Wikipedia:WikiProject New York State routes/News/Issue 002

The New York State and County Route WikiProjects Newsletter

Introduction

We've gotten past the bugs and to our second issue! First, thanks for the excellent feedback that was given regarding our initial issue. I've attempted to rectify most of the concerns, and I believe I've fixed some, if not all, of them. Also of note is the revamping of both the delivery method and of this page itself. Credit for the majority of the delivery design has to go to the Wikipedia Signpost team.

This issue, as you will see, has much more content than the first issue for one primary reason: there is no longer a need to compress the newsletter to fit on a user's talk page. Enjoy!

Project News

• As always, remember to vote on next month's project featured article! Three articles, New York State Route 17K, New York State Route 31, and New York State Route 55 await your vote!

• Looking for something to do? Articles needing cleanup can always be found at Category:New York State articles needing work. Both state and county routes needing cleanup are fed into this category.

• County routes in New York still needs pictures of actual county route shields, some additional text and more details about the history of county routes in New York State.

• General reminders:
  • For reference route articles:
    • Use {{Infobox NY Reference Route}}.
    • Link to your new article (or, if necessary, add it) on the List of New York State Reference Routes and Parkway Routes.
    • See TwinsMetsFan or Fwgoebel for reference markers.
  • For county route articles:
    • Be sure to abide by the guidelines on the project page, to maintain a consistent feel across all of the articles.
    • See TwinsMetsFan or Northenglish for shields.

• New York State Route 11A is still the lowest active route without an article. New York State Route 7C, previously mentioned here as the lowest decommissioned route with no article, was written mere days after the release of the first newsletter, showing the impact that this newsletter can have helping our project (and thus Wikipedia) flourish! The lowest decommissioned route with no article is now New York State Route 17F.

• No articles were nominated for Good or Featured Article status this month. References for New York State Route 52's history section are urgently needed so that the article can be renominated for GA in the coming months. Pictures are also desired for New York State Route 104 to bolster the GA nomination that will likely come within the month.

• There are NY routes still lacking mileposts.

• Please note that the standard for mileposts in junction tables has now been increased to the nearest hundredth of a mile, to match the precision of the NYSDOT Traffic Counts. If possible, update any tables that you may come across to match this new standard. Anyone that needs the 2005 (most recent) counts can download them here.

Member News

• On 28 December, Benje309 joined WP:NYCR. Welcome!

Status of 531 extension updated

By TwinsMetsFan

NYSDOT held a meeting in Brockport on 10 January to discuss potential options for extending New York State Route 531 west of its current terminus at New York State Route 36 outside of Spencerport. The meeting, the first in two years on this issue, is the latest chapter in an effort to extend the freeway that has spanned three decades.

The DOT is now considering three options for the project. The first is to do nothing, leaving NY 531 at its current configuration. A second option would result in the upgrading of New York State Route 31, the "parent route" of NY 531, from NY 36 west to Redman Road one mile west of New York State Route 19. The third option would result in the extension of NY 531 itself to Redman Road, where the expressway would end at an undetermined location south of Brockport.

Implementing the third option would be difficult due to its expected cost of $94 million. To conform to the $90 million budget of NYSDOT Region 4, construction would have to be completed in phases as financing becomes available. In contrast, the second option, upgrading NY 31, is projected to be about half as expensive as constructing a new carriageway for NY 531, with costs projected at $41 million.

Another meeting is scheduled for next spring, followed by another in the summer of 2009 after a environmental impact statement is developed. Approval for the project design is expected to be requested in fall 2009.

Sources: Residents and officials discuss Route 531 extension options, NYSDOT Press Release

Plans for improvements to 104 to be unveiled

By TwinsMetsFan

NYSDOT will hold a meeting in Scriba on 24 January regarding a proposed project to upgrade New York State Route 104. The project, which will double the shoulder width from 4 feet to 8 feet and expand the individual lanes to 12 feet (from 10 feet), covers a roughly three mile portion of NY 104 from the Oswego city line east to Maiden Lane. Other issues that will be addressed include unspecified safety concerns and drainage issues.

The meeting is the first of two scheduled for this project, expected to begin construction in 2009.

Source: NYSDOT Press Release

Routes 5 and 20 to receive upgrades

By TwinsMetsFan

An open house will be held in Avon on 22 January regarding the upcoming rehabilitation of New York State Route 5 and U.S. Route 20 between Pole Bridge Road and River Street, a distance of 1.25 miles.

The road will either be narrowed or have lanes removed in an attempt to slow traffic passing through the village. Notable improvements include the installation of a curved center median in the eastern area of the village. The village of Avon will also replace the sewer and water mains underneath the road as part of the project.

Construction is expected to occur between spring 2008 and December 2008.

Elsewhere, in Aurelius, a meeting will be held on 23 January regarding a proposed project to reconstruct the intersection of NY 5/US 20 and Half Acre Road, as well as an additional 3,500 feet of Routes 5 and 20 and another 250 feet of Half Acre Road. A crest on Routes 5 and 20 a short distance east of the intersection, located three miles west of downtown Auburn, will be lowered by roughly one foot to improve sight lines from the junction.

Construction is expected to begin in 2008.

Sources: NYSDOT Press Release (Avon), NYSDOT Press Release (Aurelius)

From the Editor

As always, your feedback on the content and format of this newsletter is greatly desired. With your help, we can make the newsletter better and more informative! Don't be afraid to comment!

Lastly, remember that this is your newsletter and you can be involved in the creation of the next issue (Issue 003 – February 2007). Any and all contributions are welcome. Simply let yourself be known to any of the undersigned, or just start editing!

Contributor to this Issue

• TwinsMetsFan (Editor, Distributor)