Where is the Albany Corridor located?
The Albany Corridor is located between Interchanges 21A (Berkshire Section) and Interchange 25A (Schenectady-Binghamton) on the New York State Thruway.

Why study the Albany Corridor?
There are known structural, operational and capacity needs that exist along the Albany Corridor. The study will identify any existing problems and determine what improvements are necessary to address them.

How many vehicles travel the Albany Corridor each day?

What will happen if improvements are not made to the Albany Corridor?
If improvements are not made to the Albany Corridor, pavement and bridge conditions will continue to deteriorate and delays on the mainline and at interchanges may be longer and more frequent.

What is the accident history in the Albany Corridor?
As part of the study, accident data from within the Corridor were collected to identify high accident locations.

What is a MPO and what role does it have in this study?
A Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is responsible for coordinating transportation planning activities in an urbanized area. The MPO for the Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and southern Saratoga Counties is the Capital District Transportation Committee (CDTC).  The CDTC is conducting the traffic forecasts for this study. The Albany Corridor Project Team reports to the CDTC on a regular basis.

How can I obtain more information about the study?
The Albany Corridor Study Report may be viewed at local libraries.

Will an EIS be required?
It is expected that the study may result in several projects. Some projects, such as those to construct additional travel lanes, may require an EIS.  Other projects such as those designed to address minor safety problems, may not require an EIS.

When will the projects be constructed?
The Study will result in a staged program of projects. Some projects will be near term and constructed within a year or two, others will be longer term projects that may take several years to develop, design and construct.

Can you tell me more about the flyover ramps to and from the Northway and the Thruway?
One project alternative that will be reviewed is to construct E-ZPass only ramps to and from the Thruway in the vicinity of the School House Road Bridge near the Western Avenue ramps to and from the Northway.  The Authority will consider whether this connection would improve service and reduce delays.

Will additional lanes be special use lanes such as HOV lanes, trucks only lanes, or express lanes?
The study evaluated the effectiveness of special use lanes, general use lanes, and other alternatives for improving capacity. This evaluation will be the basis for determining the preferred alternative for improving capacity.

What options will be considered instead of adding lanes?
In addition to highway improvements, transit, Transportation Systems Management (TSM), and Traffic Demand Management (TDM) alternatives were investigated and evaluated.

What impact will the project have on regional air quality?
An evaluation of the impact on regional air quality for all reasonable alternatives will be conducted during the course of the environmental review process.

How does this corridor study address the requirements of the State Environmental Quality Review Act?
Projects that are identified as a result of this corridor study will undergo an environmental review in accordance with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). For more information on SEQRA, visit the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation web site.

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