All Over Albany

This is silly. 787 is not just an "urban highway". Use between two points in Albany is probably minimal. It is Troy's connection to the Interstate Highway system and it's used to get between points along the river corridor.
Rochester's Inner Loop is a short section of highway, entirely in Rochester. Removing it will reconnect streets and neighborhoods. Removing 787 would allow access from the backs of buildings to a multi-lane street and railroad tracks.

I'm not a fan of how 787 was built, but it's here and there's not a lot to gain by ripping it out. Build a couple more bridges for a fraction of the cost.

... said RealityCheck on Sep 1, 2016 at 1:48 PM | link

...there's not a lot to gain by ripping it out.

...except the $10M/year we're spending to keep it standing...

...improved access to a waterfront...

...a more cohesive and accessible "downtown"...

...a vastly improved city skyline and general aesthetic...

Nah, your'e right, none of that really matters. Let's just keep talking about parking lots every time any change is proposed.

... said -B on Sep 1, 2016 at 2:55 PM | link

RealityCheck is right, these are very different situations. Rochester's Inner Loop was largely built below street level rather than above, really, new real estate is being created by filling it in and building on top of/next to it. There is little to no disruption created by filling it in as most all highway access is maintained.

787 by contrast is an elevated highway that serves to funnel people into and out of the plaza complex. Good luck getting everyone in and out of downtown without it.

... said LDP on Sep 1, 2016 at 3:02 PM | link

RealityCheck, while I agree that 787 isn't going anywhere, there would be just about everything to gain by ripping it out. A nicer city would be worth it. As wide as that thing is, you'd have a hell of a lot more than backs of buildings, you'd have room for entire new city blocks.

As for it being Troy's connection to the interstate highway system, they can use the existing, mostly grade separated, limited access Rt. 7.

... said JayK on Sep 1, 2016 at 3:25 PM | link

Yes, let's all just ignore the previous post that says tearing it down and replacing 787 with an at-grade boulevard could actually improve(!!!) traffic.

Did we all also forget that the City desperately needs taxable land?!? What better place could we find developable and taxable land than the waterfront? People love to be by the water, and large sections of 787 are underutlized, with traffic counts that come in below the amount of traffic Central Avenue carries. It's past time to tear it down.

... said Sam on Sep 1, 2016 at 3:35 PM | link

Sam - that text about improving traffic didn't hold water. Wishful thinking at its best. Same as idea of 787 being the key problem of the city. Look at flourishing Rensselaer riverfront, at gorgeous 1 Monument square in Troy...
Instead of spending a fortune on demolishing something, Albany should spend some money on sewer and water mains. _That_ will surely make city a bit more livable.

... said Mike on Sep 1, 2016 at 6:08 PM | link

@Sam- that post was one person's conclusion, made with some research, but not a traffic study. Cohoes has Route 32 running parallel to NY-787, a multi-lane road with at-grade crossings. Yet, 32 is empty and 787 is backed up during peak travel times. We really don't know for sure how things would go, but it's difficult to draw conclusions based on one person's analysis.

@B-
"...except the $10M/year we're spending to keep it standing..."
The magical boulevard that replaces it would cost money to maintain too... Yes it would probably be cheaper though-- assuming NYS DOT maintains control and it doesn't fall to Albany to maintain it. Then it's going to be a lot more expensive for us. Assuming that doesn't happen though, ok, perhaps in 20 years the costs of the tear-down and the building of the magic boulevard would be recouped in savings.
"...improved access to a waterfront..."
Where? How many places are there really where one could walk to the river if not for 787 in the way? Two? And how far off are they from the current access points?
"...a more cohesive and accessible "downtown"..."
Uh, ok, so 787 is not only blocking the river, it's dividing downtown? How is that possible?
"...a vastly improved city skyline and general aesthetic..."
I can't disagree with this one.

@JayK-
I just don't see it. It's a narrow stretch of land, and if the train tracks don't go away, there's not going to be a lot of space for all this development. Maybe a Dunkin Donuts or two. Take out the tracks (assuming they can go somewhere else) and you might have a little space for something.

As for Rt 7 connecting Troy, that would not be the nicest route to get to the Thruway going South. Let's remember that 787 is a State highway. It doesn't belong exclusively to us in Albany. For any drastic change to it, certainly Troy should have a say.

... said RealityCheck on Sep 1, 2016 at 9:32 PM | link

"there's not going to be a lot of space for all this development. Maybe a Dunkin Donuts or two." This isn't some gross suburb filled with enormous parking lots. The highway takes up the width of a city block, so you can fit a bunch of city blocks there. I agree the train tracks could be an issue, though.

As for Troy having a say: I doubt I would support that. They still have highway access. Whether it's the nicest route or not doesn't matter.Whether they have a say would also likely depend on how far the project would go: Turn the entire highway into a boulevard starting in Cohoes? Start at I-90? Start at Clinton Ave? Without the entire highway being converted, which would be the least likely, Troy doesn't get a say.

But. None of this is going to happen. I'd much rather see the South Mall Arterial taken down and the Dunn Memorial Bridge and interchanges simplified. That's the spot where you'll get the biggest improvement to the city for probably the least amount of money. Of course, they just started rebuilding it...

... said JayK on Sep 2, 2016 at 11:09 AM | link