166-629: The New York State Thruway (officially the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway and colloquially " the Thruway ") is a system of controlled-access toll roads spanning 569.83 miles (917.05 km) within the U.S. state of New York . It is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA), a New York State public-benefit corporation . The 496.00-mile (798.23 km) mainline is a freeway that extends from
332-663: A dual highway ) in 1932 between Cologne and Bonn . It then rapidly constructed the first nationwide system of such roads. The first North American freeways (known as parkways) opened in the New York City area in the 1920s. Britain, heavily influenced by the railways, did not build its first motorway , the Preston By-pass ( M6 ), until 1958. Most technologically advanced nations feature an extensive network of freeways or motorways to provide high-capacity urban travel, or high-speed rural travel, or both. Many have
498-466: A median separates the opposite directions of traffic. This strip may be as simple as a grassy area, or may include a crash barrier such as a " Jersey barrier " or an "Ontario Tall Wall" to prevent head-on collisions . On some freeways, the two carriageways are built on different alignments; this may be done to make use of available corridors in a mountainous area or to provide narrower corridors through dense urban areas . Control of access relates to
664-710: A 6-mile (10 km) portion of the Berkshire Connector between its western terminus at exit 21A on the mainline near Selkirk and where it joins up with Interstate 90 at exit B1 in Schodack , and a short section of the mainline within exit 24 in Albany that is located between where I-87 departs the roadway and I-90 enters it. They are designated as New York State Route 982L (NY 982L), NY 912M, and NY 915H, respectively, all unsigned reference routes . The speed limit, enforced by
830-561: A class of highways with somewhat less isolation from other traffic. In countries following the Vienna convention , the motorway qualification implies that walking and parking are forbidden. A fully controlled-access highway provides an unhindered flow of traffic, with no traffic signals , intersections or property access . They are free of any at-grade crossings with other roads, railways, or pedestrian paths, which are instead carried by overpasses and underpasses . Entrances and exits to
996-423: A closed containment zone. As of July 4, 2021, there are a total of 47,027 COVID-19 cases and 966 deaths. At 14,450 cases per 100,000, Rockland had the greatest density of COVID-19 cases of any New York county . 47% of the population and 58% of the eligible population (aged 12 and over) have been vaccinated . The Orthodox Jewish community, the largest in the country, have some of the lowest vaccination rates in
1162-707: A cloverleaf and trumpet interchange when it opened in 1937, and until the Second World War , boasted the longest illuminated stretch of roadway built. A decade later, the first section of Highway 401 was opened, based on earlier designs. It has since gone on to become the busiest highway in the world. The word freeway was first used in February 1930 by Edward M. Bassett . Bassett argued that roads should be classified into three basic types: highways, parkways , and freeways. In Bassett's zoning and property law -based system, abutting property owners have
1328-697: A county legislature made up of 17 members, elected from single-member districts. This includes 12 Democrats and 5 Republicans. The Chairman of the Legislature is Democrat Jay Hood Jr. As of November 2023, the legislators are: Rockland Community College appointed County Legislator Dana G. Stilley and Legislative Fiscal Director Moshe Gruber as its unanimous choices of the Rockland County Legislature's bipartisan Multi-Services Committee. The five towns of Rockland County are led by town supervisors and town boards. The villages encompassed in
1494-620: A freeway, specialized pedestrian footbridges or tunnels may also be provided. These structures enable pedestrians and cyclists to cross the freeway at that point without a detour to the nearest road crossing. Access to freeways is typically provided only at grade-separated interchanges , though lower-standard right-in/right-out (left-in/left-out in countries that drive on the left) access can be used for direct connections to side roads. In many cases, sophisticated interchanges allow for smooth, uninterrupted transitions between intersecting freeways and busy arterial roads . However, sometimes it
1660-617: A gap in the I-90 designation around Albany until the completion of the 20-mile-long (32 km) Albany-Schodack Freeway in the early 1970s, which is not part of the Thruway system. The entirety of the New England Thruway became part of I-95 upon completion while the Niagara Thruway became I-90N in 1957 when it was built through downtown Buffalo, and later I-190 in 1959 upon completion. The Elmsford– Suffern section of
1826-612: A large amusement park located in the town of Darien . I-90 and the Thruway continue into Erie County and the Buffalo area. It meets NY 78 at exit 49 near Depew before passing through the Williamsville toll gantry, the northwestern end of the major closed toll system. Just west of the toll gantry, I-90 and the Thruway—now toll-free—connect to I-290 via exit 50, a semi-directional T interchange. At this point,
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#17327646899221992-641: A large semi-directional T interchange (exit 15) near the New Jersey border. At this point, I-287 heads south into New Jersey while I-87 and the Thruway turn northward into the valley of the Ramapo River . NY 17 northbound briefly joins the Thruway at the interchange with I-287 in Suffern, and leaves the Thruway a half-mile north at exit 15A in Hillburn. The Thruway continues north through
2158-434: A larger number of guide signs than other roads, and the signs themselves are physically larger. Guide signs are often mounted on overpasses or overhead gantries so that drivers can see where each lane goes. Exit numbers are commonly derived from the exit's distance in miles or kilometers from the start of the freeway. In some areas, there are public rest areas or service areas on freeways, as well as emergency phones on
2324-499: A legal status which limits the types of vehicles that can use a highway, as well as a road design that limits the points at which they can access it. Major arterial roads will often have partial access control , meaning that side roads will intersect the main road at grade, instead of using interchanges, but driveways may not connect directly to the main road, and drivers must use intersecting roads to access adjacent land. At arterial junctions with relatively quiet side roads, traffic
2490-551: A limited amount of mileage information on their third row. The mainline of the Thruway begins (in terms of exit numbers and mileposts) as a continuation of the Major Deegan Expressway , carrying I-87 northward into Westchester County from New York City at the border between Yonkers and the Bronx . The first few exits serve various local streets and destinations in the city. At exit 4, I-87 connects to
2656-527: A milepost system but does not use milepost markers. In Europe and some other countries, motorways typically have similar characteristics such as: Two-lane freeways , often undivided, are sometimes built when traffic volumes are low or right-of-way is limited; they may be designed for easy conversion to one side of a four-lane freeway. (For example, most of the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway in eastern Kentucky
2822-447: A motorway is understood as a public road with dual carriageways and at least two lanes each way. All entrances and exits are signposted and all interchanges are grade separated. Central barrier or median present throughout the road. No crossing is permitted, while stopping is permitted only in an emergency. Restricted access to motor vehicles, prohibited to pedestrians, animals, pedal cycles, mopeds, agricultural vehicles. The minimum speed
2988-777: A national-level or even international-level (e.g. European E route ) system of route numbering . There are several international standards that give some definitions of words such as motorways, but there is no formal definition of the English language words such as freeway , motorway , and expressway , or of the equivalent words in other languages such as autoroute , Autobahn , autostrada , autocesta, autoput , that are accepted worldwide—in most cases these words are defined by local statute or design standards or regional international treaties. Descriptions that are widely used include: One green or blue symbol (like [REDACTED] ) appears at motorway entry in countries that follow
3154-600: A number of patterns. The actual pattern is determined by a number of factors including local topology, traffic density, land cost, building costs, type of road, etc. In some jurisdictions feeder/distributor lanes are common, especially for cloverleaf interchanges ; in others, such as the United Kingdom, where the roundabout interchange is common, feeder/distributor lanes are seldom seen. Motorways in Europe typically differ between exits and junctions. An exit leads out of
3320-624: A park and where intersecting streets crossed over bridges. The Southern State Parkway opened in 1927, while the Long Island Motor Parkway was closed in 1937 and replaced by the Northern State Parkway (opened 1931) and the contiguous Grand Central Parkway (opened 1936). In Germany, construction of the Bonn-Cologne Autobahn began in 1929 and was opened in 1932 by Konrad Adenauer , then
