If you went to the Great New York State Fair recently, you may have been frustrated with the parking and traffic situation. The artist's rendering above paints a rosier picture of the travel issues. And a little money might help.

The main parking area--the Orange Lot--is getting a $27 million facelift, according to New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who said:

For a century, the fairgrounds went virtually unchanged, and in just a few short years, New York has completely upgraded and transformed this historic attraction into a world class, multi-use operation. Transforming the Orange Lot is critical in our efforts to complete the Fair's modernization, and will provide much needed additional capacity as we continue to attract more and more visitors to the grounds and to Central New York as a whole.

This will be Phase One of the overhaul, scheduled for completion before the 2018 Fair opens. The main goal will be obvious--create more spaces. Currently, due to the lack of paving and lines, the Fair squanders up to 30% of potential parking spots in the Orange Lot.

According to the governor's website, the upgrades to the Fair's Orange Lot will include:

  • Paving the lot, increasing its capacity, and improving traffic flow;
  • New drainage features to prevent flooding;
  • A redesigned intersection from Exit 7 on 690 with a new traffic signal; and
  • Creation of a new exit from the west end of the Orange Lot to I-690 West.

When all is said and done, everyone may enjoy more options for parking, either at the revamped Orange Lot or through the Centro shuttle bus system currently being deployed.

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