Early Sunday morning we a few guest hurridly leaving the Bush a day early to get back home(NYC area) before the snow hit. They asked me which way would be the fastest/safest.

Got me thinking. It seems there are two major opinions on this. Some prefer the 95/91/89 tp Middlesex exit down 100B to Rt 100. Definately abit longer but people feel the fact they are on a divided highway all the way except the last 20 miles, it's faster. The folks on the other side of the highway prefer the Thruway/ Northway/ Rt 149/Whitehall/Rutland/up Rt 100 nea the Killington Access Rd.

Which way do you go? Do some of you risk Roxbury Gap in the winter? Lots of MRV employees drive over it everyday. Do you use another Rt other then the two I mentioned? Rt 4 to 22A over App Gap is somewhat popular, especially in the summer. This info might be helpful to some.

ski_resort_observer wrote:

Early Sunday morning we a few guest hurridly leaving the Bush a day early to get back home(NYC area) before the snow hit. They asked me which way would be the fastest/safest. Got me thinking. It seems there are two major opinions on this. Some prefer the 95/91/89 tp Middlesex exit down 100B to Rt 100. Definately abit longer but people feel the fact they are on a divided highway all the way except the last 20 miles, it's faster. The folks on the other side of the highway prefer the Thruway/ Northway/ Rt 149/Whitehall/Rutland/up Rt 100 nea the Killington Access Rd. Which way do you go? Do some of you risk Roxbury Gap in the winter? Lots of MRV employees drive over it everyday. Do you use another Rt other then the two I mentioned? Rt 4 to 22A over App Gap is somewhat popular, especially in the summer. This info might be helpful to some.

Bethel Mtn. Road to 107 to 89>91>15>95

Make it home from Granville in 4:30, though I have a bit of a heavy foot.

I drive back and forth from NJ. Ater driving both routes many times, I've become partial to NY Thruway north to 787 to NY 9 East to 279 East (Bennington bypass) to Vt. 7 North to Vt. 100 North is 15-20 mi shorter than NY Thruway/Northway/NY 149/NY/VT4/VT 100. The new Bennington bypass definitely cuts off 10 mins. The former also gets you east quicker, generally on the lee side of the weather (other than a nor'easter).

Fourwide wrote:

I drive back and forth from NJ. Ater driving both routes many times, I've become partial to NY Thruway north to 787 to NY 9 East to 279 East (Bennington bypass) to Vt. 7 North to Vt. 100 North is 15-20 mi shorter than NY Thruway/Northway/NY 149/NY/VT4/VT 100. The new Bennington bypass definitely cuts off 10 mins. The former also gets you east quicker, generally on the lee side of the weather (other than a nor'easter).

All my Albany area friends who come to the Bush love that new bypass. Personally, being an old diner freak, when ever I am heading to Bennington(my brother lives in Clifton Park, Albany suberb) I have to stop at the Blue Benn. If it's not mealtime I still stop for a piece of homemade pie.

Tin Woodsman wrote:

ski_resort_observer wrote: Early Sunday morning we a few guest hurridly leaving the Bush a day early to get back home(NYC area) before the snow hit. They asked me which way would be the fastest/safest. Got me thinking. It seems there are two major opinions on this. Some prefer the 95/91/89 tp Middlesex exit down 100B to Rt 100. Definately abit longer but people feel the fact they are on a divided highway all the way except the last 20 miles, it's faster. The folks on the other side of the highway prefer the Thruway/ Northway/ Rt 149/Whitehall/Rutland/up Rt 100 nea the Killington Access Rd. Which way do you go? Do some of you risk Roxbury Gap in the winter? Lots of MRV employees drive over it everyday. Do you use another Rt other then the two I mentioned? Rt 4 to 22A over App Gap is somewhat popular, especially in the summer. This info might be helpful to some. Bethel Mtn. Road to 107 to 89>91>15>95 Make it home from Granville in 4:30, though I have a bit of a heavy foot.

Tin,
Is Bethel Mountain Road a shortcut between 100 and 107? Last week I thought I saw a car turn off 107, and the same car came out way ahead of me back on 100 Northbound. If so, can you tell me where I pick it up? Thanks!

The road you're thinking about is is Blackmere Rd.

The other side is the sign that says 100 goes to the right, and is the stop sign on 100S. (There's only one before Rt 4.

)

Bethel Mtn Road goes from Rochester to Bethel. Rt 12.

Lostone wrote:

The road you're thinking about is is Blackmere Rd. The other side is the sign that says 100 goes to the right, and is the stop sign on 100S. (There's only one before Rt 4. ) Bethel Mtn Road goes from Rochester to Bethel. Rt 12.

