Transportation

Albany has long been at the forefront of transportation technology from the days of turnpikes and plank roads to the Erie Canal, from the first passenger railroad in the state to the oldest municipal airport in the nation. Today, Interstates, Amtrak, and the Albany International Airport continue to make the Capital District a major crossroads of the Northeastern United States.

The Capital District Transportation Committee (CDTC) is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Every metropolitan area in the United States with a population of over 50,000 must have a MPO in order to get any federal transportation funding. The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) uses an MPO to make decisions on what projects are most important to a metro area for immediate versus long term funding. The USDOT will not approve federal funds for transportation projects unless they are on an MPO's list. The Adirondack/Glens Falls Transportation Council (A/GFTC) is the MPO for the Glens Falls MSA (and the town of Moreau, in Saratoga County).

Interstate and other major highways The Thaddeus Kosciusko Bridge carries Interstate 87 between Saratoga and Albany counties

The Capital District is situated at a major crossroads of the Northeastern United States, and was so even before Interstates and the US highway system. Many of the US and state routes were originally plank roads or turnpikes connecting the region. It is here that east-west Interstate 90 (I-90) and north-south Interstate 87 (I-87) meet at Exit 24 of the Thomas E. Dewey New York State Thruway. Exit 24 is the busiest exit on the Thruway. I-87 parallels the much older US Route 9W south of Albany and US Route 9 north and I-90 parallels New York State Route 5 west from Albany; all three highways are still important for local and regional traffic despite the proximity of the Interstates. The Thomas E. Dewey New York State Thruway is a toll-road which carries I-90 west from Exit 24 at Albany and I-87 south. North of Albany I-87 is a non-toll highway called the Adirondack Northway. East of Albany I-90 is toll-free until meeting up with the Berkshire Spur of the Thruway in Columbia County, at which point it joins the Spur and is a toll road to the Massachusetts border. Both I-90 and I-87 have three-digit Interstate spurs, Interstate 787 (I-787) and Interstate 890 (I-890). I-787 connects with the Thruway/I-87 at Exit 23 and travels north connecting Albany with Watervliet, Cohoes, and Troy. I-787 parallels New York State Route 32 (Route 32), which remains an important road through those cities and beyond to and through Saratoga County. I-890 connects downtown Schenectady and the General Electric plant with I-90 at both ends east and west. Interstate 88 starts at the Thruway (I-90) in Schenectady County and travels through Schoharie County to the Southern Tier of New York and the city of Binghamton, I-88 was originally planned to extend through the Capital District and exit the area into Vermont and end in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I-88 parallels New York State Route 7 (Route 7) also another major highway in the Capital District, I-88's extension that was never built was to continue to parallel (and in many places replace) Route 7. One place in the Capital District in which I-88's route has been built but remained as part of a restructured Route 7 is the limited access highway section between the Northway and Troy, it was once called "Alternate 7". Route 7 continues through Troy and is an important route to Vermont. Albany has several short arterials that help connect it to the suburban and rural fringes, such as New York State Route 85 which begins as a limited access highway from I-90 in Albany, but then changes to a two lane highway south of the city limits, and the South Mall Arterial which connects Albany to Rensselaer and carries US Route 20 and US Route 9. US Route 4 is an important route in the Capital District and starts in East Greenbush, Rensselaer County and though it is labelled as east-west in the other states in which it runs, it is labelled as north-south in New York.

Mass transit CDTA Gillig hybrid bus, in Schenectady, with iRide branding

The four core counties of the Capital District are served by buses of the Capital District Transportation Authority, which has transit hubs in the three principal cities of Albany, Schenectady, and Troy. There is also express bus service between Saratoga Springs and Albany. The CDTA serves a large part of Albany, Rensselaer, and Schenectady counties, and has recently started expanding its service in Saratoga County, but currently does not serve north of Saratoga Springs. The Greater Glens Falls Transit serves the city of Glens Falls, and its suburbs in Warren, Washington, and Saratoga counties. The Gloversville Transit System covers the twin cities of Gloversville and Johnstown along with their suburbs in Fulton County, along with one longer distance route to and through Amsterdam in Montgomery County and back. The Schoharie County Public Transit services a large swath of that county. The city of Mechanicville, Saratoga County runs a public transit service on four routes which cover the city and the surrounding suburbs in the towns of Stillwater and Halfmoon in Saratoga County and the hamlet of Hemstreet Park in the town of Schaghticoke, Rensselaer County.

Cities with intercity bus service to outside of region Albany- Greyhound Lines, Trailways, and Peter Pan/Bonanza buses all serve a downtown terminal. There is also a Chinatown bus service that leaves from Central Avenue and goes to Chinatown in Manhattan. Schenectady- Greyhound and Trailways serve a downtown terminal on State Street. Glens Falls- Greyhound and Trailways serve a downtown terminal. Saratoga Springs- Greyhound Rensselaer- Megabus operates regular service from the Albany-Rensselaer Train Station to New York City and Ridgewood, New Jersey Airports Albany International Airport main entrance

Nine of the 11 counties in the Capital District make up the Upper Hudson Region as defined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In 1978 the FAA assigned the Capital District Regional Planning Commission to be responsible for this region's aviation system planning and to provide technical assistance. The Upper Hudson Region has 26 airports open to public use, with 13 designated as system airports. Those 13 airports are:

Albany International Airport in Colonie, Albany County, the only commercial service airport; Schenectady County Airport in Glenville, Schenectady County; Saratoga County Airport in Milton, Saratoga County; Columbia County Airport in Columbia County; Fulton County Airport in Johnstown, Fulton County; Freehold Airport in Greenville, Greene County; South Albany Airport in Bethlehem, Albany County; Rensselaer County Airpark in Poestenkill, Rensselaer County; Duanesburg Airport in Duanesburg, Schenectady County; Burello-Mechanicville Airport in Schaghticoke, Rensselaer County; Plateau Sky Ranch in Edinburg, Saratoga County; Sharon Airport in Sharon, Schoharie County; Maben Airport in Prattsville, Greene County. Rail

Amtrak has several routes servicing the stations of the Capital District. The Adirondack (north to Montreal, Quebec and south to the city of New York), Empire Service (west to Buffalo and Niagara Falls, south to New York), Ethan Allen Express (northeast to Rutland, Vermont and south to New York), Maple Leaf (west to Toronto and south to New York), and the Lake Shore Limited (at Albany-Rensselaer separate routes from Boston and New York merge to one train west to Chicago, on way east one train splits to two, one east to Boston another south to New York). Amtrak stations in the region are:

Albany-Rensselaer Rail Station Fort Edward-Glens Falls Rail Station Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak Station in Rensselaer County Schenectady Amtrak Station in Schenectady County Saratoga Springs Amtrak Station in Saratoga County Fort Edward-Glens Falls Amtrak Station in Washington County Hudson Amtrak Station in Columbia County Amsterdam Amtrak Station in Montgomery County Whitehall Amtrak Station in Washington County