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Route 719 Bus Never Showed Up This Morning

It was a cold morning waiting for a bus that didn't come this morning. Usually the 719 is right about on time, or a few minutes early. Then there was a traffic accident in Albany that further delayed the local bus downtown.

I was out to the road by 8:47 AM, and to the bus stop a few minutes early. But I waited and waited, no Route 719 bus ever showed up. I ended up snagging the Route 18 local downtown at 9:09 AM.

CDTA_Gillig_HybridThen Delaware Avenue was blocked up due to a car crash, further delaying the Route 18 heading downtown. God really doesn’t want me to get to work today.

I’ve really gotten away from riding the local in favor of the 719, as the express is a little more quicker, and certainly much quieter. The express usually only stops 3-4 times before getting to work – usually just the Park and Ride and the Empire Plaza. Plus, it always gets me to work at a more appropriate hour.

BlWC-rFCIAA8TrV.jpg largeIt was a chilly morning waiting out for the bus this morning. I didn’t plan to get stuck waiting for 20 minutes for a bus that never came. So be it. I could have just driven Big Red downtown, but by the time — I find a on-street parking spot and walked to work, I would have saved time by just waiting for the bus.

Cloverleafs of the Capital Region

Cloverleafs have long fallen out of popularity due to the dangerous weaving conditions they create in heavy traffic but are still used in some cases where two major arterials cross, yet there is not enough traffic to justify building a three or four level stack. Capital Region superhighways where largely built after the first big group of superhighways where completed, so traditional cloverleafs are rare, or the original designs seriously modified.

NY 7 and I-787 in Troy.

A classic cloverleaf with a fly-over/fly-under ramp for the dominate South bound traffic heading out of Troy. The curlique heading onto Alternate Route 7 can get notrouiusly congested at Rush Hour.

NY 374 and I-787 in South Troy.

Another partial cloverleaf, with a confusing left-handed exit on NY 374, divering from a former one-way ramp.

Exit 1 Northway and Free I-90.

Until the mid-1980s, this used to be a pure cloverleaf, and notorious for congestion at rush hour.

Exit 2 Northway and Central Avenue.

This cloverleaf isn’t a pure cloverleaf two ramps end in stop lights, near Colonie Center.

Exit 13 Northway and US 9 in Saratoga.

Both places where the Northway crosses US 9, there are very traditional looking cloverleafs, except at a slanted angle.

Exit 17 Northway and US 9 in Saratoga.

The cloverleaf alway seemed so overpowered and absurd for the relatively lightly traveled US 9W.

A Warning About Spring Temperatures

The bright sunlight and warm temperatures have awoken the bears from hibernation in Albany-area, looking for motorists to bite. Earlier today, there was one along the Delmar Bypass and also one in the new construction speed zone on I-787 near Exit 2. Drive safely, watch that speedometer.