Cape - Lostone has pegged the shortcut your talking about. To get to Bethel Mtn Rd when you get to the intersection just before Bethel Village and you turn left and go over the old steel bridge to continue on Rt 107, to get to Bethel Mtn Rd you continue straight and just when you go thru the main downtown area your going to take a left over a brand new bridge. It was a construction mess and hassle all summer and fall, basically instead of continuing on Rt 107 at the intersection your instead going on Rt 12, there is good rd signage. As you head north on Rt 12 for a few miles you take a left onto BMR.

IMHO, this a typical mountain gap rd, tho it's paved so maybe it isn't typical , so if your comfortable with that, it is another option. If it's a clear day at the top of the hill you get a cool view of kmart and Pico.

Personally I would never reccommend it but since Tin posted it I bet he has a good take on that aspect.

87 North to 149 to 4.....but get off exit 4 in VT (avoiding all Rutland madness) and go north on 30 (newly paved) then take 73 through Brandon, over Brandon gap to 100 and then North on 100 to the valley. Time wise.....me thinks way fast. But

Have found traffic and anything on 7 and 100 anywhere near Rutland to be a major time slowdown.

Tried to be scientific regarding these routes, coming from Syracuse area, but I pop out onto 87 well north of Albany past Ballston Spa. Others coming from NJ / NYC, well, I cannot comment. We had this thread on AZ some time ago.

"I've become partial to NY Thruway north to 787 to NY 9 East to 279 East (Bennington bypass) to Vt. 7 North to Vt. 100 North"

Meant to write NY 7 East, not NY 9 East. NY 7 becomes Vt 9, but you miss that with the 279 bypass. You then pick up Vt. 4 E. in Rutland, up to 100

Thanks! I will look it up on my VT Atlas, and check it out soon (if the weather and daylight permit).

option 1: via roxbury gap to 12a
option 1a - left on to 12a north right onto 12 south go a mile, left onto 64 to 89S (exit 5)
option 1b - right on to 12a south through Randolph onto 89S (exit 4)

option 2: 100S to Rochester, turn left at gas station (mobil?), go straight and proceed uphill, right onto Bethel Mtn/Camp Brook Rd
right onto 12S, veer left after athletic fields and right onto 107 (E/N)- continue straight/upward (do not make the right for 12S/107) to
89S (exit 3) Note Bethel Rd is paved.

continue 89S to 91S, stop for gas at exit 4 in Putney. Continue 91S until below Hartford, CT. Take Wilbur Cross Pkwy (aka Merrit Pkwy / 15),
believe this is exit 17 (might be 18 ). Continue on Merrit into NY - they should be able to figure from there but one can pick up 287E to
95S (about 2 miles), stay on Hutch and continue to Bronx and get 95S there, stay on Hutch to Cross Cty and take either 87S or 9A S.


do not take 91 S to 95S as the Bridgeport area is, generally speaking, a mess. If one is desperate to get on 95, take the Rt7S exit off the
Merrit in Norwalk.


option 3: 100S to 4W to 7S thru Bennington following signs for 9W (and NY 7) - you'll go uphill. Follow NY 7 into Hoosick and make left onto 22S. Turn right onto 203W in Austerlitz following to Taconic Pkwy S (if you miss this just keep going and take 23 W in Hillsdale) The Taconic will lead to the Sprain Pkwy, 287 and 87.

CapeSkiGuy wrote:

Option 1.1a? As you head north on 12A, turn right after the railroad viaduct onto Lovers Lane. This road brings you out to the Mobil station at the foot of Route 64, and cuts a mile or two off the trip.

Yup, a shortcut that everyones uses when taking that route. On neg is that in the spring it sometimes becomes .5 mile of mud season hell. BTW, It's not the first right after the viaduct, I think it's the 3rd(?).

I almost always take Bethel Mountain Road when I have to go down that way (I often have to stop in Middlebury on the way to Boston). The road is paved and is in good condition. If you don't like mountain roads, especially with snow on them, don't do it.
The only time I won't take Bethel Mtn is if the weather is iffy - snowing or freezing raining. Then I take 100 to Blackmer Blvd to 107.

nelsapbm wrote:

I almost always take Bethel Mountain Road when I have to go down that way (I often have to stop in Middlebury on the way to Boston). The road is paved and is in good condition. If you don't like mountain roads, especially with snow on them, don't do it. The only time I won't take Bethel Mtn is if the weather is iffy - snowing or freezing raining. Then I take 100 to Blackmer Blvd to 107.

I used to take BMR all the time until a few years ago got caught in freezing rain and slid about a mile on the incline. Thank goodness I had anti-lock brakes. And a subaru with good tires.
I'll take it now if it's dry.