3486-617: A partial diamond interchange . All southbound trucks are forced to exit here, as the Garden State Parkway prohibits trucks north of exit 105. Thus, the final 0.31 miles (0.50 km) of the road south of the Red Schoolhouse Road exit is the only part of the Thruway system that prohibits trucks. The connector continues to the state line, where it becomes the tolled Garden State Parkway. The New York State Thruway system also consists of three other components:
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#17327646899223652-457: A private venture, was the world's first limited-access roadway. It included many modern features, including banked turns , guard rails and reinforced concrete tarmac . Traffic could turn left between the parkway and connectors, crossing oncoming traffic, so it was not a controlled-access highway (or "freeway" as later defined by the federal government's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices ). Modern controlled-access highways originated in
3818-938: A project of master planner Robert Moses , and built between 1947 and 1958, connects the county directly to the George Washington Bridge due south. The Garden State Parkway opened in 1955, connecting New Jersey to I-87/287. For further information The Transport of Rockland operates several local bus routes throughout the county, and the express bus Hudson Link routes to city centers and train stations in Tarrytown and White Plains in Westchester County. TOR provides connections to other neighborhood bus operations – Minitrans and connections to private commuter lines, Rockland Coaches and Short Line providing service to North Jersey and New York City . NJ Transit / Metro-North Railroad operates
3984-562: A redesign and redevelopment program in the middle of 2021. This project is expected to be completed in two phases with one completed in 2023 and the other in 2025. The operators of the rest stops are Empire State Thruway Partners. They plan to include several restaurant options. Panera Bread All components of the New York State Thruway system except for the Garden State Parkway Connector and
4150-609: A reduction in deaths in a range from 20% to 50% on those sections. Speed, in Europe, is considered to be one of the main contributory factors to collisions. Some countries, such as France and Switzerland, have achieved a death reduction by a better monitoring of speed. Tools used for monitoring speed might be an increase in traffic density; improved speed enforcement and stricter regulation leading to driver license withdrawal; safety cameras; penalty point; and higher fines. Some other countries use automatic time-over-distance cameras (also known as section controls ) to manage speed. Fatigue
4316-541: A separate roadway or altogether eliminates it. In some parts of the world, notably parts of the US , frontage roads form an integral part of the freeway system. These parallel surface roads provide a transition between high-speed "through" traffic and local traffic. Frequent slip-ramps provide access between the freeway and the frontage road, which in turn provides direct access to local roads and businesses. Except on some two-lane freeways (and very rarely on wider freeways),
4482-510: A similar system of express and local lanes for a maximum width of 21 lanes on a 2-mile (3.2 km) segment between Interstate 805 and California State Route 56 . In Mississauga , Ontario, Highway 401 uses collector-express lanes for a total of 18 lanes through its intersection with Highway 403 / Highway 410 and Highway 427 . These wide freeways may use separate collector and express lanes to separate through traffic from local traffic, or special high-occupancy vehicle lanes , either as
4648-411: A special restriction on the innermost lane or a separate roadway, to encourage carpooling . These HOV lanes , or roadways open to all traffic, can be reversible lanes , providing more capacity in the direction of heavy traffic, and reversing direction before traffic switches. Sometimes a collector/distributor road , a shorter version of a local lane, shifts weaving between closely spaced interchanges to
4814-693: A spur route leading to downtown Buffalo and Niagara Falls , at exit 53. South of the city, the Thruway meets the Aurora Expressway ( NY 400 ) and the Southern Expressway ( US 219 ) at exits 54 and 55, respectively, in West Seneca . Just southwest of exit 55, I-90 and the Thruway pass through the Lackawanna toll gantry, which serves as the northeast end of the minor closed toll system. Once again
4980-560: A toll road, the Thruway heads southwestward, roughly paralleling the shoreline of Lake Erie to Blasdell , where it connects to NY 179 (the Milestrip Expressway). Farther southwestward, the Thruway is joined by US 20 , which follows a parallel routing to that of the Thruway to the Pennsylvania state line . As the route passes from Erie County to Chautauqua County , the last on its routing, it cuts through
5146-667: A total area of 199.34 sq mi (516.3 km ), of which 173.55 sq mi (449.5 km ) are land and 25.79 sqmi (66.80 km ) (13%) are covered by water. It is the state's smallest county outside the five boroughs of New York City. About 30% of Rockland County is devoted to parkland, belonging to either the five towns, incorporated villages, the state, or the county. These parks provide walking and hiking trails , ballfields , dog runs , historic sites , ponds , streams , salt marshes , and equestrian trails . Some popular state parks include Bear Mountain State Park on
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5312-615: A total of $ 2,150,800 was paid in compensation for numerous illnesses caused by power plant pollution, including asthma attacks, heart attacks and death. The Lovett generating station was closed and dismantled prior to 2014. From 2015 to 2018, the Haverstraw Quarry owned and managed by CRH Tilcon and Oldcastle Materials was heavily fined for air and water pollution, including over- blasting , over- excavating , non-viable use of its NESCO unhealthy dust suppression systems and lethal dust & water runoffs into protected waterways. In
5478-680: A total of 66 presently active Rockland County facilities are currently regulated. In Scorecard's list of Top 10 polluters from 2002, the Lovett generating station in Tompkins Cove is the top polluter, releasing 1,523,339 pounds of toxic emissions. Studies were released in 2000 and in 2004 by the Clean Air Task Force to study the impacts of power plant emissions in the United States. This data for Rockland County shows that
5644-658: A town in 1788; it included the present-day Clarkstown , Ramapo , and Stony Point . Clarkstown and Ramapo became towns in 1791, followed by Stony Point in 1865. During the American Revolution , when control of the Hudson River was viewed by the British as strategic to dominating the American territories, Rockland saw skirmishes at Haverstraw, Nyack, and Piermont , and significant military engagements at
5810-594: A year were coming to the park. After World War I , Rockland County became the most important sausage-making hub in New York. In 1911, Letchworth Village , an institution for the mentally disabled opened in Rockland County near Thiells . The institution gained national infamy in 1972, when an investigation by Geraldo Rivera revealed the patients there to have been housed in neglectful conditions. Letchworth closed in 1996. Rockland remained semi-rural until
5976-485: A year. I-87 leaves the Thruway mainline here, and the Thruway briefly becomes the unsigned reference route NY 915H, before I-90 merges into it, following the Thruway northwestward toward Schenectady . South of Schenectady, but still in Albany County , the Thruway and I-90 meet I-890 , a loop route of I-90 that directly serves the downtown district of Schenectady, at exit 25. The Thruway, meanwhile, bypasses
6142-612: Is Hoboken Terminal in New Jersey, where connections can be made to several NJ Transit bus lines , ferries, and PATH trains to New York City. Until 1958, Rockland County's eastern side was served by the New York Central Railroad 's passenger service on the West Shore Railroad from Weehawken, New Jersey , opposite midtown Manhattan up through Tappan, West Nyack, Congers, and Haverstraw, on to
6308-527: Is considered as a risk factor more specific to monotonous roads such as motorways, although such data are not monitored/recorded in many countries. According to Vinci Autoroutes , one third of accidents in French motorways are due to sleepy driving. Rockland County, New York Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York . It
6474-735: Is controlled mainly by two-way stop signs which do not impose significant interruptions on traffic using the main highway. Roundabouts are often used at busier intersections in Europe because they help minimize interruptions in flow, while traffic signals that create greater interference with traffic are still preferred in North America. There may be occasional interchanges with other major arterial roads. Examples include US 23 between SR 15 's eastern terminus and Delaware, Ohio , along with SR 15 between its eastern terminus and I-75 , US 30 , SR 29 / US 33 , and US 35 in western and central Ohio. This type of road
