Malta

An Exit 11A on the Northway is not to be.

The cost of building a new exit between Exits 11 and 12 in Malta would be significantly more than making other changes that would have the same impact on reducing traffic congestion, said Michael Franchini, executive director of the Capital District Transportation Committee.

"We get the same impact on traffic for $20 million that we would for $70 million," he said. "It doesn't make sense to do it because it's so expensive."

The issue of constructing an Exit 11A arose as the result of traffic growth from the construction of the Global Foundries chip manufacturing facility.

Instead, a Northway traffic study identified nine intersections where improvements, including two roundabouts, could be made that would ease traffic.

Finding the money for the work is the next task.

"The plan recommends a couple of different funding sources," Franchini said.

One is to create a General Environmental Impact Statement area where mitigation fees would be collected. Another proposal calls for payments or fees from developers to fund the improvements.

The recommendation not to create the new exit came after the traffic study examined 38 nearby intersections. The sites singled out for improvements are: Old Post Road and Northline Road; Route 9 and Malta Avenue; Route 67 and Brookline Road; Route 67 and Eastline Road; Route 9 and Stonebreak Road; Route 67 and Luther Forest Boulevard; Round Lake Road/I-87 Exit 11 southbound; Round Lake Road/I-87 Exit 11 northbound; and Route 9P and Plains Road.

The study said a roundabout at the intersection of Old Post Road and Northline Road would end a problem with right-angle collisions. Of the nine crashes studied there, six were right-angle collisions that a roundabout would prevent, the report said.

Another roundabout is recommended for Route 67 and Eastline Road. Of 34 crashes reviewed there, 16 were rear-end crashes.

The report notes, however, that two existing roundabouts are seeing crashes from people speeding.

Of 19 crashes at Route 9 and Stonebreak Road, nine were single-vehicle collisions. Typically, the report said, that indicates drivers speeding through the roundabout.

Seven crashes at a roundabout at Route 67 and Luther Forest Boulevard all involved single vehicles.

The report also recommends travel signals be installed at two locations.

One would be on the Route 67 approach to Brookline Road with a westbound left-turn lane also placed on Route 67. At that intersection, rear-end crashes accounted for 14 of 22 collisions.

Speeding also appeared to be a problem at Route 67 and Luther Forest Boulevard, with all seven crashes involving single vehicles.

Another traffic signal was suggested at Route 9P and Plains Road, where 10 of the 18 crashes were single-vehicle ones during inclement weather.

At Route 9 and Malta Avenue, the report said there is a recurring problem with crashes, which led to a proposal to add turning lanes.

Review of the crash data at the Round Lake Road/Northway Exit 11 interchange showed one collision with a bicyclist crossing a roadway mid-block at the time of the crash. Eight other crashes included a mix of rear-end, overtaking, right-angle and left-turn collisions.

tobrien@timesunion.com • 518-454-5092 • @timobrientu