This list is intended to provide a consolidated reference to a series of posts, messages, and other observations as to repeated dropped calls and service problems in/on areas/roads which should have good coverage, using Nextel's iDEN phone service in the US.
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General:
Ordering Note: Lists proceed from north to south. As coverage while driving is based on roads which often cross state boundaries, we needed to choose some order of presentation, and we opted for north to south, and then east to west. Thus, similar to the Federal Highway numbering system (e.g., "US-1, US-2, US-99, US-101, etc.), and thus states in the Northeast start the list, and states in the West/Southwest are located towards the end. Please feel free to submit your drop experiences with Nextel which meet the above guidelines so that we can provide a more comprehensive list.
- Drop occurs at least 3 times traveling in the same direction (I.E., Eastbound on a given road)
- Drops occur over a period of more than a month, E.G., if a drop is noticed on 05/01/2002 it still needs to drop on 06/01/2002 for it to be posted.
- Drops are moving drops, I.E., these aren't "we can't get coverage when we sit in a given corner of our living room" situations, but areas where there is otherwise good coverage and the phone just for no apparent reason drops. (This isn't just for motorists; we've also had problems on Amtrak and commuter rail services where the Nextels keep dropping all the time but other passengers on the train have uninterrupted service.)
- Drops are in areas of otherwise good coverage, e.g., the drops listed are not in the numerous areas where Nextel has no coverage. Thus, there are no posts saying "My Nextel dropped on I-91 crossing the MA/VT line" since Nextel doesn't cover there yet.
- Drops are in areas where other carriers like Verizon, AT&TWS/Cingular, Sprint/CDMA, or the local A/B carrier and/or RSA DON'T drop on the SAME stretch of road. Thus, a post will be listed only if on the same road in the same place you can use another carrier other than Nextel and not get dropped. In other words, these posts reflect the apparent fact that the area can be covered (since other carriers seem to do it), it's just that Nextel is for whatever reason unable to provide the same level of service.
DelawareFairfield County, Danbury: Calls drop while driving on I-84 WB at the CT/NY line, and there are some large dead spots just north of the Danbury Fair Mall. Last observed on 01/01/2007. Fairfield County, Danbury: Drops occur while driving on I-84 east or west. Calls attenuate within half a mile of the JCT of the southern component of US-7 and will drop completely within half a mile of passing it. Last occurred: 02/21/2008 Fairfield County, Fairfield: Calls drop while driving either north or south on I-95 between Exit 20 and Exit 21. Most recent instance occurred on 01/19/2009. Fairfield County, Greenwich/North Greenwich: Calls drop while traveling on the Merritt Parkway (CT-15) at Exit 31, which is the exit for North St. Also, the No Service (red LED on older phones) Indicator comes on while heading NB from North St. exit for 2 to 3 miles. No coverage at all on most trips, sometimes a signal comes in but then drops to red or a call is too inaudible to be worthwhile. Last tested (and failed!) was 04/06/2009. Fairfield County, Greenwich: Merritt Parkway: at Mile Marker 1 and 2, the "No Service" indicator comes on and then the calls will drop generally at the old toll plaza area (road gets noticeably wider). There is no coverage for about a mile until Mile Marker 3, but the coverage isn't good there either. Most recent instance occurred 05/04/2005 and was reported to Nextel on 05/05/2005. Fairfield County, Greenwich: Rest Area on the Merritt Parkway; calls will start to degrade at the Greenwich rest stop while crossing the state line from the Hutchinson River Parkway in NY. Calls will generally drop at some point if the phone remains in the vicinity of the rest area, ie, stop to get gas or to go into the service station. Most recent instance occurred on 02/01/2005. Conversely, while traveling southbound calls begin to attenuate at the state line and will drop completely by Mile Marker 19 on the Hutchinson River Parkway. Last observed on 09/08/2009. Fairfield County, New Canaan: A dead zone exists at 295 New Canaan Rd/CT-106 near the Fields Meeting House, which causes calls to drop. This is where where New Canaan Rd becomes Trails End Dr. No coverage exists in that area whatsoever. Fairfield County, New Canaan: Drops occur while driving on the Merritt Parkway at Marvin Ridge Rd between the rest area and CT-123 at the underpass. Most recent instance occurred on 10/26/2009. Fairfield County, Newtown/Danbury: Both sides mute out at the JCT of I-84 and US-7/Super-7 North. Most recent instance occurred on 12/29/2008. Fairfield County, Newtown/Danbury: Call will mute out and subsequently drop where US-7 breaks off from I-84 heads and then heads south. Most recent instance occurred on 12/29/2008. Fairfield County, Newtown/Danbury: Calls drop on I-84 approximately two miles east of the northern component of US-7 north (which heads toward New Milford) while traveling on an incline in the general direction of Newtown. Last occurred: 07/03/2007. Fairfield County, Norwalk: Drops occur while driving on Grumman Rd. as the Merritt Parkway passes under it. Most recent instance occurred on 10/26/2009. Fairfield County, Stamford: Drops occur on the Merritt Parkway approximately one mile north of Exit 15 and the red LED/No Service indicator comes on. Most recent instance occurred on 10/04/2009. Fairfield County, Stamford: Calls drops for absolutely no reason on the Merritt Parkway at Exit 29 northbound. There is good coverage there so the drop seems somewhat inexplicable. Most recent instance occurred on 03/20/2006. Fairfield County, Trumbull: Calls drop just south of Exit 51 on the Merritt Parkway (CT-15). Most recent instance occurred 05/04/2005 and was reported to Nextel on 06/06/2008. Fairfield County, Trumbull: Coverage attenuates and calls occasionally drop on the Merritt Parkway between Exit 50 and Exit 51, which is the JCT of the Merritt Parkway and CT-108, just west of the JCT with CT-8. The signal can be heard to attenuate and it is hard to hear the other party. Coverage improves when moving away from the area but it is very poor in that specific area. Most recent instance occurred on 02/22/2009. Fairfield County, Trumbull: The phone's LED is red ("No Service") most of the time on the Merritt Parkway (CT-15) between Exit 48 and the junction with CT-8. Most recent instance occurred on 01/06/2005. Fairfield County, Westport/Fairfield: Drops occur while traveling on I-95 in the general area between Mile Markers 21.6 and 24, approximately three miles north of the Sherwood Isle State Park exit/Exit 18. Most recent instance occurred on 09/14/2007. Hartford County, East Hartford to Manchester: I-384 EB/WB -- many drops from apex of I-384 near where it currently ends and becomes US-6 (the freeway to Providence hasn't been built for 45 years! :( ) all the way to JCT I-84 in Manchester, 09/16/2002. Hartford County, East Hartford: While traveling on I-84 EB and WB, calls drop routinely at the hill where the transition to I-291/I-384 occurs, just west of Manchester. All other carriers don't manifest this problem. Last occurred: 11/10/2006. Hartford County, Hartford: Drops occur while traveling east on I-84 in the vicinity of the I-84 and I-91 JCT. Calls begin to degrade at the Capitol exit and completely drop at the covered roadway. Last observed on 03/09/2007. Hartford County, Southington: I-84; calls distort and then drop from the hill just west and before the CT-10/Queen St. exit in Southington. Calls will continue to degrade and will eventually drop approximately one mile west of the exit while traveling east along I-84. A similar pattern is exhibited while traveling west, with the drop occurring a bit east of the I-84/CT-72 JCT near New Britain. Last occurred: 12/20/2006. Hartford County, West Hartford: I-84 EB and WB, calls distort and then drop between the CT-72 JCT/interchange and the US-6 and/or CT-4/Farmington Ave. exits. 