6640-438: Is designated as a Preserve America Community , and nearly a third of the county's area is parkland. The county has the largest Jewish population percentage of any U.S. county, at 31.4%, or 90,000 residents. Rockland also ranked 80th on the list of highest-income counties by median household income in the United States , with a median household income of $ 82,534 according to the 2010 census. The area that became Rockland County
6806-682: Is exit 6A; travel farther north requires a toll payment at the Yonkers toll gantry . After the toll, the thruway continues to exit 7, which grants access to Ardsley and Saw Mill River Road. All three highways take generally parallel tracks to Elmsford , where I-87 directly intersects the Saw Mill River Parkway at exit 7A. Not far to the north is exit 8, a semi-directional T interchange with I-287 (the Cross Westchester Expressway). I-287 joins
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6972-611: Is limited to those involving less than $ 25,000. Each of the towns and 15 of the villages have Justice Courts , which mostly hear routine traffic ticket cases, especially from the New York State Thruway and the Palisades Interstate Parkway. They also handle drunk driving charges, lower-level criminal misdemeanor matters, and occasionally perform arraignment on felonies (most felony proceedings are heard in County Court). These courts generally handle
7138-592: Is necessary to exit onto a surface road to transfer from one freeway to another. One example in the United States (notorious for the resulting congestion) is the connection from Interstate 70 to the Pennsylvania Turnpike ( Interstate 70 and Interstate 76 ) through the town of Breezewood, Pennsylvania . Speed limits are generally higher on freeways and are occasionally nonexistent (as on much of Germany's Autobahn network). Because higher speeds reduce decision time, freeways are usually equipped with
7304-450: Is not lower than 50 km/h [31 mph] and the maximum speed is not higher than 130 km/h [81 mph] (except Germany where no speed limit is defined). Motorways are designed to carry heavy traffic at high speed with the lowest possible number of accidents. They are also designed to collect long-distance traffic from other roads, so that conflicts between long-distance traffic and local traffic are avoided. According to
7470-564: Is open 24 hours. Free Wi-Fi service was added to all 27 service areas on March 1, 2007. NYSTA also operates the Thruway Authority Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) system, a network of radio stations across the state that broadcast information on traffic conditions along the Thruway. The system broadcasts at 1610 AM in the Rochester , Albany , Kingston , and Newburgh areas, 1620 AM in
7636-549: Is part of the New York metropolitan area . As of the 2020 U.S. census , the county's population is 338,329, making it the state's third-most densely populated county outside New York City after Nassau and neighboring Westchester Counties. The county seat and largest hamlet is New City . Rockland County is accessible via both the New York State Thruway , which crosses the Hudson River to Westchester via
7802-431: Is provided with separate carriageways for the two directions of traffic). Principal arterials may cross through urban areas, serving suburban movements. The traffic is characterized by high speeds and full or partial access control (interchanges or junctions controlled by traffic lights). Other roads leading to a principal arterial are connected to it through side collector roads. In this view, CARE's definition stands that
7968-652: Is represented by Congressman Mike Lawler . The county of Rockland is represented as follows in the New York State Senate as of 2023: The county of Rockland is represented as follows in the New York State Assembly as of 2023: On July 10, 2024, Ken Zebrowski resigned his elected position in the New York State Assembly 96th District six months before he was to leave Albany for good. Rockland County has
8134-407: Is sometimes called an expressway . Freeways are usually limited to motor vehicles of a minimum power or weight; signs may prohibit cyclists , pedestrians and equestrians and impose a minimum speed. It is possible for non-motorized traffic to use facilities within the same right-of-way, such as sidewalks constructed along freeway-standard bridges and multi-use paths next to freeways such as
8300-480: Is specially sign-posted as a motorway and is reserved for specific categories of road motor vehicles." Urban motorways are also included in this definition. However, the respective national definitions and the type of roads covered may present slight differences in different EU countries. The first version of modern controlled-access highways evolved during the first half of the 20th century. The Long Island Motor Parkway on Long Island , New York , opened in 1908 as
8466-545: Is the result of several changes, including infrastructure safety and road user behavior (speed or seat belt use), while other matters such as vehicle safety and mobility patterns have an impact that has not been quantified. Motorways are the safest roads by design. While accounting for more than one quarter of all kilometres driven, they contributed only 8% of the total number of European road deaths in 2006. Germany's Federal Highway Research Institute provided International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD) statistics for
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#17327646899228632-408: Is two lanes, but work has begun to make all of it four-lane.) These are often called Super two roads. Several such roads are infamous for a high rate of lethal crashes; an outcome because they were designed for short sight distances (sufficient for freeways without oncoming traffic, but insufficient for the years in service as two-lane road with oncoming traffic). An example of such a "Highway to Hell"
8798-526: The Battle of Stony Point , where General "Mad" Anthony Wayne earned his nickname. George Washington had headquarters for a time at John Suffern's tavern, the later site of the village of Suffern . British Major John André met with American traitor Benedict Arnold near Stony Point to buy the plans for the fortifications at West Point . André was captured with the plans in Tarrytown on his way back to
8964-708: The Connecticut state line, where it connects to the Connecticut Turnpike . The Cross Westchester Expressway, part of I-287, begins at I-87 exit 8 in Elmsford , where I-287 splits from the Thruway mainline, and travels east across Westchester County to I-95, with connections to both the New England Thruway and the Connecticut Turnpike at exit 12 in Rye . The Niagara Thruway comprises
9130-604: The Connecticut Turnpike , and the Niagara Thruway (July 30, 1959), which connects to Canada's Queen Elizabeth Way via a border crossing near Niagara Falls . The Thruway also directly connects to New Jersey's tolled Garden State Parkway , which eventually connects to the New Jersey Turnpike , which is part of a toll road system linking New York City and Chicago that also uses tolled highways in Pennsylvania , Ohio , and Indiana . On August 14, 1957,
9296-841: The Cross County Parkway , an east-west parkway providing access to the Saw Mill River, Bronx River , and Hutchinson River parkways, all of which run parallel to the Thruway through Yonkers. The Hutchinson River and Bronx River parkways leave to the northeast midway through Yonkers, while the Saw Mill and Sprain Brook parkways follow the Thruway out of the city. Exit 5 connects to Central Park Avenue ( NY 100 ) which connects towards White Plains . After that, exit 6 connects to Tuckahoe Road, connecting towards Yonkers and Bronxville. The last free exit heading northbound
9462-629: The Dartford Crossing (the furthest downstream public crossing of the River Thames ) or where it was not economic to build a motorway alongside the existing road such as the former Cumberland Gap . The A1 is a good example of piece-wise upgrading to motorway standard—as of January 2013, the 639-kilometre-long (397 mi) route had five stretches of motorway (designated as A1(M)), reducing to four stretches in March 2018 with completion of
9628-740: The Finger Lakes and Syracuse areas, 1630 AM near Buffalo , and 530 AM in the New York City metropolitan area . HAR is also used to broadcast Amber / Silver Alerts if one is issued. As of August 9, 2023, a check of the FCC's Universal Licensing System (ULS) shows that all of the Highway Advisory Radio stations licensed to the New York State Thruway Authority show a status of "Expired" or "Cancelled". The New York Thruway Travel Plazas started
9794-479: The Hudson Highlands on the northern tip of the county into a forest preserve. Union Pacific Railroad president E. H. Harriman , though, donated land and large sums of money for the purchase of properties in the area of Bear Mountain . Bear Mountain / Harriman State Park became a reality in 1910 when Harriman's widow donated his lands to the state, and by 1914, more than an estimated one million people
9960-451: The Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge . Here, the canal leaves the Thruway for good, turning northwestward to follow the NY 31 corridor to Rochester and beyond. The portion of the Thruway between Montezuma and the Rochester area is one of mostly rural nature, with the highway passing through remote, open fields, and for the most part avoiding highly populated areas. Along this stretch, it connects to two cities, both located well to
10126-415: The New England Thruway , the Cross Westchester Expressway , and the Niagara Thruway . The New England Thruway (NET) is a 15.01-mile (24.16 km) section of Interstate 95 under the operation and maintenance of the New York State Thruway Authority. It begins at the Pelham Parkway interchange (exit 8) in the Co-op City section of the Bronx and continues northeastward into Westchester County to
