Since this covers the town AND the city, I put it here (admin can change it if they want)

The challenging stretch of Interstate 890 near the GE plant in Schenectady will be redesigned next year to remove the inner loop.

The smaller loop and the underpass that takes the smaller loop under 890 will be removed. Two new ramps will be installed to replace the smaller loop for drivers to go east onto 890 or to get off westbound 890 onto the big circle and the access roads.

Bids for the work will be opened Dec. 17, said Bryan Viggiani, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

"It'll improve safety," he said. "The accident rate there is higher than we want it to be."

The area is not the site of major accidents, but its design does lead to a high number of fender-benders.

From Jan. 1, 2012, to April 30 this year, there were 24 accidents, only one of which involved an injury. Still, with an accident rate of 2.92 accidents per million vehicle miles, that's almost three times the expected rate for similar roads of 1.08. Fifteen of those accidents occurred on the westbound on-ramp from Washington Avenue at Exit 4A.

The interstate currently includes two loops, one smaller and one larger. Navigating Washington Avenue onto I-890 eastbound means moving from the larger circle onto the smaller one and forces drivers to look behind them as they merge left.

Under the plan, Route 5S also will be moved slightly as will the ramps into and out of Erie Boulevard.

Work is slated to begin in spring and be completed by the end of 2016.

The road was designed in the 1960s when commuting patterns were much different, and there were far more workers heading to the General Electric plant.

"The usage has changed," Viggiani said. "We also think it will move traffic through more efficiently."

http://www.timesunion.com/loca.....p?cmpid=fbsocialflow


(of course, MC1 will start their own post elaborating on the inefficiency of the Mayor in the City and blaming him for not only high taxes for everyone, but also the increased cost of asphalt - especially when this area is predominantly in the area of General Electric)

I remember before 890 was built.  Rt 5S was a three lane road entering the GE area where the middle lain was
eastbound in the morning when most were driving to GE and Westbound in the PM when most were leaving
GE.  
It was referred to as the Suicide Lane!

Quoted from Box A Rox

I remember before 890 was built.  Rt 5S was a three lane road entering the GE area where the middle lain was
eastbound in the morning when most were driving to GE and Westbound in the PM when most were leaving
GE.  
It was referred to as the Suicide Lane!

Circa: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Aging-artifacts-a-path-to-city-s-past-3930447.php
??

At this point, I would think that anything would be an improvement over the existing layout and traffic pattern.  

The problem is that as cars enter from the end of Erie Blvd they think it is a drag strip, when in fact, the speed limit is 30mph until you get past the ramp from SCC.

take some orange cones and block the 2 lanes farthest to the right as you enter from Erie Blvd, giving the SCC ramp 2 full lanes of their own.

No more reason to stop and get rear ended.

Then the cars entering from Erie would have to change to the SCC dedicated lanes, instead of drag racing and road raging at people coming from the college ramp, that dare to interfere with their speeding.