UTICA — A local lawmaker is trying to drive home a point with the New York State Thruway Authority, urging it to study a mileage-based numbering system for the 570-mile Thruway and other major state roads.

State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-53, Rome, in letters to both the Thruway Authority and the state Department of Transportation, urged officials to examine the further implementation of the mileage-based exit numbering system. Currently, the Thruway and other major state roads use a numbering system based on the number of exits, not its mile location on the roadway. 

New York is one of a handful of states that does not entirely use a mileage-based exit numbering system, which denotes an exit by its milepost marker instead of sequentially, Griffo said. Regionally, Massachusetts recently converted all of its exit numbers of freeways to the milepost-based system, while Connecticut is currently undergoing a large-scale project to renumber its highway exits, the Rome Republican added.

In letters to the Thruway Authority and DOT, Griffo, wrote that changing from the existing sequentially ordered exit system to the mileage-based one would have several benefits, including easier navigation for drivers and a more timely and accurate emergency response from first responders. 

The Thruway Authority responded to Sen. Griffo’s letter by indicating that there would be several challenges with moving forward with a mileage-based system. This includes technical issues such as addressing the overlap of interstate routes; how to treat the Thruway areas consisting of two distinct interstates (I-90 and I-87, for instance); and how to address exit numbering in urban areas where spacing may be less than a mile apart. 

“Mileage-based exit systems are popular in other states, including several states neighboring New York,” said Griffo, a member of the Senate’s Transportation Committee. “While I recognize that motorists will have to adapt to the changes in the short term and that there will be a transition period, I believe that applying this new exit system will prove beneficial in the long term and will make New York’s major thoroughfares easier to navigate, safer and more compliant with federal standards. Yes, there will be challenges and technical issues that must be resolved. However, this is a concept that has merit, and I believe that the Thruway Authority should consider the further implementation of a mileage-based exit system in New York.”