Posts Tagged ‘Route 73’

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Three-Day Closure of Portion of Route 73 in Keene this week

Updated 8/6: The work has been postponed to next week (Aug 11-13)

The New York State Department of Transportation is advising motorists that a half-mile segment of Route 73 in the town of Keene, Essex County, between Route 9N and the southern end of Hulls Falls Road (County Route 13A) will be closed between Tuesday and Thursday as part of a project to replace a culvert underneath the road.

During the three-day closure, motorists heading northbound wishing to reach Keene will be detoured to Route 9 north to Elizabethtown. Motorists should then take Route 9N to reach Route 73 in Keene. Motorists coming southbound from Keene will be detoured on Route 9N toward Elizabethtown and then to Route 9 south to reach Route 73.
Preliminary work is scheduled to begin Monday, Aug. 3, and the entire project is expected to be completed by Aug. 14. Apart from the three-day full closure, motorists should watch for periodic lane and shoulder closures with flaggers on this stretch of Route 73.
For up-to-date travel information, call 511, visit www.511NY.org or download the free 511NY mobile app.
Image courtesy of Google Maps

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Viewpoint: State Facilitating Unlimited Access to High Peaks

It seems pretty clear at this point that the state agencies that manage the High Peaks Wilderness Area, and adjacent Wilderness areas, are not interested in limiting public use.

The state is investing in new parking areas, new hiking trails, and a new hiker transportation system that are all designed to facilitate ever-higher levels of public use in the High Peaks, not limit it.

Consider the change underway at Cascade Mountain.

» Continue Reading.


Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Pete Nelson: We Need Visitor Management, Not Permits

Another peak hiking season has come and gone and with it another year of concern about overuse in the High Peaks. A variety of steps have been taken by the State, Essex County, The Town of Keene, environmental groups and volunteers to deal with this use, with varying degrees of effectiveness. Now it seems that the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is poised to try out a permit system in an attempt to address overuse by selectively limiting access. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, October 3, 2019

ADK’s High Peaks Volunteer Program

High Peaks Information Center volunteer host provided by Adirondack Mountain ClubAdirondack Mountain Club (ADK) has partnered with Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company, to fund the High Peaks Information Center (HPIC) volunteer host program.

Located at one of the most popular trailheads in the Adirondack High Peaks, the HPIC is a major thoroughfare for hikers to get on the trail and begin their trek.  In 2017, from the beginning of July through the end of August, there were 27, 251 registered hikers at the Heart Lake Property trailheads located at the HPIC and Adirondack Loj. ADK reports that each year around 35% of these visitors are new to the area. » Continue Reading.


Monday, August 12, 2019

Route 73 Top Priorities: Planning, Money, Permits

In recent years, public lands throughout the Adirondack Park and across the country are seeing dramatic increases in the number of people coming to recreate.

Increasing numbers of people has led to an increase in human impacts to our public lands, including damage to trails related to increased use during sensitive times such as mud season, more trash on trails, including human waste and toilet paper, damage to sensitive mountain plants, animals such as bears becoming habituated to human food, and a loss of a wilderness experience. » Continue Reading.


Sunday, July 14, 2019

It’s Time to Build and Staff a High Peaks Information Center

I recently visited the rest areas on Northway that have been hyped as information hubs for the Adirondack Park as a tourism destination and as locations that will guide the public about hiking in the Forest Preserve, especially the High Peaks.  These facilities are newly built and function adequately as typical rest areas with bathrooms, vending machines, and places to stretch your legs.

Unfortunately, there is scant information about hiking in the High Peaks or the Forest Preserve. As they stand now, these centers, especially the Northway northbound “High Peaks Center” between exits 29 and 30, and the major new tourism information center on the Northway northbound lane between exits 17 and 18, are major missed opportunities. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, June 20, 2019

EV Chargers Now in Keene; Plans Floated for Marcy Field, Route 73

elelctric car

Two Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations have been installed on the Route 73 corridor: one in the hamlet of Keene, the other in Keene Valley.

Both are easy to use and have industry standard Level 2 chargers that support virtually any EV on the road today – users need only to plug in. There is a donation box at each charger to cover electricity costs. The requested donation is about the equivalent of $1.00 per gallon of gasoline. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, October 4, 2018

Cascade Trailhead Closed; Shuttle Information

Cascade Parking closures mapImportant shuttle information for access to Cascade Mountain for Columbus Day Weekend

» Continue Reading.


