NY - I-90 in Albany and the Berkshire Spur

[The Nature Boy]

But local businesses complained that as a result of directing Florida bound traffic onto I-295, people weren't stopping for gas/food as much within Richmond. So they forced VDOT to cover "Miami" and it was eventually replaced with "Hopewell" and/or "RIC Int'l Airport". Because the control point is some place most people have never heard of, at least in the SB direction, a significant chunk of thru traffic stays on I-95.

They still have that nifty diagram showing I-295 as a bypass of Richmond. Giving the lower speed limit of I-95 through Richmond, taking the bypass is worth it, even if you plan on taking I-85. Its easy enough to cut back over at VA-10.

Going north, you get the control city of Washington (for the same reason as Rocky Mount).

But yeah, Southern hospitality has to dictate that this exist:



Whenever I drive though, I just take 95 through Richmond. It has never resulted in a lot (or any) of lost time but I could just be hitting it at good times.

[cpzilliacus]

Whenever I drive though, I just take 95 through Richmond. It has never resulted in a lot (or any) of lost time but I could just be hitting it at good times.

I always avoid the old Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike unless I have business in Richmond or am headed for I-85 south.  I-295 is much easier (but watch out for the Hopewell speed trap).

[The Nature Boy]

Whenever I drive though, I just take 95 through Richmond. It has never resulted in a lot (or any) of lost time but I could just be hitting it at good times.

I always avoid the old Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike unless I have business in Richmond or am headed for I-85 south.  I-295 is much easier (but watch out for the Hopewell speed trap).

That's precisely why I avoid I-295.

I've had one encounter with a Virginia cop and it was just north of Emporia. He stopped me to tell me that it was illegal in VA for my air freshener to be hanging from my mirror. He didn't cite me and sent me on my way.

[Duke87]

I like the fact that at the same interchange coming SB on I-87 motorists are directed to Boston via the free I-90 EB through Albany unlike here.

Ah, but SB I-87 is NYSDOT, and they route traffic via their roads (the logical reason is because Exit 24 is so congested that they probably don't want to route any more traffic through it than they have to). EB I-90 is NYSTA, and they want people to stay on the Thruway and pay more in tolls.

To be fair, though, both make sense from the perspective of minimizing traffic entering/exiting at exit 24. Traffic from 87 to MA should take 90, traffic from the Thruway to MA should stay on the Thruway. Those are the most straightforward routes for those movements.

[cl94]

I like the fact that at the same interchange coming SB on I-87 motorists are directed to Boston via the free I-90 EB through Albany unlike here.

Ah, but SB I-87 is NYSDOT, and they route traffic via their roads (the logical reason is because Exit 24 is so congested that they probably don't want to route any more traffic through it than they have to). EB I-90 is NYSTA, and they want people to stay on the Thruway and pay more in tolls.

To be fair, though, both make sense from the perspective of minimizing traffic entering/exiting at exit 24. Traffic from 87 to MA should take 90, traffic from the Thruway to MA should stay on the Thruway. Those are the most straightforward routes for those movements.

They make perfect sense. Exit 24 is a mess and always will be (unless, of course, they build the E-ZPass Express lanes connecting NY 910F with the Thruway like they've been talking about for over a decade to cut out that significant segment of traffic). I can't imagine how bad it must have been with a trumpet and cloverleaf. It's more than likely the busiest single exit on the road and traffic can be horrendous at times. For those unfamiliar with the area, these are by far the best routes. Few going from west of Albany to Massachusetts know Albany well enough to get around accidents or find cheap gas stations.

[Jim]

As someone earlier in the thread mentioned, it really depends on timing whether it makes sense for those going between I-90 west of Albany and the Mass Pike to exit the Thruway and follow I-90 through Albany.  I'd say 90% of the time, I-90 is fine and that's what I do.  With E-ZPass and a commuter plan (first 30 miles free on any segment of the ticketed section), it's the difference between essentially a toll-free trip (B3-B1 and 24-27 both under 30 miles) and one that costs a couple dollars.  But this afternoon when we were getting to B1 around 5 PM, it was well worth the extra toll to stick with the Thruway and avoid the potential rush hour congestion.

[Jim]

Exit 24 is a mess and always will be (unless, of course, they build the E-ZPass Express lanes connecting NY 910F with the Thruway like they've been talking about for over a decade to cut out that significant segment of traffic). I can't imagine how bad it must have been with a trumpet and cloverleaf. It's more than likely the busiest single exit on the road and traffic can be horrendous at times.

Exit 24 was rebuilt before I started driving, but recently enough that I remember the old configuration as a passenger.  I definitely recall some significant backups from the 24 tolls well onto the eastbound mainline.  It still happens at the busiest times now, but it's pretty rare if there are no accidents or other obstructions. Of course in the old configuration, not only was the ramp insufficient for traffic volume, but E-ZPass had not yet been implemented, so everyone was making a cash transaction.

[xcellntbuy]

Exit 24 on the Thruway is the busiest interchange in the State outside of the City of New York.

It was last rebuilt into the current series of flyovers and flyunders from 1986-1989.  It was state of the art design given its time, now 25-years ago, before there was any thought of E-Z Pass.

The previous Thruway Exit 24 was a trumpet and the Interstate 87/90 interchange immediately to the east was a cloverleaf with 20 and 25 mph ramps, Exit 1N-S for the Adirondack Northway (Interstate 87) and Exit 1E-W for the Northside Arterial (Interstate 90).  The backups were incredible.

The original 1960 configuration of Exit 24 on the Thruway was with Washington Avenue Extension, when the western edge of Albany was a desert--the Pine Bush--with zero development and the Rapp Road dump. 

[vdeane]

I think those E-ZPass-only ramps for I-87 are essentially dead.  If they were going to be built, when the road was widened between 23 and 24 would have been the time to do it.

Speaking of that widening, I can't help but think that NYSTA has a phobia of exit only lanes.  There are plenty of locations where they would ease congestion (especially around the capital area... just about every exit needs them both directions!), but there aren't any; it seems like NYSTA would rather put daily toll barrier lines onto the travel lanes.

[cl94]

I think those E-ZPass-only ramps for I-87 are essentially dead.  If they were going to be built, when the road was widened between 23 and 24 would have been the time to do it.

Speaking of that widening, I can't help but think that NYSTA has a phobia of exit only lanes.  There are plenty of locations where they would ease congestion (especially around the capital area... just about every exit needs them both directions!), but there aren't any; it seems like NYSTA would rather put daily toll barrier lines onto the travel lanes.

Certainly. Exits 24, 25, and 25A need them. If the recent reconstruction didn't put option lanes in at Exit 24, it certainly needs them in both directions. Same with 25 and 25A. Buffalo needs them as well, but those will likely be put in with the widening that will supposedly happen.

[mgk920]

They'd have to do a bit of work before even grandfathering that stretch in (like installing a median barrier), because over a mile is substandard to the point where it's barely a divided highway. A flush median with a few plastic pylons does not make an instant divided highway. Even then, the feds would probably want a major bridge upgrade because they no longer grandfather stuff in the way they used to.

(Cough, cough . . .) Mackinac Bridge  (cough . . . )



Mike