08/20/2002. Hartford County, Wethersfield/Rocky Hill: Drops occur at the JCT of I-91 and CT-99 (which is the Silas Deane Hwy). Most recent instance occurred on 07/18/2008. As of 03/14/2009, this drop did not seem to occur. Further testing is required. If calls consistently do not drop in this area, this drop will be subsequently moved to the Corrected Issues section. Hartford County, Windsor: Drops occur on I-91 at the Bradley Airport connector (which is CT-20) at Mile Marker 48.2. Most recent instance occurred on 05/13/2007. Litchfield County, Litchfield: Drops occur on CT-341 approximately three or four miles west of US-202. Coverage does not resume until the JCT of CT-341 and CT-45. Most recent instance occurred on 10/15/2009. Litchfield County, New Milford: No coverage exists when starting from the NY line for about three miles heading east on CT-55 until the vicinity of the JCT with US-7. Coverage resumes at US-7, coverage resumes. Most recent instance occurred on 01/27/2010. Middlesex County, Cromwell: Calls drop while driving both north and south on I-91 at Exit 24. Most recent instance occurred on 06/17/2007. Middlesex County, Cromwell: Drops occur while driving south on CT-9 after exiting I-91 prior to the JCT with West St./CT-372. Most recent instance occurred on 11/11/2007. As of 03/14/2009, this drop did not seem to occur. Further testing is required. If calls consistently do not drop in this area, this drop will be subsequently moved to the Corrected Issues section. Middlesex County, Deep River: CT-9, near exit 3, calls degrade SB past exit 3 towards exit 2 and the I-95/CT-9 split. NB calls are OK till 1/2 mile before exit 3, and then start to degrade and generally drop (daytime) or slowly recover (nighttime) heading north. Last occurred: 02/17/2007. Middlesex County, Edison: Drops occur at the transition between I-287 and NJ-440, approximately half a mile west of the JCT of I-287 and the Garden State Parkway. Most recent instance occurred on 02/21/2010. Middlesex County, Middletown: CT-9, just north of Exit 10/Airport Rd/JCT CT-154 south of Middletown. While traveling south of Middletown on CT-9, after 65MPH zone starts up again, the road inclines up a hill. Nextel drops at the apex of the hill heading back down, all other carriers perform well there (this used to be a problem for other carriers, but only Nextel has not remedied it as of yet). Last occurred: 02/17/2007. As of 03/14/2009, this drop did not seem to occur. Further testing is required. If calls consistently do not drop in this area, this drop will be subsequently moved to the Corrected Issues section. Middlesex County, Middletown: When traveling south on CT-17, the area near CT-66 to CT-151 to CT-149 to CT-82 has such poor coverage that calls can not be maintained for any reasonable period of time (generally 30 seconds or less), while no drop occurs on any other carriers. Most recent instance occurred on 03/20/2006. As of 03/14/2009, this drop did not seem to occur. Further testing is required. If calls consistently do not drop in this area, this drop will be subsequently moved to the Corrected Issues section. New Haven County, Cheshire/Wolcott: I-84 EB and WB, just west of JCT I-691. While traveling either up or down the large hill with the truck climbing lanes, calls get distorted and then drop. ATT/Cingular (GSM and TDMA) also drops, all the others are fine. Nextel was notified of this on 3/10/2002 and said there was nothing they could do until they added towers, although signal strength in the area is generally good. Last occurred: 06/12/2005 New Haven County, Cheshire: Calls drop on CT-82 at Exit 7. Most recent instance occurred on 03/15/2009. New Haven County, Cheshire: Calls drop while driving on CT-9, about a mile north to a mile south of JCT CT-81, which is exit 9 / Mile Marker 15. Most recent instance occurred on 10/20/2006. New Haven County, Cheshire: CT-9 north of Exit 8/Fox Hollow Rd., traveling south on CT-9, calls drop while going up a hill just north of exit 8. 08/22/2002. New Haven County, Cheshire: Drops occur while traveling on CT-9 at Exit 3. Coverage in the area is very poor and calls frequently deteriorate and drop. Most recent instance occurred on 03/15/2009. New Haven County, Hamden: Merritt Parkway/CT-15 at Exit 60, NB starts getting bad through tunnel, gets better while approaching exit 60, and then 1/4 of a mile south of exit 60 degrades and suddenly drops. SB it starts getting bad at exit 60, and drops upon entering the tunnel. No other carrier with the possible exception of T-Mobile has this problem. Last observed on 03/08/2007. New Haven County, Hamden: Merritt Parkway/CT-15, at Exit 62/Whitney Ave., Northbound and Southbound, calls suddenly drop (there is no attenuation or distortion as there is on other Nextel drops; calls very suddenly drop without any warning). Last observed: 03/14/2007. New Haven County, Madison: There is no coverage on US-1 at the JCT of Green Acres Rd for about a mile in each direction. Most recent instance occurred on 03/15/2009. New Haven County, Meriden: Drops occur while driving both northbound and southbound on the Berlin Turnpike within approximately half a mile of North Colony Rd. Drops occur there and the red LED/No Service indicator comes on. Most recent instance occurred on 07/02/2007. New Haven County, Meriden: Drops occur while driving on the Merritt Parkway/CT-15/Berlin Turnpike at the JCT with CT-150. Calls quickly drop and the red LED indicator comes on (indicating there is no service). This continues for about a mile and a half going both north and southbound. Most recent 03/26/2007. New Haven County, Milford: Calls drop on I-95 at Exit 34. Most recent instance occurred on 12/13/2004. New Haven County, New Haven: I-95 in the New Haven and West Haven areas exhibit very poor coverage and also drop about 60% of the time at Mile Marker 37. The coverage between Mile Marker 39 and Mile Marker 33 is very poor. Most recent instance occurred on 05/13/2005. New Haven County, North Haven: Calls drop on the Merritt Parkway (CT-15) close to Exit 39 (which is for RT-67 and RT-69) near Mile Marker 47. While driving through the tunnel between North Haven and Hamden, Nextel calls drop whereas Verizon and Cingular do not. Most recent instance occurred on 01/31/2007. New Haven County, North Madison: Calls drop at the rotary which forms the JCT between CT-79 and CT-80. Most recent instance occurred on 05/09/2008. New Haven County, North Madison: Drops occur while driving on CT-79 at the JCT of CT-148. Most recent instance occurred on 05/09/2008. New Haven County, North Madison: Drops occur while driving on CT-79 approximately two miles north of the JCT with I-95. Most recent instance occurred on 05/09/2008. New Haven County, Orange: Calls drop on the Merritt Parkway between Mile Markers 47 and 45, which is approximately 1.5 - 2 miles north of the JCT with CT-34. Most recent instance occurred on 10/01/2007. New Haven County, Waterbury: I-84, EB and WB, just west of CT-8 JCT of CT-63 at Mile Marker 30 and Exit 17. Calls drop quite suddenly, but otherwise there is good coverage in the area. As usual, it seems it is just some sort of handoff problem near the city line marker. Last occurred: 07/03/2007. New Haven County, Woodbridge: In the general area of the JCT of CT-63 and CT-67, drops occur slightly south of the Merritt Parkway. The No Service (red LED on older phones) Indicator comes on. Most recent instance occurred on 11/11/2007. Tolland County, Tolland: Calls drop when travelling in either direction on I-84 at Mile Marker 80, approximately 1.5 miles west of Exit 68. Most recent instance occurred on 11/30/2009.
FloridaDelaware Memorial Bridge/I-295 NB - calls originated NB at JCT I-95/I-295/DE-141 will drop at the apex of the bridge or shortly after heading down to the Jersey side. Last occurred on: 03/19/2005 New Castle County, Wilmington: While traveling south on the Concord Pike/US-202 at the JCT of DE-141 and DE-261 (which is right at Augustine Cut-Off) calls begin to deteriorate. While driving further south, the red LED indicator comes on while transitioning on to northbound I-95 at which time calls drop completely. Most recent instance occurred on 05/06/2007.