Monday, September 17, 2018

Parking Along Rte 73 Near Roaring Brook Falls Prohibited

Parking Along Rte 73 Near Roaring Brook FallsThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that the State is prohibiting parking on the shoulders of both lanes of State Route 73 near the Roaring Brook Falls Trailhead starting Friday, Sept. 21. According to an announcement by DEC: “The parking prohibition supports DEC’s multi-year, comprehensive effort to promote sustainable tourism and address public safety in the Adirondacks.”

Parking will be prohibited on the shoulder of the northbound lane from the entrance to the Roaring Brook Trailhead Parking area north to the bridge over Putnam Brook. Parking will be prohibited on the shoulder of the southbound lane between the guiderails south of Putnam Brook Bridge. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Comment Period Begins On High Peaks Management

High Peaks Wilderness Map May 2018The High Peaks Wilderness Complex and the Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest Draft Unit Management Plan Amendments have been released and public input is sought by June 27th.

Two public meetings will be held; on May 23, 2018, at 10 am at DEC Headquarters, 625 Broadway, in Albany; and the same day at 6 pm at Newcomb Central School, 5535 State Route 28N, in Newcomb.

The meetings will provide the public with an opportunity to learn more about the proposed management actions and comment on the proposals. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, November 9, 2017

Route 73 Parking Changes, Fixed Anchor Ban at Pitchoff; Public Comments Sought

Pitchoff Mountain Route 73 Proposed Reroute MapThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is seeking public comments on proposed changes to the  Management Plan (UMP) for the Sentinel Range Wilderness. Among the recreation management decisions that would affect the Wilderness Area, are proposals to reroute portions of Pitchoff Mountain Trail, relocate the western Pitchoff Trailhead, and develop a new section of trail to address parking concerns along State Route 73.  The draft UMP also proposes a moratorium on the placement of fixed anchors used by climbers, similar to the other Adirondack Wilderness Areas.

A public meeting will be held at 6 pm on December 7, at DEC Region 5 Headquarters, 1115 State Route 86, Ray Brook. The meeting will provide the public an opportunity to learn more on the proposed management actions in the draft UMP and to comment on the proposals.  » Continue Reading.


Monday, January 9, 2017

Some History of the Famous Red Barn in Keene

In late December, the rustic red barn that stood at the intersection of Routes 73 and 9N in Keene was taken down by the Department of Environmental Conservation after it became hazardous.

Although not an officially-recognized historic landmark, many who have traveled through Keene saw the barn, with its majestic High Peaks in the background, as a quaint countryside icon.

Since it came down, folks have waxed nostalgic while mourning the abrupt loss of this unassuming structure. I decided to dig into the barn’s history and see if there was more to it than met the eye. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, December 22, 2016

Beloved, Photogenic Keene Barn Comes Down

For amateur photographer Nick Palmieri, the structure known as the “Keene barn” was always a welcome sight as he arrived in the High Peaks region.

“I’ve always called it the gateway to the High Peaks,” said Palmieri, who lives in New Jersey and runs the Save the Keene New York Barn Facebook page. “From an artists’ point of view that barn just sits in the perfect spot, just to make the scene perfectly beautiful.” » Continue Reading.


Thursday, June 9, 2016

Work Begins On Keene Scenic Viewing Area

area of future viewing platform at the corner of 9N and 73 Kim Rielly photoThe New York State Department of Transportation has begun work this week on a project to create a parking and scenic viewing area at the intersection of Routes 73 and 9N in Keene, Essex County.

The estimated $40,000 project at the southwest corner of the intersection will create an area to parallel park eight cars, along with an approximately 35-foot long gravel walking path leading to an approximate 20-foot diameter viewing area. Boulders will be placed at the rear of the parking area to help define the space. » Continue Reading.


Monday, December 1, 2014

Cutting Road Salt On Adirondack Roads

Plow-600x382Standing next to a small, unnamed stream near where it empties into Mountain Pond on a cool September day, scientist Dan Kelting reads a sensor he just dipped in the water to measure electrical conductivity, which is used to gauge road-salt concentrations.

Pure water is a poor conductor of electricity, but road salt, or sodium chloride, increases conductivity. Based on the conductivity reading (285 microsiemens per centimeter), Kelting calculates that the water contains 80 milligrams of chloride per liter. This means the stream contains roughly 160 times more chloride than a similar size stream a few miles away.

Why the difference? The stream near Mountain Pond, north of Paul Smith’s College, is downstream from Route 30, a state highway that is heavily salted in the winter. The other stream, which Kelting refers to as Smitty Brook, runs through the Forest Preserve and is upstream of roads. » Continue Reading.



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