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#173276468992210292-472: The New York City line at Yonkers to the Pennsylvania state line at Ripley by way of I-87 and I-90 through Albany , Syracuse , and Buffalo . According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Thruway is the fifth-busiest toll road in the United States. The toll road is also a major route for long distance travelers linking the cities of Toronto , Buffalo, and Montreal with Boston and New York City. A tolled highway connecting
10458-417: The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). The Thruway formerly utilized a combination of closed ( ticket-based ), and open ( barrier-based ) tolling. From 2016 to 2018, all flat-rate barriers on the Thruway system transitioned to open road tolling , which replaced cash payment with an all-electronic tolling system using E-ZPass and toll by mail . On November 13, 2020, both ticket systems on
10624-411: The New York State Police , is 65 miles per hour along most of the Thruway. The main exceptions to this are in the suburbs and city of Buffalo and in Westchester and Rockland counties. There, the speed limit is 55 miles per hour. I-90, which comprises the bulk of the mainline and the Berkshire Connector, runs for 365.55 miles (588.30 km) along the Thruway: 17.70 miles (28.49 km) as part of
10790-493: The Orthodox Jewish and Hasidic Jewish communities are 15 percent of the population in Rockland County. The county is home to several Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award winners, awarded by the U.S. Department of Education : School districts include: The county is home to several colleges and universities : The Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, commonly called the Tappan Zee Bridge, connects South Nyack in Rockland County and Tarrytown in Westchester County across
10956-474: The Port Jervis Line , which stops at the Suffern Railroad Station and Sloatsburg Station , and the Pascack Valley Line , whose stops include Pearl River , Nanuet , and Spring Valley . in their respective hamlets and village of the same name. Connections on this line are available at Secaucus for service to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan and service to the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey . The southern terminus of both lines
11122-424: The Ramapo Mountains and the size of the county made carrying out governmental activities difficult. At one point, two governments were active, one on each side of the Ramapo Mountains, so Rockland split off from Orange in 1798 to form its own county. That same year, the county seat was transferred from Tappan to New City, where a new courthouse was built. Haverstraw was separated from Orangetown in 1719, and became
11288-575: The Suncoast Trail along the Suncoast Parkway in Florida . In some US jurisdictions, especially where freeways replace existing roads, non-motorized access on freeways is permitted. Different states of the United States have different laws. Cycling on freeways in Arizona may be prohibited only where there is an alternative route judged equal or better for cycling. Wyoming , the second least densely populated state, allows cycling on all freeways. Oregon allows bicycles except on specific urban freeways in Portland and Medford . In countries such as
11454-595: The Tappan Zee Bridge over the Tappan Zee, ten exits up from the NYC border; and the Palisades Parkway , four exits up, via the George Washington Bridge . The county's name derives from "rocky land", as the area has been aptly described, largely due to the Hudson River Palisades . The county is part of the Hudson Valley region of the state. Rockland County is the smallest county by area in New York outside New York City. It comprises five towns , eighteen incorporated villages , eighteen census-designated places , eight hamlets and eleven defunct communities. Rockland County
11620-469: The Tappan Zee's replacement to be a dual- span twin bridge . Construction officially began in October 2013, with the new spans being built to the north of the existing bridge. The new bridge connects to the existing highway approaches of I-87 and I-287 on both river banks. The northbound/westbound span opened on August 25, 2017. Southbound/eastbound traffic remained on the old bridge until October 6, 2017. At that point, southbound/eastbound traffic shifted to
11786-461: The Turning Stone Resort & Casino via NY 365. The highway continues onward through a sparsely-populated area between Verona and Syracuse, passing roughly 5 miles (8 km) south of Oneida Lake as it connects to the village of Canastota by way of NY 13 at exit 34. As the highway approaches exit 34A ( I-481 ) outside of Syracuse , the surroundings become more developed. The level of development rises sharply west of I-481 as
11952-538: The United Kingdom new motorways require an Act of Parliament to ensure restricted right of way. Since upgrading an existing road (the "King's Highway") to a full motorway will result in extinguishing the right of access of certain groups such as pedestrians, cyclists and slow-moving traffic, many controlled access roads are not full motorways. In some cases motorways are linked by short stretches of road where alternative rights of way are not practicable such as
12118-424: The United Kingdom , do not distinguish between the two, but others make a distinction; for example, Germany uses the words Kreuz ("cross") or Dreieck ("triangle") for the former and Ausfahrt ("exit") for the latter. In all cases one road crosses the other via a bridge or a tunnel, as opposed to an at-grade crossing . The inter-connecting roads, or slip-roads , which link the two roads, can follow any one of
12284-633: The colony of New Jersey , dividing present-day Rockland and Bergen Counties into separate political areas. The northern border of New Jersey was placed in a straight line from the Delaware River at present-day Port Jervis to the Hudson River at 41 degrees even North latitude, where the Palisades Cliffs pause and give way to Sneden's Landing in Orangetown . The state line remains there to this day, though various disagreements along
12450-490: The shoulder at regular intervals. In the United States, mileposts usually start at the southern or westernmost point on the freeway (either its terminus or the state line). California , Ohio and Nevada use postmile systems in which the markers indicate mileage through the state's individual counties. However, Nevada and Ohio also use the standard milepost system concurrently with their respective postmile systems. California numbers its exits off its freeways according to
12616-412: The 107,002 households, 38% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63% were married couples living together, 10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23% were not families. Around 19% of households were made up of individuals, and 8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.0 and the average family size was 3.5. The county's age distribution
12782-508: The 1950s, when the Palisades Interstate Parkway , Tappan Zee Bridge , New York State Thruway , and other major transit arteries were built. In the decades that followed, the county became a maturely developed suburb of New York City. As people moved up from the five boroughs (particularly the Bronx in the early years), the population flourished from 89,276 in 1950 to 338,329 in 2020. Rockland County lies just north of
12948-399: The 426-mile (686 km) mainline between Buffalo and the Bronx were completed and opened throughout 1954 and 1955. The last segment, from Yonkers south to the Bronx, was completed on August 31, 1956. The total cost was $ 600 million (equivalent to $ 5.15 billion in 2023), financed by the sale of $ 972 million in bonds (equivalent to $ 8.35 billion in 2023). At the time, it was
13114-501: The A1(M) through North Yorkshire . The most frequent way freeways are laid out is by building them from the ground up after obstructions such as forestry or buildings are cleared away. Sometimes they deplete farmland, but other methods have been developed for economic, social and even environmental reasons. Full freeways are sometimes made by converting at-grade expressways or by replacing at-grade intersections with overpasses; however, in
13280-476: The Berkshire Connector and 347.85 miles (559.81 km) on the mainline. I-87 comprises the remaining 148.15 miles (238.42 km) of the mainline, including an 18.86-mile (30.35 km) concurrency with I-287 north of New York City. I-287 covers another 29.76 miles (47.89 km) (including the 18.86 miles (30.35 km) shared with I-87), while I-190 spans 21.24 miles (34.18 km) and I-95 covers 15.01 miles (24.16 km). All highways maintained by
13446-718: The Berkshire Connector and follows the spur east into Columbia County . While the Rensselaer County segment follows a mostly east–west routing, the Berkshire Connector in Columbia County takes on a northwest-southeast alignment as the roadway heads towards exit B2 in East Chatham . The junction serves as the northern terminus of the Taconic State Parkway , which connects the spur to the New York City area. About 2 miles (3.2 km) to
