Is highway 86 in Western NY, OK for 5er?

Thanks for the heads up. I think we will probably use the I86 route and just take it easy in that section. We will be going thru there in the middle of next month. This weekend is Southern Illinois...

Again, Thank You all for the info.

Just traveled a good section of I-86, last week.

Most of it is in very good condition. Currently, that piece from Steamburg to Salamanca, in both directions, is down to 1-lane. They are peeling up the old asphalt. The lane(s) that are available, are a little bumpy. I towed a 21' bass boat and will be heading back through, next week, towing our 5'r.

You should be fine.

I86 has been almost totally finished. Even the stretch through Elmira is now done. It is 4 lane limited access the entire length. I have not been through the reservation stretch in a while so I cannot say how smooth it is. The last time I went through there were several inches of snow. This is one of the reasons we are moving out of NY and heading south this winter, snow and taxes!

The 30-40 miles through the Seneca nation are garbage. Potholes and crappy patches everywhere. The rest from PA to Binghamton is good. After Binghamton idk. Just have to go slow and take your time and should be fine.

Seneca nation starts a little before Salamanca and stops little before Olean.

We did that route 4 years ago, but from east to west. The road surface varied, but it was generally good. I do recall a couple of sections were smoother than others.

Wife and I used it last summer to go from Erie to Corning, and other than one stretch through the Native reserve it was fairly good.

New York is in the process of converting NYS Route 17, the southern tier expressway, into I-86. It has always been a 4 lane divided highway, but had many intersections and a few traffic lights, so construction has been ongoing to change it into a limited access highway and bring it up to interstate standards. The section West of Binghamton needed the most work and was pretty beat up to start with...I haven't been up there for a few years but there was quite a bit of construction by the town of Bath.

Here's a link to the NYS DOT webpage about the project, it looks like most or all of the work on the western end (where you will be) is done or nearly done. If that's the case, you'll be fine, the scenery up there is beautiful.

Have you checked the NY DOT; DOTs are the best place for construction info.

Thanks, Paulj from Seattle. All Interstate highways. I-90, I-86, I-390.

They might have to have met the standards when built but Northeast winters are hard on the highways. Looking for latest conditions as far as pavement conditions (potholes or patches or rough pavement) and if under construction. Don't want to sit in hours of congested road for construction.

86? I86, US86, NY 86, county 86? The full id gives a clue as to the road's suitability. Interstates all have to meet the same standards as to grade, curves, lane width, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_86_(east)