Thruway Mainline Reconstruction and Widening

Pavement Reconstruction Needs

The condition and maintenance history of the pavement on the Thruway within the Albany Corridor shows that the pavement is in need of replacement. The original Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) pavement was originally designed to last 50 years and has reached the end of its design life. The condition of the PCC pavement is affecting the riding surface, requiring frequent maintenance treatments. These treatments typically consist of milling off the surface and replacing with an asphalt concrete overlay. Although these treatments improve the riding surface for a period of time, pavement condition reports have shown that the life of the surface treatments is decreasing. This means that the surface treatments need to occur more frequently, resulting in exorbitant costs. The only way to properly address the pavement condition is through major reconstruction.

Based on the pavement surface condition and the frequency of maintenance activities, reconstruction of the pavement is estimated to be needed in or before the following years:

Interchange 21A to Interchange 22 - 2010

Interchange 22 to Interchange 23 - 2010

Interchange 23 to Interchange 24 - 2004

Interchange 24 to Interchange 25 - 2006

Interchange 25 to Interchange 25A - 2009

Capacity Needs

The growth in traffic volumes on the Thruway between Interchanges 22 to 25 has resulted in congestion during peak periods of travel. The traffic analyses show that traffic volumes on three sections within the Albany Corridor will approach or exceed the capacity of the highway in the near future. These conditions will cause traffic congestion, which needs to be addressed. The traffic analyses show that capacity improvements will be needed by the year indicated below for these three sections:

Interchange 22 to Interchange 23 - 2010

Interchange 23 to Interchange 24 - 2005

Interchange 24 to Interchange 25 - 2003

Traffic analyses show that the addition of a travel lane in each direction on these sections will provide the capacity needed to meet traffic volumes. The remaining sections, Interchange 21A to 22 and Interchange 25 to 25A, are expected to continue to provide adequate capacity for the traffic volumes through the year 2024.

Interchange 23 to 24 Reconstruction and Widening

The section between Interchange 23 and 24 shows the most urgent need for reconstruction. Consequently, the Thruway Authority anticipates began preliminary design in 2004 of a project to address the reconstruction needs. During construction of the project, a third lane will need to be added in each direction, at least temporarily, to maintain two lanes of traffic in each direction. Since the traffic analysis shows that an additional lane is needed by 2005, constructing the third lane as a permanent lane would meet the capacity needs and be more economical than constructing a temporary lane. Therefore, the project will proceed as a reconstruction and widening project on the Thruway between Interchanges 23 and 24. The Thruway Authority anticipates that the third lane in each direction can be added in the median without moving lanes closer to properties along the Thruway’s right-of-way.