Interchange of the Week
Monday, 30 April 2001

New York State Thruway - Exits 11 to 14, Nyack-Spring Valley

Orientation: The New York State Thruway, carrying Interstates 87 and 287, runs from bottom right to top left, while US 9W runs along Highland Avenue at the bottom right corner. NY 59 runs west from US 9W, crossing under the Thruway and continuing towards the left. Mountain View Avenue enters at top and intersects NY 59 opposite Waldron Avenue, just south of the Thruway.

Exit numbers: Exit 11 on the New York State Thruway is signed for US 9W, Nyack. However, the southbound exit ramp leads directly to NY 59 rather than US 9W.

The interchange: This is the only exit for Nyack on the southbound Thruway (eastbound I-287), while northbound traffic has the option of using either this interchange or Exit 10. The northbound (westbound) entrance and exit ramps connect to US 9W by way of a stretch of High Avenue, or to NY 59 by way of Polhemus Street. The southbound exit ramp connects to the intersection of NY 59 and Mountain View Avenue, thus forming a five-way junction. The southbound entrance ramp branches directly off from Mountain View Avenue.

Continuing northward (or westward) on the Thruway, Exit 12 is for NY 303, West Nyack. As originally built, this was a simple "folded" diamond interchange, with maintenance facilities occupying the space within the loop ramps. When the Palisades Center mall and its access roads were constructed, the ramps were widened and reconfigured as shown above. They now connect directly with Palisades Center Drive along the south side of the Thruway, and North Palisades Center Drive along the north side. Snake Hill Road, which used to intersect NY 303 just north of the Thruway ramps, now ends at North Palisades Center Drive.

Exit 13 is a full cloverleaf between the Thruway (left to right) and the Palisades Interstate Parkway (bottom to top). Once again, the southeast quadrant is occupied by a maintenance area, a common occurence among cloverleaf-type interchanges in suburban areas where available land is relatively scarce.

Orientation: The Thruway runs from top right to bottom left; NY 59 runs from bottom right to top left. Pascack Road runs top to bottom at left, and Old Nyack Turnpike runs left to right at bottom.

Exit numbers: Exit 14 on the Thruway is for NY 59 to Spring Valley and Nanuet.

The interchange: Here is another example of a "folded" diamond interchange where, yet again, the land enclosed by the ramps has been utilized. Because of the acute angle of the Thruway in crossing NY 59, the curvature of the northbound (westbound) ramps is somewhat exaggerated, while that of the southbound (eastbound) ramps is eliminated. An additional southbound entrance is provided from Old Nyack Turnpike, serving traffic from eastbound NY 59 as well as Pascack Road. Forman Drive connects the northbound ramps with Pascack Road.