Rockland County, New York

Well mostly Rockland County, anyway. Snaps done on a lazy hazy Saturday in April 2k4. Photos and commentary were taken by Otto Yamamoto in April 2004. We have decided to keep the photos and commentary as true to form as possible to the original article. The photos were hosted by Gribblenation on a previous incarnation of our site, and we are proud to be able to bring back this classic article.

The NY 9D overpass of the IH 84. Note the “Clip on” at the left.

A 4-way beacon at Howland and Wolcott Avenues in southeast Beacon. Only two sides of this work, the yellow you see and the one facing down the road. The other faces are red, and don't work. The poop-up has more detail. This was prolly the center of the junction at one time, but now the setup favors NY 9D (Wolcott Ave.)

Signs at the above junction, northbound. The DIA Beacon sine is actually quite new, and points to a new museum that's crankin' a bit o'the green into the area.

Southbound on NY 9D. In the distance you can see the ledge for NY 218.

Another Snap of the NY 9D tunnel. The only land tunnel in the state as far as I know.

NY 218 ledge snapped w/my binocular camera.

Now at the Southern End of NY 9D - Looking out over Fort Montgomery.

The Bear Mountain Bridge is being painted. Here's all the electrical and dangerous stoof they're using to do this.

And another shot of the junction sine for NY 9D. I actually walked out on the bridge for this. I could prolly walk across the Bear Mountain, cos it doesn't scare me like the Mid-Hudson does.

The Bear Mountain's Eastern Anchorage. Kinda cool that it's augured into the hill like that.

Rockland County Road 106, Which USED to be NY 210. This is just east of the PIP JN 15. County 106 runs from the NY 17/17A east JN to US 9W in Stony Point. This section is in cruddy shape. It's signed for 55mph. As if.

More of RC 106. This is close to the US 9W JN. The road adds and subtracts lanes a few times thru here.

The last NY 210 sine in Rockland County on a side road. All other junctions have proper RC 106 signs.

Ummm. Okay. I think this trumps the Town of Tonawanda Picasso IH 290 sine. This is SE-Bound on Cedar Flats Road, just before the Rockland Co. Hwy 106 JN. There is a “proper” RC 106 assembly down the road. I think this may be a Town of Stony Point sign. This is a late entry-and taken with my phone cam.

The PIP (Palisades Interstate Parkway) over US 202.

An unusual bridge to be sure - the only one like it that I've seen in this area.

A sign assembly on US 202 just east of the bridge. Tim Brown thinks we're in a police state. I dunno about that, but this assembly shows evidence of a “Police Town”, anyway.

NY 45 Southbound in a fast section (45 MPH).

Getting ugly on NY 45 Southbound coming into Spring Valley. It's pretty miserable past here.

Not on a state road, this is a GE Streamline signal, sadly relegated to beacon duty. It now flashes red four ways. The controller is an Electro-Matic box. The snap is done with my binocular camera, and sadly, doesn't show what you can actually see - I could see the GE brand name on the lenses.

A sine assembly on NY 59 near JN 14 on the Thruway. Small animals ph33r this.

NY 59 Eastbound-east of the Thruway, approaching the NJ Transit railway overpass.

Traffic on NY 59. It was a Saturday-before Easter 2k4, and there was a lot of traffic. NY 59 is a big shopping street thru here; we're passing the Nanuet Mall.

Middletown Road(RC 33) JN on NY 59 eastbound. The gantry advertising the turns is not common, but not unusual, either. Others are at NY 32 and the Thruway in Saugerties, and at NY 376-NY 113-DC 77 in the Town of Poughkeepsie.

NY 59 “Expressway” section-This extends from NY 304 east to NY 303. This snap is near the PIP junction.

Southbound On NY 304 just past the NY 59 junction.

The only signs that show a County Shield on NY 304. Southbound and Northbound respectively.

The NY 304 Freeway Southbound, approaching a killer 50 MPH curve. The bridges have no shoulders on this road, either.

The end of the freeway. Traffic does not slow down until the next signal, tho.

Northbound at the Crooked Hill Road junction. This leads back to Middletown Road, and you can avoid the left for SB RC 33 by leaving the freeway here.

The actual off-slip for Middletown Road(RC 33)- Northbound on NY 304.

The NY 59 junction.

Northbound this is a cloverleaf, but southbound, the slip roads link to a local street, which then leads to NY 59.

The NY 59 junction. The northbound end of the NY 304 freeway at W. Nyack Road. Stone Cold Steve Anderson sez this is NY 59A. It's not now. It was up until 1960 or so.

US 9W Northbound at the Stony Lonesome junction. North of here NY 218 is concurrent with US 9W for a bit. Part 2 of NY 218 runs south of here thru Highland Falls.

An overpass for golf carts, south of the NY 218-NY 293 junction.

Approaching the NY 218-NY 293 junction. The blank metal sign covers a closure notice for NY 218. NY 218 is closed from here to just SE of Cornwall-on-Hudson for various reasons at various times.

Now hitting the Hard Core section of The Storm King Highway. Hope yr car doesn't break down...

This road has a 55 mph limit. Average speed is 47 due to curves.

A break in the Jersey Barrier. NY uses these sandstone looking things at barrier ends. I think it's some sort of impact absorbing device. Problem is, they deteriorate kinda fast. This one's got all crumbly.

Another Curve.

A really big ugly curve is after this one.

Now going downhill northbound, toward Cornwall.

End of the Hard Core section-now on the “Jersey Freeway” section of US 9W that bypasses Cornwall-on-Hudson. This is the Angola Road JN. Note the right hand bridge pier...

North of Cornwall-just past the NY 218 northern JN. The dual highway ends and used to be a four-lane.

But the road was reconfigured to add a turn lane at Orange County Road 74. This initially caused problems w/ppl who ignored the signs, but now works well.

The Moodna Creek Bridge on US 9W.

Now on the “Newburgh Bypass”: reference route 980T. Though only posted at 30-40 MPH, it's still a good bypass of US 9W. This is the “half overpass” - A wide structure that carries a single railway line-past that right pier, a single line metal structure carries the railway line.

Three views of Water Street-Reference Route 980T in the City of Newburgh. You get some nice views of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge from here.

The north end of 980T - Plank Road by this time. You can only turn right onto north US 9W from here. There is an alternate means to turn south.

A ground-mounted VMS on US 9W at the IH 84. VMS's have been going up on approaches to the IH 84 and the the Mid-Hudson Bridge this year(2k4). Not one has even been turned on as yet.

North on NY 9W *sigh*.

The SB VMS for the IH 84 Approach. I don't know why it was mounted like this. There's room on the right verge. Perhaps it was a conflict with the property owner.