New JerseyBroward County, Andytown: Calls drop on I-75 while traveling either east or west (does not matter which direction, calls will drop either eastbound or westbound between Ft. Lauderdale to Naples) after passing the eastern toll plaza (which is about 4-5 miles west of the JCT with US-27). Additionally, calls placed at the eastern most toll plaza in Andytown will result in the message "system busy please try again" ("system busy 22" and "system busy 4c") being displayed. Any calls placed will fail despite being in a good coverage area where the phone displays four or five bars on a regular basis. Most recent instance occurred on 03/06/2005, reported to Nextel on 03/12/2005, no disposition as of 03/22/2005. Broward County, Ft. Lauderdale: Call drops occur on I-595 at the JCT of US-1. Most recent instance occurred on 01/10/2006. Broward County, Ft. Lauderdale: Calls drop when proceeding northbound or southbound on I-95 in the vicinity of Exit 33A at the JCT of Cypress Creek Road. Most recent instance occurred on 01/21/2005. No disposition as of 03/23/2005 Broward County, Ft. Lauderdale: When driving around the western-most part of the circle that goes around the Ft Lauderdale airport, the calls drop for no reason. Last instance occurred on 02/17/2006. Broward County, Hallandale Beach: Calls drop while traveling on Hallandale Beach Blvd. while driving east over the causeway to FL-A1A. Most recent instance occurred on 03/15/2004. Broward County, Pompano Beach: Calls suddenly drop at the JCT of FL-A1A with SE 13th St. when heading either north or south. Most recent instance occurred on 01/09/2006, reported to Nextel on 01/10/2006, no disposition yet. Duval County, Jacksonville: Calls randomly drop while traveling on I-95 at Exit 334 for Butler Blvd (which is also Mile Marker 334) just north of the Jacksonville Beltway at the southern portion. Last instance occurred on 03/12/2006. Lee County, Sanibel Island: There is almost no coverage at all on Periwinkle Rd. Additionally, West Gulf, East Gulf and Middle Gulf roads on Sanibel Island have very little Nextel coverage. (In comparison, both AT&T and Alltell offer excellent coverage in the same areas.) Conversely, further north on Captiva Island, Nextel has very good coverage (which is probably from the mainland to the east). Most recent instance occurred on 03/06/2005. Miami-Dade County, Miami: Calls drop while traveling on US-27 in the vicinity of Mile Marker 45 through Mile Marker 52. The "system busy 22" error message will be displayed during this time. The area has excellent coverage until the drop occurs. The "No Service" indicator will come on. Most recent instance occurred on 03/10/2005. Palm Beach County, Boca Raton: Calls drop between Mile Marker 41 and 40 heading south on I-95 near the Palmetto Park Rd exit. Last instance occurred on 02/17/2006. Port St. Lucie County, Port St. Lucie: Calls drop at Mile Marker 149 on Florida Turnpike. Most recent instance occurred on 01/10/2006.
New YorkBergen County, Ft. Lee/Englewood Cliffs: Palisades Parkway, between exits 1 and 2, calls VERY abruptly drop approx. .5 miles south of exit 2. A heavily traveled road just north of the George Washington Bridge. AT&T's GSM service drops there too (as well as everywhere else in NY Metro!) but their TDMA is OK and Verizon of course is fine the whole way trough. Nextel has covered the area for years but never fixed this glaring drop. Problem was reported in ~ May 2000, never fixed. Last occurred: 11/19/2004. Bergen County, Wyckoff: NJ-208, passing through Wyckoff area, between NJ-4 and I-287; generally poor coverage, with a large drop/hole in the Wyckoff exit area. Again, a relatively used freeway which the other carriers no longer have many problems with. Also, along Skyline drive Nextel drops at the apex of the hill near the hiking and bike trails (at the "Fire Danger Level" sign), while Verizon holds nicely the whole way all the way to Ringwood. Last occurred: 07/04/2005. Camden County, Bellmawr: Drops occur on I-295 just south of (and along with) the JCT of I-76. Coverage does not resume until 295 multiplexes with I-76. Most recent instance occurred on 06/01/2008. Camden County, Bellmawr: I-295, at Mile Marker 28, JCT NJ-168, just north of the I-76/I-295 split east of Philly. NB callers from either I-76 transitioning onto I-295N or from I-295 N which were initiated south of the I-76 JCT will drop at the exit for NJ-168. The "No Service" indicator comes on, pointing to a coverage hole rather than just an inability to hand off. A major highway junction in South Jersey which AT&T, Verizon (BAMS), and Cingular (Comcast) seem to handle just fine. Last occurred: 09/14/2005. Camden County, Cherry Hill: In New Jersey in Cherry Hill at the JCT of I-295 at the JCT of NJ-70. Drops occur while driving on I-295 in the vicinity of Mile Marker 34. Drops will call when reaching the NJ-70 overpass and the No Service indicator will displayed for about three miles further until the next exit after that (NJ-73). Most recent instance occurred on 07/12/2009. Del. Memorial Bridge: I-295N/(S too?) - calls originated on the Delaware side of the bridge will generally fail while transitioning from the crest of the bridge to the Jersey side; upon reaching the NJTP/I-295/US-130 split the call generally drops. Last occurred: 07/13/2009. Essex County, Millburn/Springfield: I-78, WB, at JCT NJ-24 (and where I-278 WOULD have connected had Jersey finished the badly-needed route). Needs further verification -- some calls from NJ-24E TO I-78W do not drop, so more testing is required, but there is a notable drop on WB I-78 there. Hudson County, Jersey City/Hoboken Area: US1&9 (actually NJ-169) covered roadway west of Holland Tunnel. Calls initiated outside (east) of the covered area drop approx 1000 ft. into the covered section. The "No Service" indicator comes on, meaning the phone can't establish a connection. The indicator stays on until reaching the Kearney St. exit, which is well after exiting from the covered section and emerging onto the Skyway. This is a heavily traveled road and AT&T and Verizon fixed this years ago; Nextel managed to finally cover the Holland (and Lincoln) Tunnel(s) on or about 2/2002 but a mile or so west they just drop in the covered section and on the Pulaski Skyway. Last occurred: 01/10/2007. Hudson County, North Hudson: Calls drop while driving on CTY-505 which is just 1/10 mile south of George Washington Bridge on Edgewater Road. Most recent instance occurred on 11/21/2004. Mercer County, Forrestal Village: Calls drop while traveling on US-1 in Princeton at the Forestal Village overpass. The drops occur while driving both northbound and southbound. Most recent instance occurred on 03/15/2007. Mercer County, Trenton: I-295/I-195/NJ-29 JCT - Calls originated on I-295N become distorted over the (relatively) newly built segment of I-295 just south of the JCT with I-195/NJ-29, and drop entirely upon merging onto I-195E. (Additional poor coverage is evidenced further west at the Amtrak/NJ Transit line just north of Trenton crossing the Delaware River.) Most recent instance occurred on 12/03/2006. Middlesex County, Cranbury: Drops occur while driving on US-130 approximately a quarter of a mile south the JCT of US-130 and Old Trenton Rd. Most recent instance occurred on 04/04/2010. Middlesex County, Dunellen: US-22, at JCT CTY-531, more or less Dunellen(?). Heading WB, coverage degrades slowly and then drops more or less around the Jersey-U where County 531 meets US-22. Yet again, a heavily traveled road, where the other carriers evidence no discernable drops. Notified Nextel on 6/11/2001, never received a response and as of 4/5/2002 calls still drop there. Middlesex County, Metropark/Iselin: GSP - "Metropark" area/NJ-27, Northbound and Southbound, just a few miles north of the GSP/I-287 JCT. Northbound callers will experience drops shortly after the rest stop (near the big cell tower in the middle of the road near an overpass; apparently not a Nextel tower or one with a Nextel antenna bank;) ) about 3 miles north of the JCT with I-287; Southbound callers experience drops at the Amtrak/NJ Transit bridge. (Calls placed from Amtrak and NJ Transit at the silly EWR station generally drop upon arrival at the Metropark station as well.) Last incident occurred on 6/15/2006. Middlesex County, Monroe Township: New Jersey Turnpike, NB and SB, calls get distorted and then completely drop at or about MM 73. There are further drops and even spots of no coverage between MM 76 to 79. There have been variances in the observed drops here, so maybe they are doing work in the area, but in May 2002 it dropped 3 times on 3 different trips so it merits listing here. Middlesex County, New Brunswick: Calls drop at US-130 at Mile Marker 71 in the vicinity of the JCT with US-1. Heading north or southbound, calls deteriorate at approx MM 71, and will drop a few moments later. As this happens, the "No Service" indicator will become visible. Comcast (Cingular/ATT) and BAMS (Verizon) have no problems at all there (some weaker signal on ComCast but it does not drop). Last occurred: 03/01/2009. Morris County, Lincoln Park: Drops occur while traveling on I-80 between the JCT of I-287 and US-46. Coverage is sporadic starting at Exit 50, but it is not too bad. However, coverage will drop at approximately Exit 52. The light flashed red which indicates that there is no coverage there at all. It is a major highway that extends from New Jersey to San Francisco. The majority of northern New Jersey's east/west traffic uses this road. Most recent instance occurred on 12/15/2006. Morris County, Rockaway/Hibernia: Drops occur on I-80 near Exit 37 traveling both Eastbound and Westbound. Problem has always existed, never fixed by Nextel despite being called about this 5 times since May 2001. AT&T, BAMS/Verizon, and Sprint do not drop there. Passaic County, Clifton: GSP - SB on the GSP just north of the JCT I-80 near the toll plaza. Calls drop suddenly, especially from SB GSP to the E/WB + local exit transition just south of the toll plaza. No other carrier appears to have similar problems there. 