13612-663: The British lines; he was brought to Tappan for trial in the Tappan church , found guilty, hanged, and buried nearby. Yet another important chapter in the story of the Revolution was written on May 5, 1783, when General Washington received Sir Guy Carleton at the DeWint House , where they discussed terms of a peace treaty. Two days later, Washington visited Sir Guy aboard a British war vessel, H.M.S Perseverance, laying anchor in
13778-641: The County Courts. In Rockland, however, the Supreme Court does exercise jurisdiction over some criminal cases. The County Court is inferior to the Supreme Court and is authorized to hear criminal cases that have occurred in the county as well as limited jurisdiction over civil cases. The County Court handles felony cases exclusively and shares jurisdiction with the town and village justice courts on misdemeanor cases and other minor offenses and violations. The County Court's jurisdiction on civil cases
13944-798: The Cross Westchester Expressway are tolled in some capacity. The entire Thruway has used an all-electronic, open road tolling system since November 14, 2020, with tolls being collected by E-ZPass or Tolls by Mail . Seventy electronic toll gantries comprise the Thruway toll system. Controlled-access highway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway , motorway , and expressway . Other similar terms include throughway or thruway and parkway . Some of these may be limited-access highways , although this term can also refer to
14110-576: The Hudson River in the Lower Hudson Valley of New York. The old bridge was replaced with a new span in 2017. The county is served by several major highways, including Interstate 87 / 287 (the New York Thruway ), opening from Suffern to Yonkers in 1955. The old Tappan Zee Bridge opened the same year, connecting Rockland and Westchester, allowing Rockland County's population to grow rapidly. The Palisades Interstate Parkway,
14276-688: The Hudson. On this day, the king's navy fired its first salute to the flag of the United States of America . In the decades following the Revolution, Rockland became popular for its stone and brick manufactories. Many buildings in New York City were built with bricks made in Rockland. These products, however, required quarrying in land that many later believed should be set aside as a preserve. Many unsuccessful efforts were made to turn much of
14442-653: The Mohawk River and the Erie Canal while NY 49 continues northwestward along the northern bank of the water-bodies toward Rome . On the other side of the river, the Thruway curves back to the west, proceeding to exit 32 in Westmoreland . Not far to the west, the Thruway has a junction with NY 365 at exit 33 in Verona . Here, the Thruway connects to the cities of Rome and Oneida and serves
14608-658: The New Jersey-New York border, west of Westchester County (across the Hudson River), and south of Orange County. Its east border is formed by the Tappan Zee portion of the Hudson River. The county's terrain ranges from 1,283 ft (391 m) ASL on Rockhouse Mountain (northwest of Lake Welch) to approaching sea level along the Hudson River. According to the US Census Bureau, the county has
14774-615: The New Rochelle toll barrier was widened by four booths. The Schoharie Creek Bridge was a Thruway bridge over the Schoharie Creek near Fort Hunter and the Mohawk River . On April 5, 1987, it collapsed due to bridge scour at the foundations after a record rainfall. At the time of the collapse, one car and one tractor-semitrailer were on the bridge. Before the road could be blocked off, three more cars drove into
14940-582: The New York State Legislature officially renamed the Thruway in honor of Thomas E. Dewey , the Governor of New York at the time of the Thruway's opening. The official designation is, however, rarely used in reference to the road. The last section of the mainline to receive a designation—from Suffern to Newburgh—finally received one on January 1, 1970, when I-87 was realigned to follow the Thruway for its entire length south of Albany and
15106-491: The New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) lack the reference markers that exist on all New York State Department of Transportation -maintained roads, as would be expected. In their place, NYSTA-controlled roadways use small, square tenth-mile markers with a white background and blue numbering. These markers differ from the white-on-green reference markers used by NYSDOT on state-maintained highways, which are 10 inches (254 mm) high and 8 inches (203 mm) wide and display
15272-753: The Pennsylvania state line. I-90, however, continues onward into Pennsylvania as a toll-free highway. The Berkshire Connector is a 24.28-mile (39.07 km) east–west spur connecting the Thruway mainline in Coeymans to the Massachusetts Turnpike at the Massachusetts state line in Canaan . It is tolled as part of the closed toll system in place on the mainline between exits 16 and 50. The highway begins at exit 21A off
15438-522: The Thruway enters Salina , a northern suburb of Syracuse. Within Salina, I-90 and the Thruway intersect I-81 , which connects the Thruway to both downtown Syracuse and Syracuse Hancock International Airport . West of Salina, the Thruway passes north of Liverpool and Onondaga Lake before intersecting I-690 and its northern continuation, NY 690 , at exit 39 in Van Buren . At this point,
15604-425: The Thruway heads northward, roughly paralleling the Hudson River to the river's west as it serves the city of Newburgh , the village of New Paltz , and the city of Kingston , connecting to the short I-587 in the latter. Past Kingston, the highway runs closer to the river as it parallels U.S. Route 9W (US 9W) through the towns of Saugerties , Catskill , Coxsackie , and Ravena . Just north of Ravena,
15770-736: The Thruway here, following I-87 west across the Hudson River into Rockland County on the Tappan Zee Bridge . I-87 and I-287 remain overlapped for 15 miles (24 km) through the densely-populated southern portion of Rockland County, meeting the Palisades Interstate Parkway (exit 13) and the Garden State Parkway Connector , the latter of which provides access to the Garden State Parkway (exit 14A) in New Jersey. The Thruway continues generally westward to Suffern , where I-87 and I-287 split at
15936-586: The Thruway mainline at exit 14A in Ramapo with the Garden State Parkway at the New Jersey state line. It is designated as NY 982L , an unsigned reference route. The highway begins, in terms of mileposts, at Thruway ( I-87 and I-287 ) exit 14A in Ramapo and heads generally southwestward as a toll-free highway toward the state line. Just north of the state line, the southbound connector meets Red Schoolhouse Road ( County Route 41 or CR 41) at
16102-410: The Thruway meets the west end of the Berkshire Connector, a spur linking the Thruway mainline to the Massachusetts Turnpike 25 miles (40 km) to the east. The highway continues into Albany , where it connects to Troy via I-787 at exit 23 and intersects I-90 at exit 24. The latter of the two junctions is the busiest of the Thruway's exits, serving an estimated 27 million vehicles
16268-428: The Thruway serve several riverside communities, including the cities of Amsterdam (exit 27 via NY 30 ) and Little Falls (exit 29A, NY 169 ) and the villages of Fonda (exit 28, NY 30A ), Canajoharie (exit 29, NY 5S and NY 10 ), and Herkimer (exit 30, NY 28 ). Like Schenectady before it, the Thruway bypasses downtown Utica, following an alignment north of
16434-501: The Thruway southwest of Selkirk in the town of Coeymans (south of Albany ) as NY 912M , an unsigned reference route . It proceeds eastward over the Hudson River and into Rensselaer County by way of the Castleton Bridge . It navigates through the southern, rural portion of the county to exit B1 in Schodack , where the connector meets I-90. The unsigned NY 912M designation terminates here while I-90 joins
16600-588: The Thruway turns southward, passing through the immediate eastern suburbs of Buffalo. As it heads south, it meets the Kensington Expressway ( NY 33 ) at exit 51 and Walden Avenue at exit 52, both cloverleaf interchanges . At exit 52, it passes to the west of the Walden Galleria , a shopping mall situated at the nearby junction of Walden Avenue and NY 277 . Two exits later in southern Cheektowaga , I-90 meets I-190 ,
16766-406: The Thruway were converted to open road tolling. The Garden State Parkway Connector, the Cross Westchester Expressway and the section of the mainline in and around Buffalo are toll-free. Motorists with E-ZPasses receive a greater discount on the toll-by-mail rate than out-of-state E-ZPass members do. The Thruway is partly subsidized by the tolls, whereas other parts are subsidized by NYSDOT, a 50/50 for
16932-430: The Thruway. The project was to be financed through toll revenue bonds and self-liquidating by receipt of tolls, rents, concessions, and other income. The act also stipulated NYSTA adopt a hybrid system of tolls, with barrier tolls collected in urban areas, and long-distance tickets issued in rural areas. The first section of Thruway, a 115-mile stretch from Lowell to Rochester , opened on June 24, 1954. Other sections of
17098-672: The Transport of Rockland's Ferry Express route to the Haverstraw ferry terminal for service to Metro-North's Hudson Line service to Grand Central Terminal . Ferry service is typically suspended in the colder months when the Hudson River freezes over, and commuters must take shuttle buses across the Tappan Zee Bridge. Nearby airports include: All of Rockland County falls within the 17th Congressional District , along with central and western Westchester County. The district
