NY 17/"I-86"

[webny99]

Well, I do tend to drive 80.

How many times a week? Because if it's only like three or so, those are rookie numbers in this racket. On myself, I drive 140 at least three times a day. Once in the morning just to kind of get a thrill going and endangering other people's lives cause I have to give my day some purpose and meaning. Then around lunchtime because I need a near Miss to remind myself that I'm mortal. And then right before dinner because hey if you're not speeding and weaving in and out of traffic and endangering innocent families in a family minivan, how are you gonna have an appetite? Am I right?

Here I was thinking 140 is a pretty nice drive, but not when you're around, apparently.

[pderocco]

I love a good 100MPH speed limit

Well, I do tend to drive 80.

How many times a week? Because if it's only like three or so, those are rookie numbers in this racket. On myself, I drive 140 at least three times a day. Once in the morning just to kind of get a thrill going and endangering other people's lives cause I have to give my day some purpose and meaning. Then around lunchtime because I need a near Miss to remind myself that I'm mortal. And then right before dinner because hey if you're not speeding and weaving in and out of traffic and endangering innocent families in a family minivan, how are you gonna have an appetite? Am I right?

Sorry, I don't have that gene. I'll stick to 80.

[Plutonic Panda]

I love a good 100MPH speed limit

Well, I do tend to drive 80.

How many times a week? Because if it's only like three or so, those are rookie numbers in this racket. On myself, I drive 140 at least three times a day. Once in the morning just to kind of get a thrill going and endangering other people's lives cause I have to give my day some purpose and meaning. Then around lunchtime because I need a near Miss to remind myself that I'm mortal. And then right before dinner because hey if you're not speeding and weaving in and out of traffic and endangering innocent families in a family minivan, how are you gonna have an appetite? Am I right?

Sorry, I don't have that gene. I'll stick to 80.

I like the stupidly make references to movies like that was from the Wolf of Wall Street Matthew McConaughey's doing his thing happy time reference.

I'll try to make another one sort of like the Irish men where they talk about how many minutes is acceptable for being late or not.

But you know you say you like doing 80 miles an hour honestly, I'd say 82 is good. And that's in a 75MPH zone. Doesn't track too much attention. You're doing seven over. The number seven a lucky number to me. Seven seems good.

[dzheng35]

This is part of a three-year long project to rebuild the pavement: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-completion-47-million-road-rehabilitation-project-along-interstate

Apparantly, deispite already being signed as i-86, they say that the bad pavement condition makes it non-interstate compliant based on the wording of the news about the rehabilitation project. https://www.wbng.com/2026/07/06/nydot-close-eastbound-ramps-i-86-owego-exit-65/

[vdeane]

This is part of a three-year long project to rebuild the pavement: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-completion-47-million-road-rehabilitation-project-along-interstate

Apparantly, deispite already being signed as i-86, they say that the bad pavement condition makes it non-interstate compliant based on the wording of the news about the rehabilitation project. https://www.wbng.com/2026/07/06/nydot-close-eastbound-ramps-i-86-owego-exit-65/

I expect it's more likely they're referring to something like adjusting the ramp geometry during the reconstruction.  Although there are federal performance targets based on average interstate pavement condition.

Interestingly, NYSDOT has had this shown on maps as interstate standard for ages, although only signed it recently, right around the same time they started road work in this area a couple years ago.  And FHWA data sources still show it as not being an interstate.  I wonder if this is similar to NY 17 around Middletown, where NYSDOT thought that a project would bring the road up to interstate standards only for FHWA to say that it didn't.

(personal opinion)

[dzheng35]

This is part of a three-year long project to rebuild the pavement: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-completion-47-million-road-rehabilitation-project-along-interstate

Apparantly, deispite already being signed as i-86, they say that the bad pavement condition makes it non-interstate compliant based on the wording of the news about the rehabilitation project. https://www.wbng.com/2026/07/06/nydot-close-eastbound-ramps-i-86-owego-exit-65/

I expect it's more likely they're referring to something like adjusting the ramp geometry during the reconstruction.  Although there are federal performance targets based on average interstate pavement condition.

Interestingly, NYSDOT has had this shown on maps as interstate standard for ages, although only signed it recently, right around the same time they started road work in this area a couple years ago.  And FHWA data sources still show it as not being an interstate.  I wonder if this is similar to NY 17 around Middletown, where NYSDOT thought that a project would bring the road up to interstate standards only for FHWA to say that it didn't.

(personal opinion)

Well, looks like one of the things that still wasn't interstate compliant on the section between I-84 and NY 17K was the bridge that carried NY 17 over NY 17K which is currently being re-constructed as a stand alone project to get that overpass up to standards. https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-start-17-million-project-replace-state-route-17-bridge-orange-county

[Roadgeek Adam]

Man, you are three months late. Construction started on April 1. I know, I'm on that road and under the overpass every day....

[abqtraveler]

Man, you are three months late. Construction started on April 1. I know, I'm on that road and under the overpass every day....

From the GSV, that bridge is in some really bad shape. Lots of exposed rebar on the bridge columns and it looks like the shoulder on the westbound side of NY-17 has completely failed and been removed. Glad to see they're building a new bridge in its place.

[Roadgeek Adam]

Man, you are three months late. Construction started on April 1. I know, I'm on that road and under the overpass every day....