8/14/2002. Somerset County, Somerville: Calls drop while traveling on I-287 right at Mile Marker 24. Most recent instance occurred on 08/04/2004. Union County, New Providence: I-78, MM 49.2, New Providence Exit, Westbound, while traveling on the newest section of I-78 (finished late 70s/early 80s?), after decent coverage at the animal bridge (an overpass for animals!; no, NOT the NYC drivers who come to Jersey but actual animals :) ), coverage degrades quickly right before the exit and upon reaching the exit it will drop. Again, this is a major E/W highway in NJ where other carriers have no similar observed problems in the general area on I-78. Last observed: 01/17/2006. Warren County, Alpha/Bloomesbury: I-78 near exit 11 (Mile Marker 10/5 - 10/7) and close to the crest in the hill which lies to the east of Alpha area, 10.6 miles east of the NJ/PA border. 10/24/2004
MarylandBronx County - Bronx: calls drop at the JCT of Bruckner Blvd. and Willis Ave, which is right off I-87 where the Willis Ave. bridge connects to I-87. Most recent instance occurred on 01/31/2007. Bronx County - Bronx: Calls initiated from Brooklyn on I-278 (which is the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) will drop upon reaching the apex of the Williamsburg Bridge. Most recent instance occurred on 03/06/2008. Bronx County - Bronx: Calls initiated on Henry St. while walking south from Clark St. towards Montague St. will drop while crossing Pierrepont. Most recent instance occurred on 05/06/2008. Bronx County - Bronx: on I-87/Maj. Deegan Expressway, Southbound, calls drop under Alexander Hamilton Bridge (I-95 approach to GWB). Calls need to be initiated approx 1 mile to the north; a call will not carry from that point to south of I-95. Upon arriving at Yankee Stadium, the calls generally drop. Last occurred: 05/20/2006. Bronx County - Bronx: There is no service on the Metro North Harlem line when crossing from Manhattan to Fordham. Most recent instance occurred on 02/10/2009. Bronx County - Bronx: while driving on I-87/Maj. Deegan Expressway in Bronx County northbound or southbound calls deteriorate and then drop approximately half a mile south of Exit 11. The drops occur about four miles south of the county line between Westchester County and the Bronx. Most recent instance occurred on 08/23/2007. New York County - Manhattan: Calls drop between Lexington Ave and Park Ave on 61st St. Most recent instance occurred on 03/04/2009. New York County - Manhattan: Calls drop for no apparent reason on 31st St. heading west between Madison Ave. to 5th Ave. Most recent instance occurred on 03/16/2006. New York County - Manhattan: Calls drop on 5th Ave. when initiated near 42nd St. while proceeding south past the New York Public Library. Deterioration begins while approaching 36th St. and calls drop completely upon reaching 34th St. Most recent instance occurred on 04/04/2007. New York County - Manhattan: Calls drop on the Willis Ave. Bridge. Last instance occurred on 02/27/2006. New York County - Manhattan: Calls drop while driving east on 79th St. coming from 5th Ave and approaching Park Ave. Calls will deteriorate and then drop upon reaching Park Ave. If another call is placed while traveling east away from Park Ave, it will sound slightly choppy until reaching 3rd Ave. Most recent instance occurred on 05/25/2007. New York County - Manhattan: Calls drop while driving on Broadway. Calls initiated in the vicinity of 23rd St. will deteriorate while approaching 17th St. and then drop completely upon reaching 14th St. New York County - Manhattan: calls drop while traveling north on the FDR directly beneath the United Nations along the East River. It is a relatively open area to the east (covered on top and the to the west), yet calls still drop. Other carriers do not evidence any problems in the same area. Most recent instance occurred on 01/11/2007. New York County - Manhattan: Calls drop while traveling west on 55th St. and approaching 3rd. Avenue (and in the general area). Most recent instance occurred on 07/15/2004. New York County - Manhattan: Calls drop while traveling west on Watts St. right before Varick (which is just before the Holland Tunnel). Last occurred on 09/14/2006. New York County - Manhattan: Calls frequently (but not always) drop on Lexington Ave. at 38th St. Calls start to deteriorate just north of 38th St. and completely drop upon passing 35th St. Last instance occurred on 05/01/2006. New York County - Manhattan: Calls initiated while driving on 1st Ave. (north), and continuing left to 57th St. (west) for the short block until the right hand turn for the 59th St./Queensboro Bridge Upper Level approach will drop as the caller arrives at the last traffic light (58th St.?) before the bridge. The "No Service" indicator comes on half the time and calls drop. When coming into Manhattan from Queens via the Queensboro Bridge, the drop occurs on the Queens side while ascending the bridge. The connection begins to fail while crossing under the 7 IRT tracks. The red LED/No Service indicator comes on the Nextel phone at this point. Most recent instance occurred on 09/07/2009. New York County - Manhattan: Drops occur while driving on 14th St. and passing between 2nd and 1st Aves. Most recent instance occurred on 04/13/2004. New York County - Manhattan: Drops occur while traveling south on Broadway through Columbus circle and on to 7th Ave. When passing 57th St. traveling south, the signal will degrade considerably and by 44th St. it will drop completely. Last occurred on 08/28/2006. New York County - Manhattan: FDR at approx 77th St, SB, drops arriving at the hospital overpass near the 63rd St. exit. Last occurred 03/16/2006. New York County - Manhattan: on the Harlem River Drive traveling south (and probably north as well) on the west side of the East River and opposite Yankee Stadium is a patently ridiculous Nextel drop. The area is wide open and there are no obstacles to coverage. Last occurred: 08/12/2006. New York County - Manhattan: While walking west on 32nd St., calls initiated east of 5th Ave. will begin to deteriorate shortly after crossing 5th Ave. and will drop upon reaching 6th Ave, which is approximately one block east of Penn Station. Most recent instance occurred on 07/04/2007. Queens County - Queens: after exiting the Queensboro Bridge, getting off on what becomes Queens Blvd, making a right on the first street which heads south towards the LIE (west of Van Dam, eg, some local street in the warehouse area), the coverage gets very poor and calls will drop while approaching the LIE. Coverage in the general area is poor, especially if a call is initiated on the QB Bridge. Last occurred: 10/11/2006. Queens County - Queens: Calls initiated on Eliot Ave. at the JCT with Woodhaven Blvd. begin to degrade after traveling approximately a quarter of a mile west of Woodhaven and will subsequently drop completely at the JCT of Eliot Ave. and 74th St, at which point the No Service Indicator comes on, and the phone remains in a "no service" condition until the JCT of Eliot Ave. and 69th Rd. Most recent instance occurred on 12/27/2007. Queens County - Queens: Douglaston - Drops occur while driving on the Long Island Expressway and crossing over the Cross Island Parkway between Exit 31 and Exit 32 in Douglaston, NY (Queens County). Most recent instance occurred on 07/19/2009. Queens County - Queens: Drops occur at 73rd Ave. and 230th St. The service seems to return almost immediately after the drop. Most recent instance occurred on 07/14/2008. Queens County - Queens: Drops occur on I-295 at the JCT with Grand Central Parkway heading east, upon reaching the Nassau County line. Drops also occur in the westbound direction, albeit more infrequently. Most recent instance occurred on 11/19/2008. Queens County - Queens: Drops occur on I-678/Van Wyck Expressway while traveling north in the vicinity of Shea Stadium, near the US Tennis Center. The call will work properly, but will drop just south of Exit 12B and the Whitestone Expressway transition. Last occurred on 10/22/2006. Queens County - Queens: Drops occur on the Grand Central Parkway at Francis Lewis Blvd. There is a police station on the west bound side and a Mobil gas station is situated in the middle. The "No Service" indicator came on. Most recent instance occurred on 12/27/2004. Queens County - Queens: Drops occur on the Long Island Railroad in the vicinity of Woodhaven Blvd. Most recent instance occurred on 05/14/2009. Queens County - Queens: Drops occur on the lower roadway section of the LIE/I-495, approximately one mile east of Exit 18 (which is Maurice Ave). Most recent instance occurred on 11/13/2006. Queens County - Queens: Drops occur while driving on the Grand Central Parkway WB at JCT Cross Island Parkway (near the Creedmore mental facility south of GCP/Union Turnpike JCT) in both westbound and eastbound directions. Most recent instance occurred on 04/17/2007. Queens County - Queens: Grand Central Parkway at the JCT Union Turnpike. On occasion, connections remain open, but neither party can hear what is being said by the other (effectively both sides appear to "mute" out immediately). Calls then drop shortly afterward. This incident is unique in that the phone is in a generally stationary location at a set of traffic lights on a local street, not in a car driving around at 80 MPH and hitting bad coverage areas. This has been an ongoing problem at this location. Most recent instance occurred on 07/12/2005, reported to Nextel 07/12/2005, no disposition on any of the reports as of yet. Queens County - Queens: Grand Central Parkway, eastbound, between the Clearview Expressway (I-295) heading to the Cross Island Parkway. 