Skip to main content

Erie Blvd. in Schenectady, NY to get visual makeover

Image
By
In a recent article of the Albany Times-Union, there was a story that plans for a visual makeover of Erie Blvd. in Schenectady were announced. The changes would take place on Erie Blvd. from I-890 and the entrance to General Electric to Union St.

Currently six lanes wide until State St., Erie Blvd. would be reduced to four lanes from 890 to State St. Erie Blvd. is quite possibly the most historic thoroughfare in Schenectady. Once, the Erie Canal flowed along its alignment. Later, after the canal was filled in, Erie Blvd. was the gateway to the city's largest employer, General Electric.

The changes - besides reducing the lanes - would include a roundabout at South Ferry St., pedestrian crosswalks, a landscaped median, and street lighting. The goal is to make one of the city's busiest highway's more visually appealing.

Construction would start in 2009 and last through 2011.

An idea of what Erie Blvd could look like. (Clough Harbour and Associates/Albany Times-Union

Here's a few shots of Erie Blvd. that Doug took today:

This is the beginning of Erie Blvd. - and the start of the proposed project - at I-890 and General Electric. Doug is traveling North on Erie Blvd. throughout.


The next two photos are on Erie Blvd. at South Ferry Blvd. This is where the proposed roundabout would go. The roundabout would allow traffic to reverse direction on Erie Blvd. A maneuver that is considerably dangerous today.



Erie Blvd. at State Street (NY 5). This intersection is rather congested during afternoon and evening rush hours. This is also where most of the major changes to Erie Blvd. will end.


Finally, beyond State St. to Union, possible improvement include a small median. As you can see, the road is much narrower here than it is at I-890.


Story: Erie Boulevard makeover unveiled ---Albany Times-Union

Commentary:
From August through December of 2006, Erie Boulevard was part of my commute to work. We moved our office to Erie Blvd. from Rotterdam that August. I will say that the makeover would make Erie Boulevard a more visually appealing drive.

However, sticking points at I-890 and State Street will continue. The roundabout at South Ferry St. will certainly allow for safer traffic movements. The roundabout along with other changes to Erie Boulevard will slow down traffic and make the road more pedestrian friendly. But will this encourage business along the corridor? Who knows, there are a few businesses and some fast food spots from 890 to State St. But overall, there's a lot more that will be needed along Erie Boulevard for it and Schenectady to be as active as it once was over 30 years ago.

The makeover is a great thing and a good start. But there's a lot more needed and hopefully will be done to breathe life into a stagnant city.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park

By
  Grand Loop Road is a 140 mile loop highway which traverses the interior of Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Loop Road connects all of the major attractions and geological features of Yellowstone National Park along with the entrance roads.  Grand Loop Road is a seasonal highway and despite some conjecture never has been part of the US Route System.   Part 1; the history of Grand Loop Road The majority of history pertaining to Grand Loop Road was taken from the below National Park Service article: Historic Roads - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Yellowstone was declared the first National Park of the United States on March 1st, 1872.  The first real highway to access Yellowstone National Park came in 1873 when a tolled facility was constructed from Bozeman, Montana via Yankee Jim Canyon to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Numerous attempts were made to fund construction of roadway infrastructure during the early years of Yellows...
Post a Comment
Read more

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

By
Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway

By
From 2017 through to early 2019 I drove the majority of the California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway from CA 89 southwest to CA 99. CA 70 is an approximately 178.5 mile state highway which starts at US 395 near the Nevada State Line and travels west through the Feather River Canyon to CA 99.  CA 70 is often referred to as the Feather River Highway" given it's close association with the river.  Historically CA 70 was previously signed as US 40A and CA 24.  The Legislative Routes prior to the 1964 California Highway Renumbering that made up the current route of CA 70 are as follows: -  Legislative Route Number 21 from US 395 westward to Oroville. -  LRN 87 from Oroville south to Marysville. -  LRN 232 from Marysville to the current junction with CA 99.  CA 70 was even dual signed with CA 99 into Sacramento on what was LRN 232 for a time. The change from US 40A/LRN 21/LRN 87/LRN 232 can be seen by comparing the 1963 State Highway Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more