17264-409: The US, any at-grade intersection that ends a freeway often remains an at-grade intersection. Often, when there is a two-lane undivided freeway or expressway, it is converted by constructing a parallel twin corridor, and leaving a median between the two travel directions. The median-side travel lane of the old two-way corridor becomes a passing lane. Other techniques involve building a new carriageway on
17430-484: The United States, allow for limited exceptions: some movable bridges , for instance the Interstate Bridge on Interstate 5 between Oregon and Washington , do require drivers to stop for ship traffic. The crossing of freeways by other routes is typically achieved with grade separation either in the form of underpasses or overpasses . In addition to sidewalks (pavements) attached to roads that cross
17596-712: The Vienna Convention. Exits are marked with another symbol: [REDACTED] . The definitions of "motorway" from the OECD and PIARC are almost identical. In the European Union , for statistical and safety purposes, some distinction might be made between motorway and expressway . For instance a principal arterial might be considered as: Roads serving long distance and mainly interurban movements. Includes motorways (urban or rural) and expressways (road which does not serve properties bordering on it and which
17762-645: The West Hudson shore cities of Newburgh, Kingston, and Albany. The service ran to West Haverstraw, in the north of the until 1959. The Erie Railroad ran train service on the Northern Branch through the southeastern corner of the county to Nyack up to 1966. NY Waterway operates a ferry service between Haverstraw and Ossining in Westchester County for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority . Commuters take
17928-646: The amount of development along the Thruway sharply declines as it heads generally westward through a marshy area of Onondaga County . I-90 and the Thruway reconnect to the Erie Canal (here part of the Seneca River ) at the western county line. Now in Cayuga County , the highway serves Weedsport via exit 40 and NY 34 , exit 41 serving Del Lago Resort and Casino in Tyre, New York and passes north of Port Byron prior to entering Seneca County and
18094-694: The area and made transactions with Tappan tribe for land with the idea that it could have future use. For example, in 1640, Dutch Captain David Pietersz. de Vries purchased from natives the area where the Sparkill Creek flows into the Hudson River. In 1664, the British Crown assumed control of New Netherland from the Dutch. In June 1664, the Berkeley - Carteret land grant established
18260-573: The bridge carried fewer than 40,000 vehicles per day. Part of the justification for replacing the bridge stems from its construction immediately following the Korean War on a low budget of only $ 81 million. Unlike other major bridges in metropolitan New York , the Tappan Zee was designed only to last 50 years. The Federal Highway Administration issued a report in October 2011 designating
18426-793: The bridge. The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge / Dartford tunnel at London Orbital is an example of this. London Orbital or the M25 is a motorway surrounding London , but at the last River Thames crossing before its mouth, motorway rules do not apply. (At this crossing the London Orbital is labeled A282 instead.) A few of the more common types of junction are shown below: There are many differences between countries in their geography, economy, traffic growth, highway system size, degree of urbanization and motorization, etc.; all of which need to be taken into consideration when comparisons are made. According to some EU papers, safety progress on motorways
18592-545: The city to the south and west, intersecting I-88 at exit 25A in Rotterdam before reuniting with I-890 at exit 26 west of Scotia . Travel between I-88 (Exit 25A) and exits 24, 25, and 26 in either direction is toll-free. From exit 26 west to Utica , the mainline of the Thruway parallels the Erie Canal and the Mohawk River , crossing over the water-bodies at Mohawk . In between Schenectady and Utica, I-90 and
18758-516: The city while I-790 serves it directly. I-790 breaks from the Thruway at exit 31 and runs along two carriageways flanking the mainline on both sides for 1.5 miles (2.4 km) before turning southward onto the North-South Arterial. The adjacent highways become NY 49 , which parallels the Thruway for another 2 miles (3.2 km) northwestward. At the end of this stretch, the Thruway turns slightly southwestward, crossing over
18924-492: The common European definition, a motorway is defined as "a road, specially designed and built for motor traffic, which does not serve properties bordering on it, and which: (a) is provided, except at special points or temporarily, with separate carriageways for the two directions of traffic, separated from each other, either by a dividing strip not intended for traffic, or exceptionally by other means; (b) does not cross at level with any road, railway or tramway track, or footpath; (c)
19090-399: The concurrency of the New York State Thruway, I-87, and I-287, was a cantilever bridge built during 1952–55. The bridge was three miles (4.8 km) long and spanned the Hudson at its second-widest point. Before its replacement in 2017, the deteriorating structure carried an average of 138,000 vehicles per day, substantially more traffic than its design capacity. During its first decade,
19256-423: The county include Paramount Country Club , Manhattan Woods Golf Course (designed by PGA great Gary Player ), and Rockland Country Club (Sparkill). As of the 2020 United States Census , 338,329 people and 100,438 households were residing in the county. The population density was 1,950 people per square mile (750 people/km ). The 107,002 housing units averaged 617 units per square mile (238/km ). Of
19422-420: The county was $ 39,286. The mean, or average, income for a family in Rockland County is $ 73,500 according to the 2004 census. About 6% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14% of those under age 18 and 8% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2000 United States Census , 286,753 people, 92,675 households, and 70,989 families were residing in the county. The population density
19588-512: The current longest streak of voting for the popular vote winner, having done so in every presidential election beginning in 1980 . According to Scorecard.org, which integrates data from different sources including the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2002, Rockland County ranked among the worst 10% in the United States in terms of air releases. Recent EPA statistics show that
19754-597: The day. Two plazas—the New Baltimore plaza at milepost 127 and the Angola plaza at milepost 447—are accessible from both directions of the Thruway; the remainder are accessible from only one direction (although the Sloatsburg and Ramapo service plazas at milepost 33 were connected via a pedestrian bridge until 2021). Each plaza features a gas station and a variety of restaurants, at least one of which
19920-517: The early 1920s in response to the rapidly increasing use of the automobile , the demand for faster movement between cities and as a consequence of improvements in paving processes, techniques and materials. These original high-speed roads were referred to as " dual highways " and have been modernized and are still in use today. Italy was the first country in the world to build controlled-access highways reserved for fast traffic and for motor vehicles only. The Autostrada dei Laghi ("Lakes Motorway"),
20086-576: The entire Berkshire Connector part of I-90 and redesignating the non-toll part of I-90 from Thruway exit 24 to exit B1 as I-88 . The Thruway main line would be designated as both I-90 and I-88 between exits 25A and 24, and as I-90 and I-87 from exit 24 to exit 21A. This was never implemented, as the FHWA wished to preserve the I-88 numbering for a potential future corridor connecting Albany and northern interior New England. When I-84
20252-488: The entire Thruway would transition to cashless tolling. Tolls on the entire Thruway became completely cashless two days later. The cashless tolling project cost $ 355 million. There are 27 service areas along the Thruway, all on the New York–Ripley mainline. The service areas, called "travel plazas" by the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA), are spaced roughly 30 miles (48 km) apart and are open at all hours of
20418-554: The exact border were had over the years. In the 1670s, permanent Dutch settlers began to arrive with land grants, starting with the Tappan area. These settlers were eager to escape "city life", moving from Manhattan to Rockland. A number of unique, Dutch-style red sandstone houses still stand, and many place names in the county reveal their Dutch origin. In 1683, when the Duke of York (who became King James II of England ) established
20584-511: The federal system, as well as in most states (the Court of Appeals is the highest court in New York). The Supreme Court has broad authority over all categories of cases, both civil and criminal. Generally, the Supreme Court in Rockland County hears civil cases involving claims in excess of $ 25,000. While the Supreme Court has jurisdiction over criminal cases in most counties, this is handled by
20750-577: The first 12 counties of New York, present-day Rockland County was part of Orange County , known then as "Orange County South of the Mountains". Orangetown was created at the same time under a royal grant, originally encompassing all of modern Rockland County. Around this time, as the English began to colonize Nyack and Tappan , the Native Americans began to leave Rockland in search of undisturbed land further north. The natural barrier of