09/18/2009. Queens County - Queens: I-495/LIE Eastbound on upper roadway eastbound/westbound of the I-278 JCT. Calls drop at the apex of the elevated section. All other tested carriers have no problem there. Most recent instance occurred on 11/13/2006. Queens County - Queens: Long Island Railroad (LIRR) heading west (and east) between Forrest Hills and Woodside Stations. Signal begins to degrade while crossing over I-495/LIE, becomes increasingly worse when approaching I-278/Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Pt. Wash. trains have the same problem from the ex-Elmhurst Station to Woodside. Upon arriving at Woodside station, the call usually drops to the point that the red light on the phone (no coverage) comes on. Phone quickly recovers coverage as while entering into or traveling west of the station, only to drop again in the East River Tubes. Most recent instance occurred on 10/16/2009 for the Main Line and 07/12/2007 for the Port Washington branch. Queens County - Queens: on I-278 approx 1 mile north of the I-495 JCT while traveling south on I-278. Coverage gets choppy while passing under the LIRR overpass, and then drops while approaching the viaduct south of Queens Blvd. before the elevated section of I-278 begins. Last occurred: 10/20/2006. Queens County - Queens: Woodside - There is no service on the eastbound side of Long Island Railroad. Most recent instance occurred on 10/16/2009. Richmond County, Staten Island: Drops occur at the apex of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge/I-278 between Brooklyn (King's) County and Staten Island. Most recent instance occurred on 07/12/2007. Columbia County, Claverack: Drops occur right at the JCT of NY-23 on the Taconic State Parkway. Most recent instance occurred on 03/15/2009. Columbia County, Copake: When driving north on NY-22, there is no Nextel coverage between the JCT of NY-344 and the JCT of NY-71, which is about twenty miles (in Green River). Coverage continues to be lacking from Green River approximately seven to eight miles northwards on NY-22 while approaching the New York State Thruway. Most recent instance occurred on 07/16/2008. Columbia County, Gallatin: On the Taconic State Parkway, no coverage exists north of the Rest Area at Mile Marker 72 until Mile Marker 80, which is near the JCT of NY-203. Columbia County, Spencertown: No coverage exists on NY-203 east of Spencertown until reaching NY-22. Coverage does not resume while heading north on NY-22 until reaching the town of Austerlitz. Columbia County: The connection drops on the Taconic State Parkway at Mile Marker 70.6. It resumes upon reaching the rest area located at Mile Marker 75.6 in the vicinity of Lake Taghkanic State Park. Most recent instance occurred on 03/15/2009. Dutchess County, East Fishkill: Drops occur on the Taconic State Parkway at Mile Marker 34 just south of Miller Hill Rd. Calls sometimes when driving northbound but always occur when driving southbound. Most recent instance occurred on 11/01/2009. Dutchess County, East Fishkill: Taconic State Parkway - at the Dutchess / Putnam County Line, drops occur in both the northbound and southbound directions (as well as many others on the Taconic; other carriers have varying degrees of coverage on the Taconic but Nextel is at the lower end of the list). Most recent instance occurred on 06/19/2006. UPDATE- As of 06/09/2007, calls held all the way from I-84 down to the known drop area on US-6. Dutchess County, Hopewell Junction in the Poughkeepsie area: Calls drop on NY-82 approximately a mile north of the JCT with CTY-9 (an example would be calls which are initiated at the JCT of NY-82 and NY-376, which appears to be a relatively good coverage area, will quickly deteriorate while traveling north over what used to be the Hopewell Junction railroad yard and continuing past the JCT with NY-82 and CTY-9). Most recent instance occurred on 10/14/2007. Dutchess County, Hopewell Junction: Drops occur on the Taconic Parkway south of the JCT with NY-82 at Mile Marker 43.8. Most recent instance occurred on 09/22/2009. Dutchess County, LaGrange: Drops occur on the Taconic State Parkway while traveling in either direction. The area without coverage extends from Mile Marker 49.9 to Mile Marker 50.9, which is approximately three or four miles north of James Baird State Park. Most recent instance occurred on 07/16/2008. Dutchess County, North East: Drops occur at the apex of the hill on NY-55, about four miles west of the JCT with NY-22 and about two miles east of the JCT of NY-55 and NY-292. Most recent instance occurred 04/20/2008. Dutchess County, Poughkeepsie/Wappingers Falls: Calls drop while driving on US-9 at approximately one mile south of the JCT with NY-9D both northbound and southbound. The red LED/no service indicator comes on and new calls cannot be made. Most recent instance occurred on 06/11/2007. Dutchess County, Stanfordville: Coverage is weak/non-existent when driving on the Taconic State Parkway just south of Stanfordville for approximately a two mile stretch. At Mile Marker 60, the red LED/No Service indicator will activate. Most recent instance occurred on 03/15/2009. Dutchess County, Stanfordville: There is no coverage on NY-9G between the JCT of CTY-19 and the JCT of CTY-14. Most recent instance occurred on 07/16/2008. Dutchess County, Stanfordville: While driving west on CTY-19/Bull's Head Rd, coverage is okay immediately after passing the JCT with the Taconic State Parkway but the service starts degrading after passing beyond that point. Coverage then drops completely upon reaching CTY-15. Most recent instance occurred on 07/16/2008. Dutchess County, Taghkanic: Drops occur approximately two miles south of the JCT with Snydersville Rd. when driving on the Taconic State Parkway. Nextel service drops out in the vicinity of Mile Marker 80 and does not work again for approximately three or four miles. Most recent instance occurred on 03/15/2009. Dutchess County, Verbank: Calls drop while traveling on CTY-9 at the JCT of CTY-89. Calls placed while passing through that general area drop either north or south of that intersection and the No Service (red LED on older phones) Indicator comes on. Most recent instance occurred on 06/18/2007. Nassau County, Great Neck: Drops occur on Middle Neck Rd. while traveling south to NY-25A. Most recent instance occurred on 03/20/2007. Nassau County, Jericho: Drops occur while traveling on NY-106 about half a mile north of the JCT with NY-25. Most recent instance occurred on 09/07/2009. Nassau County, Kings Point: Drops occur when driving north on Middle Neck Rd. When the road changes direction and becomes East Shore Rd, that is where drops occur. The red LED/No Service indicator comes on. Most recent instance occurred on on 04/13/2009. Nassau County, Long Island: At the JCT of NY-25A and NY-108, there's no Nextel coverage in that area. Most recent instance occurred on 05/18/2009. Nassau County, Long Island: Calls drop on NY-107, heading north/south to/from Glenn Cove. Drops (phone LED turns red so there is no service at all) occur approx 2 miles north of NY-25 and 1 mile south of NY-25A. Coverage is pretty poor around the drop area, thus calls get very attenuated just north of JCT NY-107/NY-25, then proceed to drop about 2 miles north of that, and remain poor up to and somewhat past NY-25A. Some other carriers have *diminished* quality there (and some drop), but Verizon/BAMS and AT&TWS seem to work well enough. Most recent instance occurred on 02/06/2007. Nassau County, Long Island: NY-25A between Bayville and Huntington, about 3 miles west all the way up to 1 mile east of the junction of NY-108, very poor coverage, lots of drops and distortion to the point of a call not being audible. First observed on 06/29/2004, most recent instance 02/06/2007. Nassau County, Long Island: There is no coverage at the JCT of NY-106, NY-107 and NY-25. Most recent instance occurred on 05/03/2010. Nassau County, Old Brookville: Drops occur on NY-107 approximately three miles south of the JCT with NY-25A. For the next three miles, there is no