From the GSV, that bridge is in some really bad shape. Lots of exposed rebar on the bridge columns and it looks like the shoulder on the westbound side of NY-17 has completely failed and been removed. Glad to see they're building a new bridge in its place.

The westbound bridge was handled first. It's now completely gone. They are putting up new foundational setup for the new westbound structure as of Thursday.

[Roadgeek Adam]

Updates on the 122-121E project.

All NY 17 wb traffic right now is running on the future c-d road as they work on the main right-of-way. New exit gore signage is up at 122 and 121E. There is some advance signage designed for the c-d that is now posted. Advance signage for exit 122 is posted from 1 mile out westbound.

There's new signage on 17 eb that um, is a BGS with no mileage or arrow. I've seen things on like that on temporary signage, but this is a permanent installation. Woo.

There is a lot about to start it appears based on the sudden appearing of numerous earthmovers in the giant section of 17 that's closed off.

Old exit 122 wb is continuing to vanish. It's now mostly overgrown except for one lane, which is now in use for equipment.

[webny99]

Is it clear yet if the WB auxiliary lane from the new Exit 122 entrance is going to continue all the way through Exit 121 to become the exit only lane for Exit 120?

The most recent plan I saw had it ending just short of the I-84 WB on-ramp, which would be a major lost opportunity.

[Roadgeek Adam]

Is it clear yet if the WB auxiliary lane from the new Exit 122 entrance is going to continue all the way through Exit 121 to become the exit only lane for Exit 120?

The most recent plan I saw had it ending just short of the I-84 WB on-ramp, which would be a major lost opportunity.

The westbound c-d road dies before 121W. You can tell. Their lack of caring west of 121E shows, though I wonder if 120 gets a repave as they redo the rest of the roadway. Pavement was worked on west of 120 last year.

Update I noticed as well today:

There were a lot of erroneous 86 shields (including an END 86; the twin of which is at 116) up at 121W-E. Those have been removed and replaced with NY 17 shields only. (woo!)

[NJRoadfan]

The highway really should be six lanes all thru Orange County, but whatever. Also, when did NYSDOT finally change I-84's westbound control city from Port Jervis to Scranton?

[seicer]

Regarding the plans for Exit 122:

[webny99]

^ My question was what happens to the new WB auxiliary lane beyond the limit of that map.

 Ideally it would connect to the existing aux lane between 121 and 120 but I seem to recall plans showing it would instead merge just past Exit 121W.

[Roadgeek Adam]

The highway really should be six lanes all thru Orange County, but whatever. Also, when did NYSDOT finally change I-84's westbound control city from Port Jervis to Scranton?

It doesn't need to be 6 lanes west of 120. There's absolutely not enough traffic to justify it, not to mention there's the giant cut into the hills there so it's impossible to widen between 120 and 119. There's no room to widen around ex-118A and 118, where old 17/current 17 parallel.

116 does need a traffic light that operates during daylight hours, because both of those ramps are chaos.

[vtk]

there's the giant cut into the hills there so it's impossible to widen

If widening the cut is impossible, how was the cut made in the first place?

[Roadgeek Adam]

They built a cut wide enough for 4 lanes. Not for 6. You'd have to wipe out the median to fit 6 lanes for traffic that will never come.

[kalvado]

there's the giant cut into the hills there so it's impossible to widen

If widening the cut is impossible, how was the cut made in the first place?

Without knowing specific, back in the day that construction didn't require evacuation of neighborhoods before explosions (if people were living around to begin with) nor 37 rounds of environmental impact study reviews.
 

[NJRoadfan]

Its not that big of a cut between 119 and 120. Operationally the worst parts are east of there. I've been in enough jams to know and that was over 20 years ago.

[Roadgeek Adam]

It's important to remember that the Fair Oaks to Goshen stretch of current 17 is the oldest section of current 17, in proposal and in construction. Nothing was built for modern traffic patterns and they've had to make incremental upgrades where they can. This is by far the biggest project since. 

I'm on traffic jams on it it now because of the construction, and even then, the jam points are east of 120. Anything that reaches even a mile from 119 is because of stuff at 120 and that said, even if you got it to 6 lanes to 119, there's still the issues at 118 and 116 before crossing into Sullivan County.

Again, I'm not exactly supportive of upgrading 17 except in segments where necessary (120-131, and even then it depends on which interchanges). I prefer the hyper local old school ramps. I personally want a ramp for direct access at 130 to KJ so that traffic on 17M and 208 in Monroe can come down significantly.

[vdeane]

Based on the interchange design plans for the widening study, it looks like even a full widening would only be from 120-130A, rather than the full Thruway to exit 103 widening that some advocates had been asking for.

(personal opinion)

[Roadgeek Adam]

Another update, this time on the 116 project: the wb span is coming into place now after several months of demolishing the old westbound bidge and building the new abutments and supports.

No update on the 121E-122 project though this week so far. Not much has changed.

[dgolub]

Based on the interchange design plans for the widening study, it looks like even a full widening would only be from 120-130A, rather than the full Thruway to exit 103 widening that some advocates had been asking for.

(personal opinion)

To be fair, there's probably enough traffic going to the Bear Mountain Bridge (US 6/US 202) that an exit only lane there would make sense.

[vdeane]

To be fair, there's probably enough traffic going to the Bear Mountain Bridge (US 6/US 202) that an exit only lane there would make sense.

Yeah, I was kinda wondering why anyone would bother to ask for three lanes east of that split.  Maybe they figured politicians wouldn't know where that is.