20916-703: The first 21.24 miles (34.18 km) of I-190 from I-90 in Buffalo to NY 384 in Niagara Falls . A toll superhighway connecting the major cities of the state of New York that would become part of a larger nationwide highway network was proposed as early as 1949. The following year, the New York State Legislature passed the Thruway Authority Act creating the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA), an independent public corporation , which would build and manage
21082-608: The first agency to implement the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system. By December 1996, it was implemented at all of the Thruway's fixed-toll barriers and at exits along the Berkshire Connector and the New York City–Buffalo section of the mainline. E-ZPass was installed at all of the mainline exits by March 1998. In 1999, NYSDOT, the Federal Highway Administration and NYSTA discussed making
21248-485: The first built in the world, connecting Milan to Lake Como and Lake Maggiore , and now parts of the A8 and A9 motorways, was devised by Piero Puricelli and was inaugurated in 1924. This motorway, called autostrada , contained only one lane in each direction and no interchanges. The Bronx River Parkway was the first road in North America to utilize a median strip to separate the opposing lanes, to be constructed through
21414-412: The first half of the 20th century. Italy was the first country in the world to build controlled-access highways reserved for fast traffic and for motor vehicles only. Italy opened its first autostrada in 1924, A8 , connecting Milan to Varese . Germany began to build its first controlled-access autobahn without speed limits (30 kilometres [19 mi] on what is now A555 , then referred to as
21580-473: The former portion of I-87 between White Plains and Brewster became I-684 . On February 28, 1974, exit 14B was opened. The closed-toll (originally ticket) system originally began at Spring Valley but was moved to Woodbury on March 3, 1974, allowing interchanges along the Thruway in Rockland County to be free of tolls. The Suffern toll plaza was demolished soon after this change. In 1984,
21746-504: The gap. The collapse killed ten people. The replacement bridge was completed and fully open to traffic on May 21, 1988. In 1994, exit 5 was rebuilt, replacing the original trumpet interchange with a more complex configuration. Part of the old interchange was not enitrly demloished however. The Spring Vallery barrier's car toll was removed in July 1997. At the time, the toll was $ 0.40 (equivalent to $ 1.00 in 2023). In August 1993, NYSTA became
21912-609: The highest volume of cases. On March 1, 2024, Deirdre Smith was sworn in as the first female officer to serve as chief of detectives for Rockland County. Like most of the Hudson Valley, Rockland County historically voted Republican but in recent years has leaned Democratic. Between 1892 and 1992, Rockland County was won only three times by Democrats in presidential elections – in Lyndon B. Johnson 's landslide victory in 1964, Franklin D. Roosevelt 's landslide in 1936 (in which it
22078-504: The highway are provided at interchanges by slip roads (ramps), which allow for speed changes between the highway and arterials and collector roads . On the controlled-access highway, opposing directions of travel are generally separated by a median strip or central reservation containing a traffic barrier or grass. Elimination of conflicts with other directions of traffic dramatically improves safety, while increasing traffic capacity and speed. Controlled-access highways evolved during
22244-414: The largest toll highway systems in the United States. The longest of the six components is the 496-mile (798 km) mainline. Of the 570 miles in the Thruway system, 560.85 miles (902.60 km) (98.4%) carries at least one Interstate Highway designation. Only three sections of the system are not part of the Interstate Highway System; these are the Garden State Parkway Connector in Rockland County ,
22410-498: The longest toll road in the world. In 1957, the mainline was extended 70 miles (113 km) west from Buffalo along Lake Erie to the Pennsylvania state line . From 1957 to 1960, several spurs of the road were built to connect the road to turnpikes in adjacent states. These include the Berkshire Connector (May 26, 1959), which connects to the Massachusetts Turnpike , the New England Thruway (October 31, 1958) and Cross Westchester Expressway (December 1, 1960), which both connect to
22576-404: The mainline was designated as part of I-287 upon completion of the Cross Westchester Expressway (also I-287) in 1960. The highway was distinctive in that original signage utilized dark blue backgrounds, the same color blue as displayed on the New York state flag . Over time, these signs were replaced with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)-approved green backgrounds. On September 1, 1964,
22742-539: The major cities of New York was first proposed in 1949. The first section of the Thruway, between Lowell, New York (south of Rome ) and Rochester , opened on June 24, 1954. The remainder of the mainline was opened in 1955, and many of its spurs connecting to highways in other states and the Canadian province of Ontario were built in the 1950s. In 1957, much of the Thruway system was included as portions of Interstate 87 (I-87), I-90 , and I-95 . Other segments became part of I-190 and I-287 shortly afterward. Today,
22908-399: The mayor of Cologne . The German Autobahn became the first nationwide highway system. In Canada , the first precursor with semi-controlled access was The Middle Road between Hamilton and Toronto , which featured a median divider between opposing traffic flow, as well as the nation's first cloverleaf interchange . This highway developed into the Queen Elizabeth Way , which featured
23074-400: The motorway system, whilst a junction is a crossing between motorways or a split/merge of two motorways. The motorway rules end at exits, but not at junctions. However, on some bridges, motorways, without changing appearance, temporarily end between the two exits closest to the bridge (or tunnel), and continue as dual carriageways . This is in order to give slower vehicles a possibility to use
23240-512: The northernmost tip of the county, Harriman State Park, also along the county's northern boundary, and Nyack Beach State Park along the Hudson River, with trails connecting to Rockland Lake State Park . The county hosts numerous public and private golf courses , with the towns of Orangetown, Ramapo, Stony Point, and Haverstraw all operating public golf courses within their towns. The Palisades Interstate Park Commission operates two golf courses in Rockland Lake State Park. Notable private courses in
23406-454: The northwestern portion of the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation , situated on Cattaraugus Creek . The Thruway continues alongside US 20 past Dunkirk and Westfield to the Ripley toll gantry, the southwestern end of the minor closed toll system just northeast of exit 61 for Shortman Road. Travelers heading eastbound from Pennsylvania can access Shortman Road toll-free. The Thruway ends about 1 mile (1.6 km) after exit 61 at
23572-439: The other. Other methods involve constructing a service drive that shortens the long driveways (typically by less than 100 metres (330 ft)). An interchange or a junction is a highway layout that permits traffic from one controlled-access highway to access another and vice versa, whereas an access point is a highway layout where traffic from a distributor or local road can join a controlled-access highway. Some countries, such as
23738-414: The period from 2017 to 2020, Suez experienced instances of discolored water and odor complaints. During 2020, the Rockland County Health Dept. and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Conservationfound/investigated and informed Suez of untreated polluted water at Tilcon operated discharge points at a stream that flows into Lake DeForest . After discovery, Tilcon stopped pumping
23904-477: The rate is higher than the risk on urban roads. Speeds are higher on rural roads and autobahns than urban roads, increasing the severity potential of a crash. According to ETSC, German motorways without a speed limit, but with a 130 km/h (81 mph) speed recommendation, are 25% more deadly than motorways with a speed limit. Germany also introduced some 130 km/h (81 mph) speed limits on various motorway sections that were not limited. This generated
24070-643: The rights of light , air and access to highways, but not parkways and freeways; the latter two are distinguished in that the purpose of a parkway is recreation, while the purpose of a freeway is movement. Thus, as originally conceived, a freeway is simply a strip of public land devoted to movement to which abutting property owners do not have rights of light, air or access. Freeways, by definition, have no at-grade intersections with other roads, railroads or multi-use trails . Therefore, no traffic signals are needed and through traffic on freeways does not normally need to stop at traffic signals. Some countries, such as