service along NY-107 until slightly north of the JCT with NY-25. Most recent instance occurred on 07/21/2008. Nassau County, Oyster Bay: Calls drop on NY-106 while driving either north or south to/from Oyster Bay. The drops occur halfway between the town center of Oyster Bay and the JCT of NY-106 and NY-25A. Last observed on 09/07/2009. UPDATE: No service exists in many areas of downtown Oyster Bay along NY-106. Most recently observed on 05/04/2009. Nassau County: Calls drop on the Northern State at the JCT of Meadowbrook Parkway. Most recent instance occurred on 02/14/2005. Nassau County: Calls drop while driving on the Northern State parkway at Willis Ave in the vicinity of Exit 28. Most recent instance occurred on 02/14/2005. Putnam County, Mahopac: On the Taconic Parkway while driving southbound between JCT's of US-6 and US-202 (in the recently rebuilt section near the Bear Mountain Parkway) calls attenuate quickly and generally drop between those JCT's. Most recent instance occurred on 06/09/2007. Putnam County, Mahopac: Drops occur on the Taconic State Parkway in the vicinity of Mile Marker 21.5 or Mile Marker 22, approximately half a mile north of the JCT of the Taconic Parkway and US-6. Most recent instance occurred on 12/15/2009. Putnam County, Putnam Valley: Calls drop on the Taconic at Peekskill Hollow Rd. Most recent instance occurred on 07/07/2009. Putnam County: Drops occur at Mile Marker 34.1 on the Taconic State Parkway at the JCT with Hollister Hill Rd. in the vicinity of the Taconic State Park Police barracks while traveling in either northbound and southbound directions. Most recent instance occurred on 04/08/2009. ADDENDUM 1: Update as of 01/2008, northbound calls initiated on the Taconic State Parkway at the Hawthorne interchange proceed properly all the way to I-84 and somewhat beyond, whereas southbound calls initiated north of I-84 will drop at the same places that they already have been. ADDENDUM 2: Although the problem at times does seem to be corrected, it does reemerge or resurface every so often and drops occur as per the drops which occurred on 07/28/2008 at the Taconic State Parkway northbound at Mile Marker 22.8, which is north of US-6. It occurred again on 05/10/2009. Rensselaer County, Berlin: Coverage is generally good in the area of Berlin. However, progressing north on NY-22, coverage degrades up to a point approximately four miles north of Berlin, where it drops completely. There continues to be no coverage on NY-22 from the point of this drop continuing northward to the JCT of NY-2. Most recent instance occurred on 07/06/2008. Rensselaer County: Between the JCT of NY-22 and NY-2 and continuing eastward all the way to the state line with Massachusetts, there is no Cingular coverage (indeed, there is no service with any carrier at this point). Most recent instance occurred on 07/06/2008. Rockland County: Calls drop on the Palisades Interstate Parkway (between NY and NJ) exit 11 on the NY side heading north. 02/04/2004. Rockland County: Palisades Parkway MM 31.1 there is no coverage at all. Most recent instance occurred on 02/14/2005. Rockland County: Palisades Parkway while traveling north on New York state side north of the NY/NJ line, there's a coverage drop just south of Exit 14 and does not improve until after Exit 15. Most recent instance occurred on 02/04/2005. Suffolk County: LIE/I-495, calls suddenly drop (not audible attenuation) EB and WB near Exit 71. Last occurred: 04/19/2006 Westchester County, Buchanan: US-9 (freeway section) from JCT NY-129 (near Indian Point Nuclear plant) north to Peekskill. In the middle of the approx 4 mile long freeway section, between the two aforementioned endpoints, calls slowly degrade and eventually drop. All other tested carriers (I.E., everyone other than Nextel) work fine there and do not drop. Last occurred: 10/20/2006. Westchester County, Hawthorne: Calls drop while driving onn the Taconic State Parkway right at the Hawthorn interchange. Most recent instance occurred on 03/13/2009. Westchester County, Hutchinson (Merritt) Parkway around Purchase, NY, near the CT border: Calls which are initiated near the JCT of the Hutchinson River Parkway, I-287 and I-684, in the general area of Purchase, attenuate while approaching the CT border and drop shortly after passing the Greenwich rest stop on the Merritt Parkway. Last occurred on 03/26/2007. Westchester County, Larchmont: Calls drop on I-95 at Mile Marker 8 while driving southbound. Calls work properly without attenuation up to that point, but drop suddenly at Mile Marker 8. There is no signal at that location but it quickly returns and the phone becomes useable again. Most recent instance occurred on 05/13/2007. (As of Saturday, 11/01/2008, this drop did not seem to take place as it normally has in the past. It appears that the continuity of distance between Stamford, CT and the Bronx/Westchester line in New York appears to now be covered without any of the drops which used to occur. Further testing will be done to ascertain if Nextel can maintain this level of quality and should they be able to, at such a point the drop will be added to the Corrected Items section.) Westchester County, Larchmont: Drops occur while driving on I-95 at the JCT with Mamaroneck Ave. Most recent instance occurred on 12/15/2009. Westchester County, Mamaroneck: I-95 2.5 miles south of the New Rochelle toll plaza, SB, before Mamaroneck Ave, sudden drop. Last occurred: 01/15/2007. (As of Saturday, 11/01/2008, this drop did not seem to take place as it normally has in the past. It appears that the continuity of distance between Stamford, CT and the Bronx/Westchester line in New York appears to now be covered without any of the drops which used to occur. Further testing will be done to ascertain if Nextel can maintain this level of quality and should they be able to, at such a point the drop will be added to the Corrected Items section.) Westchester County, Mt. Vernon: Calls drop at Mile Marker 13.3 on the Hutchinson River Parkway. Most recent instance occurred on 02/25/2005. Westchester County, North Castle: Calls drop on I-684 at Mile Marker 3.8 in the vicinity of Exit 2. Most recent instance occurred on 09/24/2009. Westchester County, Ossining/"Sing-Sing": Calls drop while traveling on NY-9A at the junction with NY-134 (southbound). Most recent instance occurred on 02/04/2005. Westchester County, Purchase: drops occur while driving northbound and southbound on the Hutchinson River Parkway in the vicinity of Mile Markers 19-20 at Exit 28, near the NY-120 JCT. Calls originating south of that exit will rapidly drop without much distortion (and thus little warning) upon reaching Exit 28. Additionally, approximately one mile south of the JCT of Exit 29/Ridge St., calls attenuate quickly and drop again (other carriers have lesser problems in this area and do at times drop, however Nextel repeatedly drops to a greater extent than all other carriers). Last occurred: 06/04/2007. Westchester County, Scarsdale: Call drops occur on the Sprain Brook Parkway in Scarsdale between Mile Marker 6 and Mile Marker 4, which is approximately two miles north of the Jackson Ave exit. Drops occur while traveling both northbound and southbound, but more frequently southbound. Phone LED goes solid red, which indicates that there is no coverage. Most recent instance occurred on 02/13/2007. Westchester County, Scarsdale: While traveling just south of Exit 22 on the Hutchinson River Parkway and approaching Mamaroneck Ave, calls frequently drop or else the coverage becomes so tenuous that it becomes difficult to hear the other person on the phone. Last occurred on 07/24/2009. Westchester County, Yonkers: Bronx River Parkway northbound and southbound crossing under Cross County, calls drops on in the general vicinity of the Cross County Parkway interchange. Most recent instance occurred on 06/18/2007. Westchester County, Yonkers: Calls drop on the Bronx River Parkway just south of the split from where the Sprain Brook Parkway splits off from the BRP. Last occurred: 04/24/2007. Westchester County, Yonkers: Calls drop while driving either northbound or southbound on I-87 in the vicinity of the Yonkers Raceway Park. Calls begin to deteriorate within half a mile of the Yonkers Raceway Park and then drop altogether approximately a half mile after passing the Raceway. Most recent instance occurred on 12/08/2008. Westchester County, Yonkers: Calls drop while driving on Cross County Parkway at Exit-7. Most recent instance occurred on 02/25/2005. Westchester County, Yonkers: Drops occur on the Cross County Parkway at Exit 10 while driving eastbound. Calls very quickly attenuate at Exit 10 and then drop altogether just east of the exit near the JCT of the Cross County Parkway and the Hutchinson River Parkway. Last occurred: 01/20/2007. Westchester County, Yorktown: Calls drop on the Taconic State Parkway near Mile Marker 12 while crossing over the Croton Reservoir, which is about four miles north of the JCT with NY-134. Calls drop when upon reaching the south side of the bridge. Most recent instance occurred on 03/22/2010. Westchester County, Yorktown: Calls drop on the Taconic State Parkway about halfway between Underhill Rd and the exit for NY-35 and US-202. Most recent instance occurred on 07/17/2009.
