Items tagged with 'the Northway'
A few facts, controversies, and quirks from the Northway's history
As you know, the Twin Bridges' official name is Thaddeus Kosciusko Bridge. (Kosciuszk-who?) / photo: Nicholas Hepler at Wikipedia (CC-BY-2.5)
As noted by Albany Archives, the section of the Northway from Albany to around Glens Falls officially opened this week in 1961 (that is, Nelson Rockefeller cut a ribbon).
That got us rummaging through the history of the Northway -- ahem, excuse us, The Adirondack Northway -- and here are a few bits you might finding interesting...
Major construction on Twin Bridges late this summer/early fall
The state Department of Transportation announced this week that the $29 million project to replace the decks on the Twin Bridges (ahem, the Thaddeus Kosciusko Bridge) will start this month.NYSDOT says traffic disruptions will be "minimal" during the summer travel season.
The heavy work -- the stuff that sounds like something more than a minimal disruption -- will start in late summer. NYSDOT says the northbound bridge will be closed for six weekends so the decks can be replaced. Traffic will be routed in both directions -- one lane each -- over what would normally be the southbound bridge. The weekend closures won't start until after Labor Day.
The work will then switch to the southbound bridge for six weekends next spring.
The Twins carry more than 100,000 vehicles each day, according to NYSDOT.
Earlier on AOA: Kosciuszk-who?
The Northway Reporter
Mark Delfs, the creator of the local fill-in musician site GigSavers, emails:
With the knowledge I gained from teaching myself how to construct [GigSavers], I made a followup site called "The Northway Reporter," which will allow the typical Northway driver an opportunity to report all the traffic incidents they see on a daily basis--the radio is too slow with reports and while I was stuck in traffic the other morning, I figured on making a site that we could all use to report (and get reports) about why we are all still getting stuck in traffic on I-87.
The site is formatted for mobile browsers (is it texting-while-driving if traffic's not moving?) and includes links to traffic cams. There's also a Twitter feed. More features are listed after the jump.
This kind of thing usually only becomes useful if a bunch of people use it. But even if it never reaches that point, we give credit to Mark for building it. A lot of people say "Wouldn't it be great if (fill in possibly useful thing) existed..." -- very few actually do something about it.
Next exit: the correct lettering?
It just looks wrong.
It sounds like state Department of Transportation is finally on the case of the rogue typeface on the Northway signs near Exit 6. Said DOT spokesperson Peter Van Keuren in a quote at the TU's Getting There blog:
"... the lettering on these signs is not standard as a result of an error that was made by the consultant," he said. "New signs with the standard font will be installed at no added expense to the state."
What's odd about this situation is that there are clearly defined guidelines about how text should appear on interstate signs. Also, the new signs don't appear to use Clearview, the easier-to-read typeface being used on new interstate signs around the country.
It would be interesting to find out who this consultant is (seemingly not a font nerd) and what other projects they've been consulting on.
(Thanks, Fred!)
Earlier on AOA: Next exit: illegibility
Many questions in teacher's death, deliberations start in Raucci trial, what happens in Vegas stays on Facebook
Police near Buffalo say there are still many unanswered questions surrounding the shooting death of Albany elementary school teacher David Park. The attorney for the homeowner who fired the shot said his client and wife were "terrorized" during the episode and were protecting themselves. The principal at Arbor Hill Elementary, where Park taught, said he "exemplifies everything you're looking for in a teacher." One of Park's co-workers said the "whole faculty is devastated." [Buffalo News] [WTEN] [TU] [YNN]
Steven Raucci trial Jurors have begun deliberations. During closing arguments, Raucci's attorney used a bag of plastic Easter eggs to represent doubts about the prosecution's case. Schenectady County DA Bob Carney urged jurors to send the message that "street justice is no substitute for real justice in a court of law." [Fox23] [TU] [Daily Gazette $]
The stepson of Virginia Gratto Utigard told WTEN that his stepmother "is wound differently than anyone I've ever met and I wish I'd never met her." [WTEN]
The SUNY Board of Trustees voted again to close the New Covenant charter school in Albany, this time 6-0 with four abstentions. Four hundred students about $3 million in funding could be headed back to the Albany school district. [SUNY] [TU]
This week in Which Way Northway? State police say a man led troopers on a chase from Exit 13 to Exit 8 Saturday night. And on Sunday, state police say a man drove south in the northbound lane at Exit 10 and hit a tractor trailer. Police say the man's blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit. [TU] [TU] [Fox23] [YNN]
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?