling troubles at 25A should be shareable to non-subscribers.

It's paywalled for me too.

Construction is progressing at exit 25 for a new gantry - the ground supports are in.  Looks like it's going to take out this sign structure, though.

I haven't used exit 25A in a while, so I'm not sure what the status is there.

[MASTERNC]

Here's a link that shouldn't be paywalled, including a link to the report itself

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2025/09/24/comptroller-releases-audit-of-new-york-state-thruway-toll-collections

[froggie]

Gotta wonder how much of the toll collection issue at 25A is related to travel (supposedly) being free between 25A and 24...

[Jim]

In a pleasant surprise, my Thruway tolls from a business trip last Thursday were already posted to my account this Wednesday when I was ready to submit my expenses.  Maybe something's been fixed.

[roadman65]

A car fire took place on Tappan Zee Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. It's all over on social media and internet news.

[Roadgeek Adam]

A car fire took place on Tappan Zee Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. It's all over on social media and internet news.

Car nothing, it was a Hudsonlink BRT bus.

[roadman65]

A car fire took place on Tappan Zee Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. It's all over on social media and internet news.

Car nothing, it was a Hudsonlink BRT bus.

I didnt get the chance to read it all hence the lack of a link. should have used the term vehicle fire.

[vdeane]

The Modena Service Area reopened a week ago, making the project functionally complete.  All service areas are open again for the fist time since the pandemic.

[LilianaUwU]

A car fire took place on Tappan Zee Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. It's all over on social media and internet news.

Car nothing, it was a Hudsonlink BRT bus.

If my sources are correct, it would be a Prévost bus... qualité Québec strikes again?

[Mr. Matté]

The Modena Service Area reopened a week ago, making the project functionally complete.  All service areas are open again for the fist time since the pandemic.

Things aren't all what they were cracked up to be with them

[Rothman]

The Modena Service Area reopened a week ago, making the project functionally complete.  All service areas are open again for the fist time since the pandemic.

Things aren't all what they were cracked up to be with them

The last statement is somewhat informative in that article.

[Jim]

The Modena Service Area reopened a week ago, making the project functionally complete.  All service areas are open again for the fist time since the pandemic.

In my view, the state of the service areas as a whole is worse off now than it was, say, a year or more before the replacements/renovations began.  I compare to a year+ before because there was a massive "don't care" in the time leading up to closures with few or no food options and what looked like near-zero maintenance.  My summary is that 1) many are too small in multiple important ways and the space in them is in some cases poorly utilized, 2) they picked a tenant for many locations that, while I enjoy their food, is not open on Sundays, and 3) the renovated locations are much more functional than the rebuilt ones which get points for being bright.  For the rebuilds, I'll say it's a D+.  For the renovations, a B-.

[vdeane]

The Modena Service Area reopened a week ago, making the project functionally complete.  All service areas are open again for the fist time since the pandemic.

In my view, the state of the service areas as a whole is worse off now than it was, say, a year or more before the replacements/renovations began.  I compare to a year+ before because there was a massive "don't care" in the time leading up to closures with few or no food options and what looked like near-zero maintenance.  My summary is that 1) many are too small in multiple important ways and the space in them is in some cases poorly utilized, 2) they picked a tenant for many locations that, while I enjoy their food, is not open on Sundays, and 3) the renovated locations are much more functional than the rebuilt ones which get points for being bright.  For the rebuilds, I'll say it's a D+.  For the renovations, a B-.

And even the renovated ones are smaller because much of the space was repurposed for truck lounges.  The "don't care" phase is not helped by that last year being COVID, so a lot of places probably never saw a point to reopening when the state would be closing them again just a few months later.

[vdeane]

Ugh, Thruway traffic gets worse and worse every year.  Half an hour to go 5 miles just east of Syracuse.  Why is it always THAT stretch of road that has issues?  Looks like I'll be making hard choices next year, as clearly I can't get away with not extending the holiday trips, yet I don't have enough time off to comfortably extend all of them.

[Rothman]

Ugh, Thruway traffic gets worse and worse every year.  Half an hour to go 5 miles just east of Syracuse.  Why is it always THAT stretch of road that has issues?  Looks like I'll be making hard choices next year, as clearly I can't get away with not extending the holiday trips, yet I don't have enough time off to comfortably extend all of them.

I drive the Thruway frequently enough and haven't hit traffic like that in that area (I-481 to NY 365?) Some sort of incident must have been going on?