MassachusettsAllegany County, Flintstone: Drops occur while driving on I-68 between of Mile Marker 59 and Mile Marker 61. Most recent instance occurred on 04/18/2010. Allegany County, Flintstone: On I-68 in Maryland between Mile Marker 77 and Mile Marker 79, calls drop and there is no coverage. Most recent instance occurred on 04/18/2010. Anne Arundel County, Rose Haven: Almost the entire stretch of MD-261 near the Chesapeake Bay from MD-2 is almost completely devoid of coverage on all carriers, although Cingular does have good service there. Last occurred on 06/16/2006. Baltimore County, Owings Mills: Drops occur on the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) between Exits 13 and 12, which is about 4 miles north of the southern JCT of I-695 and I-95. UPDATE- Tested again on 07/29/2007 without any drops. This area requires more testing, but perhaps improvements are being made at this point. Baltimore County, White Marsh: Nextel gives a fast busy signal while traveling between Mile Markers 72 and 65 on I-95. This is two miles north of the Baltimore Beltway (I-695). This has only been witnessed occasionally and as of yet it cannot be consistently reproduced, but it is a problem if one wants to place calls around there. Last occurred on 06/28/2005. Cecil County, Perryville/Port Deposit: I-95 about a mile north of Exit 93/JCT MD-222 (not US-222) calls gradually degrade starting at Mile Marker 95, and will drop shortly after MM 93 traveling south. Northbound, calls drop in the reverse sequence, with calls degrading at MM 93 and dropping by MM 95. Last occurred: 03/16/2007 Cecil County, Rising Sun: Drops occur on US-1 halfway between the JCT of US-1 and US-222 and US-1 and MD-273, in the vicinity of Clove Rd. Most recent instance occurred on 08/20/2009. Cecil County, Rising Sun: A "Service Restriction" / FLASHING Red LED begins after passing the Conowingo Dam while driving north on US-1 near the JCT with US-222., and stays that way until the JCT of US-1 and MD-276 in the town of Rising Sun (where we gave up and figured that since there is good coverage there and the phone always works there that this is yet another "Service Restricted" problem area and re-booted the phone. This could pose a problem during an emergency situation since no calls will come in and callers need to re-boot (shut off and then power on) the phone before calls can be placed/received. Most recent instance occurred on 02/16/2007. Charles County, Waldorf: Coverage is very poor halfway between the JCT of MD-5 and the JCT of US-301 on MD-6. Most recent instance occurred on 04/27/2009. Harford County, Fallston: I-95 heading south at Mile Marker 72.6, calls will experience a sudden drop and at times the phone will subsequently automatically reboot itself, first dropping the call, powering off and then powering back on. Most recent instance occurred on 05/13/2005 and was reported to Nextel on 05/15/2005. No disposition as of yet. Howard County, Elkridge, Patapsco Valley State Park: While driving on I-70 at Mile Marker 89 while crossing over the Patapsco Valley State Park and approximately two miles west of the JCT with the Baltimore Beltway, calls deteriorate and then drop entirely. Most recent instance occurred on 05/21/2008. Maryland House Rest Area, I-95: Calls attenuate and rapidly drop while passing the northern entrance/exit of the Maryland House Rest Area near Aberdeen at Mile Marker 82.9. The drops occur before passing the building while traveling north; conversely, it will obviously drop after passing the building while driving south. Most recent instance occurred on 02/17/2006. MD-155: Drops occur between the JCT of MD-156 and the JCT of MD-161 (which is near Havre de Grace). Most recent instance occurred on 06/01/2007.
MichiganBarnstable County, Bourne (Cape Cod area): MA-25 at Bourne Bridge and MA-28 to Falmouth-- Pretty poor coverage the entire way from the Bridge rotary on the Cape side along MA-28 to Falmouth. Frequent drops and more common poor coverage. Cingular (CO/Boston/TDMA and ATT/GSM)) and Verizon (BAMS) are fine there; all are better than Nextel. Last occurred: 09/16/2004 Bristol County, Taunton: I-495 JCT MA-24 -- when heading North on I-495 towards MA-24 (or South after MA-24), coverage gets very poor and frequently drops. Coverage is also poor at the MA-24 rest areas (NB and SB sides). Nextel claims they need more towers there as of 6/2002; in the meantime drops continue. Last occurred: 06/09/2002. Franklin County, Deerfield: Coverage on I-91 begins to degrade between Mile Marker 36 and Mile Marker 37 and then drops entirely in the vicinity of the Lee Rd. overpass. Poor coverage continues until at least Mile Marker 39 or 40 in Deerfield. Most recent instance occurred on 10/18/2008. Franklin County, Bernardston: Drops occur on I-91 at the Vermont/Massachusetts border. Most recent instance occurred on 10/13/2009. Hampden County, Blandford: Calls drop on the Masspike/I-90 at Mile Marker 26 while traveling Eastbound. Last occurred: 02/12/2004 Hampden County, Springfield: Calls drop while driving on I-290 between Exit 3 and Exit 4, Nextel calls drop. Most recent instance occurred on 04/13/2010. Hampshire County, Northampton: Poor coverage on I-91 at Mile Marker 21. Calls degrade so severely that speaking on the phone is almost impossible. Approximately 50% of calls will drop. Most recent instance occurred on 05/13/2007. Middlesex County, Acton: MA-2 -- Drops occur while traveling three miles west of the JCT of I-495 on a slight incline. Calls degrade and then drop or become too distorted to listen to. CO/Boston (Cingular/Analog/TDMA) does this too, as does Cingular/GSM, but BAMS (Verizon) is OK there. Nextel is the worst as it always drops or is so distorted while traveling there that it requires the user to hang up and dial again. Last occurred: 08/07/2002. Middlesex County, Lexington: Calls drop on MA-2. The drop at the immediate intersection of the Mobil Station has apparently been fixed as of 03/10/2007, however approximately two or three miles west along MA-2, calls drop. The drop point has apparently moved further west. Middlesex County, Weston: Loss of service occurs on the Masspike near the JCT with MA-128 (I-95). The "No Service" indicator comes on at the toll plaza and calls drop. Norfolk County, Wellesley: Calls drop near the eastbound service plaza on the Mass Pike at approximately Mile Marker 118. Last observed on 03/11/2007. Worcester County, Charlton: drops occur on the Mass Pike between Mile Markers 91 and 88. Drops only seem to occur perhaps 80% of the time. Most recent instance occurred on 03/11/2007. Worcester County, Sturbridge: I-84, 2 miles east of CT-MA line, near the Roy Rogers. Last occurred: 05/25/2004.