24236-409: The river valley toward Harriman , where it encounters the Woodbury toll gantry, the southeastern end of the mainline's major closed toll system. The gantry is located on the mainline within exit 16 ( NY 17 ), a trumpet interchange . Along with the mainline gantry in Harriman, an toll plaza]] exists on future I-86 midway between the Thruway and NY 17. Now a completely tolled highway,
24402-435: The segment of the mainline between the Pennsylvania border and the Adirondack Northway in Albany became part of I-90 while the portions from the Northway south to Newburgh and from Elmsford south to the New York City line were included in I-87 . Between Elmsford and Newburgh, I-87 followed I-287, what is now I-684, and I-84. Upon its completion, the Berkshire Connector east of US 9 also became part of I-90, creating
24568-432: The side of a divided highway that has a lot of private access on one side and sometimes has long driveways on the other side since an easement for widening comes into place, especially in rural areas. When a third carriageway is added, sometimes it can shift a directional carriageway by 20–60 metres (50–200 ft) (or maybe more depending on land availability) as a way to retain private access on one side that favors over
24734-461: The south of the Thruway: Geneva by way of exit 42 for NY 14 and Canandaigua by way of exit 43 via NY 21 . The next exit along the highway, exit 44 for NY 332 , also serves Canandaigua; the junction is the primary exit for Canandaigua-bound travelers from the Rochester area. Here, the Thruway temporarily widens from four to six lanes as it continues generally westward to meet I-490 at exit 45 near Victor . As in
24900-530: The southbound toll plaza at the Tappan Zee Bridge in Westchester County was closed and replaced with a southbound all-electronic toll gantry on the Rockland County side of the bridge. In late 2018, all remaining flat-rate toll barriers on the Thruway were replaced with electronic toll gantries. In October 2020, it was announced that the transition to cashless tolls would go into effect the following month, which would eliminate all toll booths and their operators. On November 12, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that
25066-402: The southeast is the Canaan toll gantry, which marks the end of the Thruway ticket system. The last exit on the Berkshire Connector is exit B3 for NY 22 just west of the Massachusetts state line in Canaan . The spur continues east to the state line, where it becomes the Massachusetts Turnpike . The Garden State Parkway Connector is a 2.40-mile (3.86 km) highway that connects
25232-406: The system comprises six highways: the New York–Ripley mainline, the Berkshire Connector, the Garden State Parkway Connector, the New England Thruway (I-95), the Niagara Thruway (I-190), and the Cross Westchester Expressway (I-287). The portion of I-84 in New York was maintained by the Thruway Authority from 1991 to 2010, but it was never part of the Thruway system and is currently maintained by
25398-421: The toll-free areas, and cashless/tolled areas. The New York State Thruway system is a collection of six individual components across the state of New York that connect the state to four neighboring states ( Connecticut , Massachusetts , New Jersey , and Pennsylvania ) as well as the Canadian province of Ontario . Together, the highways extend for 569.83 miles (917.05 km), making the Thruway system one of
25564-431: The towns are led by mayors and village trustees. As of the November 2023 elections, the town supervisors are: There are three types of general trial courts in Rockland County: the New York Supreme Court , the County Court, and the Justice Courts . The Supreme Court is the trial level court of the New York State Unified Court System , which presents some confusion as the Supreme Court is the highest court of appeals in
25730-628: The vicinity of Schenectady and Utica, an auxiliary route of I-90—here I-490—directly serves a city (Rochester) while the Thruway bypasses it. It heads northwestward through the city's southern, mostly rural suburbs to Henrietta , where it meets I-390 at exit 46. Henrietta is as close as the Thruway gets to downtown as it proceeds west to Le Roy , where I-490 reconnects to I-90 at exit 47. I-90 continues onward into Genesee County , intersecting with NY 98 at exit 48 north of Batavia and NY 77 at exit 48A in Pembroke . The latter exit provides access to Six Flags Darien Lake ,
25896-475: The waste. Higher cancer rates in Rockland County as compared to Manhattan associate towards drinking water quality, aging drink water infrastructure/storm drain runoff concerns. Recently, COVID-19 pandemic was first confirmed to have reached Rockland County on March 6, 2020. After the areas of Spring Valley and Monsey were identified as having the highest infection rates, County Executive Ed Day requested that state emergency management declare those areas
26062-514: The westbound span of the new bridge and the old bridge closed. The bridge's eastbound span opened to traffic on September 11, 2018. Upon completion, the new Tappan Zee Bridge became one of the longest cable-stayed spans in the nation. In late 2018, ramp meters were installed on all entrance ramps to the Thruway mainline in Westchester County (exits 1-9) and at all entrances to the entire Cross Westchester Expressway. Ramp meters were activated at exits 11, 12, and 13 in October 2020. On April 23, 2016,
26228-406: The year 2010, comparing overall fatality rates with motorway rates (regardless of traffic intensity): The German autobahn network illustrates the safety trade-offs of controlled access highways. The injury crash rate is very low on autobahns, while 22 people died per 1,000 injury crashes—although autobahns have a lower rate than the 29 deaths per 1,000 injury accidents on conventional rural roads,
26394-443: Was European route E4 from Gävle to Axmartavlan , Sweden. The high rate of crashes with severe personal injuries on that (and similar) roads did not cease until a median crash barrier was installed, transforming the fatal crashes into non-fatal crashes. Otherwise, freeways typically have at least two lanes in each direction; some busy ones can have as many as 16 or more lanes in total. In San Diego, California , Interstate 5 has
26560-548: Was 1,652 people per square mile (638 people/km ). The 94,973 housing units averaged 547 units per square mile (211/km ). Residents live closer together than the census numbers indicate, as 30% of the county is reserved as parkland. About 9% of residents reported speaking Spanish at home, 5% Yiddish , 3% French-based creole , 1.5% Italian, 1.3% Tagalog , 1.3% Hebrew , 1.2% French, and 1% Russian. Other languages spoken at home by at least 1000 people include Malayalam , Korean , Chinese , German , and Polish . As of 2017,
26726-402: Was 28.4% under 18, 8% from 18 to 24, 28% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 12% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 women, there were 95 men. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 91 men. The median income for a household was $ 93,024 and for a family was $ 80,000. Males had a median income of $ 58,000 versus $ 39,000 for females. The per capita income for
26892-439: Was built through the Newburgh area in the early 1960s, no interchange was built between I-84 and the Thruway. Instead, the connection was made via a short segment of NY 300 , which both I-84 and I-87 meet via interchanges. Construction on a direct connection between the Thruway mainline and I-84 began in August 2003. The portion of the exit carrying traffic from I-84 to the Thruway was opened in July 2009. The opposite direction
27058-475: Was opened two months later on September 23. The connection allows cars to travel between I-87, I-84 and NY 300 via splits in the ramp. On May 14, 2010, a new E-ZPass configuration, consisting of two highway speed E-ZPass lanes in each direction, became operational at the Woodbury toll plaza, with concrete barriers separating the faster traffic from the staffed toll lanes necessary for vehicles not equipped for E-ZPass. The original Tappan Zee Bridge , carrying
27224-459: Was originally inhabited by Algonquian -speaking Native Americans , including Munsees and Lenape . The Tappan tribe had a particularly noteworthy presence in the area, extending from present-day Nyack , south to Sparkill and Tappan , down the Hackensack River valley through present-day Bergen County, New Jersey , and also along the Palisades and Hudson River shore all the way to present-day Edgewater, New Jersey . In 1609, Henry Hudson
27390-486: Was the first major English explorer to arrive in the area. Hudson, thinking he had found the legendary " Northwest Passage ", sailed on the Half Moon up the river that would one day bear his name, and sailing through present-day Haverstraw before exploring north in present-day Albany . In the years before 1664 when the area was formally a Dutch colony called New Netherland , present-day Rockland did not have formal European settlements. However, individuals did explore
27556-625: Was the only New York City suburb to vote Democratic), and Woodrow Wilson 's first campaign in 1912, when Republicans were fractured into two tickets. Rockland County began to lean Democratic in 1992 and has since voted Republican just twice, but elections have remained closer than in neighboring Westchester County , which has delivered dependable Democratic victories since the 1990s. Rockland County voted for Republicans George W. Bush in 2004 and Donald Trump in 2024 . With Caddo Parish, Louisiana , and St. Joseph County, Indiana , voting for Kamala Harris in 2024, Rockland County now by itself owns
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