[Jim]

Ugh, Thruway traffic gets worse and worse every year.  Half an hour to go 5 miles just east of Syracuse.  Why is it always THAT stretch of road that has issues?  Looks like I'll be making hard choices next year, as clearly I can't get away with not extending the holiday trips, yet I don't have enough time off to comfortably extend all of them.

Was your trip Rochester to Albany?  I'm curious how long the whole drive took. 

[webny99]

Ugh, Thruway traffic gets worse and worse every year.  Half an hour to go 5 miles just east of Syracuse.  Why is it always THAT stretch of road that has issues?  Looks like I'll be making hard choices next year, as clearly I can't get away with not extending the holiday trips, yet I don't have enough time off to comfortably extend all of them.

I drive the Thruway frequently enough and haven't hit traffic like that in that area (I-481 to NY 365?) Some sort of incident must have been going on?

Yes, vdeane can comment in more detail but there was a major incident around midday yesterday affecting both directions between 481 and Canastota.

[vdeane]

Ugh, Thruway traffic gets worse and worse every year.  Half an hour to go 5 miles just east of Syracuse.  Why is it always THAT stretch of road that has issues?  Looks like I'll be making hard choices next year, as clearly I can't get away with not extending the holiday trips, yet I don't have enough time off to comfortably extend all of them.

I drive the Thruway frequently enough and haven't hit traffic like that in that area (I-481 to NY 365?) Some sort of incident must have been going on?

I don't know why, but that stretch is really prone to incidents.  Yesterday there was one right before exit 34 at 10:30 AM.  Since I didn't leave until noon I didn't think anything of it, but getting there around 1:30, I got caught in the massive delay just east of exit 34A - with the end of the delay being around the same spot I hit an issue on another trip, around Bridgeport Kirkville Road.  And then there was an incident on that stretch in the other direction further down!

Somehow, even with the incidents metering traffic, it was still solid cars all the way to Little Falls - the only difference from the incidents being that it was moving 50-60 mph the whole way and not stop and go.  And even that was annoying when I'm accustomed to "just set the cruise to 72 and relax".

The service areas were packed too.  As in packed enough that the line to get into the parking lot was backing up onto the mainline.  I didn't use any, but I can't imagine they were handing the volume.

Ugh, Thruway traffic gets worse and worse every year.  Half an hour to go 5 miles just east of Syracuse.  Why is it always THAT stretch of road that has issues?  Looks like I'll be making hard choices next year, as clearly I can't get away with not extending the holiday trips, yet I don't have enough time off to comfortably extend all of them.

Was your trip Rochester to Albany?  I'm curious how long the whole drive took. 

Yeah, Rochester to Albany.  Normally it takes me a bit under 3.5 hours (I think 10-15 minutes shorter), but this time, it took a solid four hours of drive time.  So in addition to losing half an hour traversing MP 276-269, I lost another 15 minutes to the lower travel speed (although a brief delay on I-490 didn't help either).

The one silver lining of the I-490 construction is that it's gotten me in the habit of leaving Rochester earlier than I had been (just a couple of years ago, I likely would have left an hour later), but still, it would have been nice to have had time to pick up apple cider and fried cakes from Schutt's to take into work today rather than have to hit the road as early as feasible given that I'm very much not a morning person, watch ABC's This Week, and have to wait for Mom to get back from church so I can say goodbye.

[webny99]

I don't know why, but that stretch is really prone to incidents.  Yesterday there was one right before exit 34 at 10:30 AM.

Worth noting, 33-34A is the second-busiest stretch between the Rochester area and Albany area (not including the 6-lane segments), second only to 42-44 (which is also very incident-prone and typically slow during post-holiday travel periods; yesterday afternoon I counted no less than five separate westbound slowdowns between I-690 and I-490).

48A-49 east of Buffalo also combines high volumes with being incident-prone, so it's safe that the stretches east of Buffalo/Rochester/Syracuse are where traffic issues tend to compound. Albany has an advantage in this regard because traffic is split between I-87 and free I-90.

Yeah, Rochester to Albany.  Normally it takes me a bit under 3.5 hours (I think 10-15 minutes shorter), but this time, it took a solid four hours of drive time.  So in addition to losing half an hour traversing MP 276-269, I lost another 15 minutes to the lower travel speed (although a brief delay on I-490 didn't help either).

Yeah, I tend to drive slightly faster but I figure 3 hours from 45 to 24 is a pretty decent trip.

apple cider and fried cakes from Schutt's

Hey, that's my neck of the woods. Hermans is my favorite for fried cakes, but they're already done for the season.