PennsylvaniaEaton County, North Lansing: Drops occur while either north or south driving on Grand River Ave. between Waverly Rd. and Ingersoll Rd. Most recent instance noted on 11/11/2008.
Rhode IslandBedford County, Breezewood: Drops occur on US-522 at the JCT of PA-655. Most recent instance 04/26/2010. Chester County, Brandywine: Drops occur on US-1 as it crosses over the Brandywine River just south of the JCT of US-1 and Creek Rd. There is no coverage near Fairville Rd. Most recent instance occurred on 04/28/2010. Chester County, West Grove: Calls suddenly drop while driving on the freeway section of US-1 approximately two miles south of the JCT with PA-841 (which is about ten miles north of the Delaware line). Last occurred: 02/11/2005. Delaware County, Chadds Ford Township: The red LED indicator comes on while traveling on US-1, approximately three miles south of JCT with US-202. Most recent instanced occurred on 05/06/2007. Delaware County, Chester/Essington: I-95, near JCT PA-422, calls attenuate heading south approx. 3 miles after the Philadelphia International Airport, and drop completely at JCT I-476/Blue Route. Northbound calls attenuate approx. 1 mile north of I-476 and drop near the "police trap" in the I-95 median at the Phil. Int. Airport. There are also coverage issues (distortion, mainly) around the MacDade exit off of I-476, which is in the same general vicinity of the issues noted in this item. Last occurred: 03/22/2007. Delaware County, Linwood: Drops occur on I-95 between the rest area located just south of exit 2 and exit 3. Most recent instance occurred on 03/18/2010. Lackawanna County, Scranton: I-81, Mile Marker 161 and 110th, calls drop while cresting over the big hill on I-81 before slowly descending into Scranton. Last occurred: 07/29/2004 Philadelphia County, Philadelphia area: Calls drop while driving either northbound or southbound on I-95 just north of Philadelphia near Mile Marker 30. Most recent instance occurred on 03/15/2007. Philadelphia County, Philadelphia: calls drop on I-95 while crossing under the Ben Franklin Bridge traveling north in the vicinity of the Market/Frankfurt SEPTA subway station in the middle of the road. Southbound calls generally hold until Market St. Sometimes southbound calls can even hold to the Navy Yards before dropping. Last occurred: 02/13/2007. Philadelphia County, Philadelphia: calls drop upon arrival in downtown and the phone says restricted with a FLASHING red LED. Even though there is a signal, calls can not be placed nor received. Power-cycling the phone seems to restore service. Last occurred: 12/23/2003, seems to be better now, but rarely (<2% of the time) still happens. This does still happen along US-1 in MD; see below. Philadelphia County, South Philadelphia: calls drop on I-95 south of the city near the Navy yards. There is a very large bridge which goes slightly north of Philadelphia International Airport, which crosses over the Schuylkill River. When traveling south over the bridge, calls will start deteriorating near the Navy Yards and continue to deteriorate near the airport to the point where barely anything can be heard. Finally, calls will drop about a mile south of the airport, calls finally drop. Last occurred on 10/16/2006.
VirginiaKent County, Warwick: I-95 or I-295 traveling towards JCT RI-4 and I-95, calls begin to attenuate in the vicinity of the speed trap area of the north and southbound sides of I-95 and in the vicinity of Exit 7 between Mile Marker 20 and Mile Marker 21; the calls drop pretty suddenly, likely due to poor coverage (very weak signal is indicated in that area). Last occurred: 12/12/2005 Providence County, Johnston: I-295 just south of JCT US-6; at the large interchange (built in anticipation of I-84 coming to Providence), heading south, calls get distorted, and then about a mile south of the JCT of US-6 and I-295 along I-295 the calls just drop. Last occurred: 08/20/2006 Providence County, Johnston: US-6 Freeway, at the JCT of RI-10, both eastbound and westbound calls attenuate as calls proceed over the hill just east of the exit/JCT, towards the JCT with I-295. Last occurred: 08/20/2006 Providence County, Scituate: US-6 in and along the US-6 Bypass. Calls drop all over, from just west of I-295 while driving up the slight hill heading west along US-6, to the US-6/RI-101 split/traffic light, to where US-6 Bypass rejoins US-6 west of the Scituate Reservoir, all the way to the CT line. (It also drops at the CT line but so does everyone else.). Last occurred: 07/2006
Washington DCFairfax County, Annandale: There is no coverage at the JCT of Braddock Rd. and Ravensworth Rd., which is about half a mile east of the Capital Beltway. Most recent instance occurred on 08/26/2008. Loudoun County, Leesburg: Calls drop while driving on US-15 approximately two miles east of the intersection of US-15 and Emerald Park Drive. Most recent instance occurred on 03/30/2009.
Montgomery County, Montgomery Hills: Calls drop approximately half a mile south of Exit 38, which is in the vicinity of where I-270 breaks off from the Capital Beltway. Most recent instance occurred 09/27/2007. Montgomery County, Montgomery Hills: Calls drop while traveling in both eastbound or westbound directions on the Capital Beltway inner loop in the vicinity of Exit 39 (which is for River Rd). Most recent instance occurred 09/27/2007. Georgetown: drops occur while traveling north on Reservoir Rd. between JCT with 37th Street and Hoban Rd. Last occurred: 01/19/2007. Prince George's County: Drops occur at JCT of I-295 and MD-295 -- poor/no coverage less than a mile southeast of the District while traveling along the Annacostia River near Bollins Air Force base right next to the JCT of I-295 and DC-295. From the Air Force base to the Anacostia River Bridges, calls deteriorate and the red "No Service" LED frequently comes on. The Washington Monument is visible on nearly the entire stretch, so one would think that there'd be some coverage along this stretch of road within miles of the center of the Nation's Capital. Last instance occurred on 08/19/2006.
MassachusettsNew Haven County, Woodbridge: Calls drop on the Merritt Parkway between Mile Markers 47 and 43 (just east/north of the I-95 Connector at Sikorsky). There is an area of poor coverage where the Nextel phone drops to a solid red LED indicator, eg, "No Service", generally between the Hubbell Corp. and the hill just east of the Sikorksy Bridge. Most recent instance occurred on 01/31/2007.
New YorkMiddlesex County, Lexington: MA-2 -- at the sharp left turn (outbound)/traffic light approx. 4 miles west of I-95/MA-128 right at the Mobile station. Calls suddenly drop. Other carriers are also problematic there but none drop. Last occurred: 06/12/2005. Seems to have been corrected as of 03/10/2007. Middlesex County, Natick: Masspike/I-90 -- Natick exit, Eastbound, on the downhill before the exit. Only Nextel drops; all other carriers OK. Reported to Nextel on 5/1/2001 and nothing done yet. Last instance occurred on 07/18/2006. Seems to have been corrected as of 03/11/2007.
New York County - Manhattan: The area south of the base on Queensboro Bridge in the vicinity of 59th St has generally been poor for Nextel but appears to have improved somewhat during our most recent test on 03/20/2008. Queens/Manhattan on Queensboro Bridge: calls drop both ways at or about the apex of the Bridge. Sometimes WB calls will not drop but the connection gets highly distorted. EB almost always drops immediately at the apex of upper level, more towards Queens-side on the lower. BAMS/Verizon and AT&T used to have the same problem maybe 4 years ago, both currently handle this just fine and rarely drop anymore. Corrected: 06/09/2002 Queens County - Queens: I-495/LIE EB and WB at Lefrak City/Woodhaven/Queens Blvd overpass - calls drop right around Lefrak City. (I-495 is one of the busiest highways in the region and yet Nextel still has drops there after being informed about it 2 years ago.) (People with older i500s say they don't get dropped all the time there but newer i2000s and the 80 series always seem to have this problem. Any others notice this?) Corrected: 06/09/2002 Nassau County: Drops occur on I-495/LIE at Exit 40, which is the junction of LIE and NY-25. Most recent instance occurred on 07/15/2008.
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