Albany

A yearlong study will examine whether there are ways to increase access to the Hudson River along Interstate 787.

CHA Consulting will be the lead firm to review the bustling highway, its access ramps and connecting roads to see what improvements could be made.

The $320,000 study is being funded by the federal government, state Department of Transportation and city of Albany. The Capital District Transportation Committee is overseeing the survey and will provide some support.

[Editor's note: Talk about this story in our Getting There blog. What are your ideas to improve riverfront access?]

The study will examine the short- and long-term costs associated with the highway and its access roads and ramps. It will identify short-term improvements that could be made to help take pedestrians and bicyclists to the river, increase economic development and revitalize the waterfront.

"We'll look at everything, all the alternatives and the advantages and disadvantages," said Michael Franchini, executive director of the CDTC, a regional transportation planning agency. "We'll look at 'Can we increase access with the current structure?' Some people talk about creating an urban boulevard for at least part of the road."

The federal government is providing $240,000, DOT is paying $60,000, and the city of Albany will give $20,000.

The CDTC also will provide $100,000 worth of staff time, allowing its mapping system to be used to determine what traffic impacts would be if various changes are made.

The review will look at 787 from Exit 2 to Exit 9, covering a stretch that runs through the cities of Albany and Watervliet, the village of Menands and the town of Colonie. Daily traffic on the road averages 77,000 at its busiest stretch — in Albany, where it leads to Empire State Plaza — and 23,000 on the least traveled portion of the highway, which is just past the South Mall Expressway.

"The intent of 787 when it was built was simply an interstate highway to move people from one place to another," said Carol Breen, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation. "Now is our chance to re-evaluate how we use the road and how we use the surrounding land. This allows us to have a public dialogue about how we want to use this travel corridor in the future and then we can develop short-term and long-term goals for obtaining those uses."

Any of the work to be done would have to be cost-effective, she added.

Ever since 787 was built in the 1960s, people have complained that it cut the city of Albany off from the Hudson riverfront. Franchini said that may be true, but any changes have to bear in mind that 787 is used to get workers into and out of the city of Albany.

"It's easy to say 'Let's put it down at grade level as a boulevard,' but what has to be kept in mind is the access it gives to the city," he said.

A railroad running through the median of 787 also gives the only northern rail entrance into the Port of Albany, he said.

CDTC is in the midst of finalizing the contract with CHP and the other firms that will work with them: Creighton Manning Engineering, MKSK and Fitzgerald and Halliday.

"We hope to start in a couple of weeks," Franchini said. "It'll take about a year."

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