Henry Hudson Parkway
 Henry Hudson Parkway | |
|---|---|
 Henry Hudson Parkway highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by NYSDOT, NYCDOT, and NYC Parks | |
| Length | 10.95 mi[1] (17.62 km) 9.93 mi (15.98 km) cosigned with NY 9A |
| Existed | 1937[2]–present |
| Restrictions | No commercial vehicles |
| Major junctions | |
| South end |  NY 9A / West Side Highway in Hell's Kitchen |
| North end |   Saw Mill River Parkway / Mosholu Parkway in Yonkers |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| Counties | New York, Bronx |
| Highway system | |
The Henry Hudson Parkway is a 10.95-mile (17.62 km) controlled-access parkway in New York City. The southern terminus is in Manhattan at 72nd Street, where the parkway continues south as the West Side Highway.[3] It is often erroneously referred to as the West Side Highway throughout its entire course in Manhattan. The northern terminus is at the Bronx–Westchester county boundary, where it continues north as the Saw Mill River Parkway. All but the northernmost mile of the road is co-signed as New York State Route 9A (NY 9A). In addition, the entirety of the parkway is designated New York State Route 907V (NY 907V), an unsigned reference route.[3]
The owners of the parkway are the New York State Department of Transportation, New York City Department of Transportation, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Amtrak, and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Henry Hudson Parkway was created by the Henry Hudson Parkway Authority, which was run by "master builder" Robert Moses. The highway itself was constructed from 1934 to 1937.
Route description
[edit] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2020) |
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The Henry Hudson Parkway begins at 72nd Street, which also serves as the north end of the West Side Highway and the last remaining section of the West Side Highway's predecessor, the Miller Highway.[3] The junction is numbered as exit 9, continuing the numbering scheme used on the West Side Highway. It heads northward along the west side of Manhattan, connecting to West 79th Street with a large interchange and to other surface streets with more intermittent exits along the way. The parkway continues in a northerly direction, running almost parallel to Riverside Drive north of West 158th Street. It passes under the Trans-Manhattan Expressway (I-95 and U.S. 1) and the George Washington Bridge as it continues its progression through Fort Washington Park, Fort Tryon Park, and Inwood Hill Park. It then runs northward across the Henry Hudson Bridge into the Bronx.
Upon entering the Bronx, the parkway passes through Spuyten Duyvil and Riverdale as it continues northward, edging slightly to the northeast. Between exits 20 and 22, Riverdale Avenue is split into service roads along the parkway. At exit 23, NY 9A leaves the parkway for U.S. Route 9 (US 9) while the parkway enters Van Cortlandt Park. Soon after it enters the park, the parkway has an interchange with the Mosholu Parkway, which connects it to I-87. Less than a mile farther on, the parkway becomes the Saw Mill River Parkway as it enters Westchester County.
History
[edit]20th century
[edit]
In March 1934, the New York State Legislature approved the Henry Hudson Parkway.[4] Work on the parkway began in February 1935;[5] the project was funded by a $3.1 million bond issue.[6] The portion of the parkway north of Dyckman Street opened on December 12, 1936,[7] and the portion south of the George Washington Bridge opened on October 10, 1937.[8] The section of Riverside Drive between the George Washington Bridge and Dyckman Street was incorporated into the northbound roadway of Henry Hudson Parkway.[9] A parallel southbound roadway for the Henry Hudson Parkway was built between these two points;[10] it opened in January 1938.[11]
The parkway ultimately cost $109 million, twice as expensive as the $49 million Hoover Dam that was built in the same period. The Parkway was part of Robert Moses's "West Side Improvement" and included covering the New York Central Railroad's West Side Line, creating the Freedom Tunnel. The covered portion is partially used for the highway and also expands the Riverside Park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.[2]
In the late 1940s, new breakdown lanes were constructed in order to improve safety. However, these were not constructed throughout the entire highway.[2] In 1965, Moses proposed constructing a two-lane reversible roadway along the Henry Hudson Parkway between 59th Street and the George Washington Bridge for $160 million. Had the roadway been built, there would have been no intermediate exits.[12]
As part of a $2.5 billion statewide bond issue in 1971, there was also a proposal to widen the Henry Hudson Parkway south of the George Washington Bridge to an eight-lane expressway in 1971. Local politicians opposed the proposal because it would require seizing parts of Riverside Park.[13] The widening was canceled after state legislators introduced an amendment to prevent the seizure of any parkland.[14]
21st century
[edit]
On May 12, 2005, part of a retaining wall at Castle Village collapsed onto the northbound lanes of the parkway, just north of the George Washington Bridge, shutting it down shortly before rush hour. The clean-up began quickly, and the road re-opened on May 15.[15] The Henry Hudson Parkway is a candidate for designation as a New York State Scenic Byway, the first in New York City. At the request of the Henry Hudson Parkway Task Force, in 2005 the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council approved funding to develop a comprehensive corridor management plan, a requirement for its designation.[2]
Exit list
[edit]| County | Location | mi [1][16][17] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan | Riverside South | 0.00 | 0.00 | – |  NY 9A south (West Side Highway) – Battery Park | Continuation south; south end of NY 9A overlap |
| 9 | West 72nd Street | Northbound entrance only | ||||
| Riverside Park | 0.31 | 0.50 | 10 | West 79th Street – Boat Basin | Signed as exits 10A (79th Street) and 10B (Boat Basin) northbound; exit number not signed southbound | |
| 1.14 | 1.83 | 11 | West 95th Street | Southbound exit only; exit number not signed | ||
| West 96th Street | No southbound exit; exit number not signed | |||||
| Harlem | 2.27 | 3.65 | 12 | West 125th Street | Exit number not signed northbound | |
| Hamilton Heights | 4.07 | 6.55 | 13 | West 158th Street | ||
| Fort Washington Park | 4.72 | 7.60 | 14 |  I-95 (George Washington Bridge) / Riverside Drive / West 178th Street – Cross Bronx Expressway | No northbound access to Riverside Drive; West 178th Street not signed southbound; exit 1A on I-95 | |
| 4.97 | 8.00 | 15 | Riverside Drive south | Northbound exit and entrance | ||
| Fort Tryon Park | 6.4[18] | 10.3 | 16 | Fort Tryon Park, Cloisters | Northbound exit and entrance; access via Fort Tryon Place | |
| Inwood Hill Park | 6.76 | 10.88 | 17 | Dyckman Street | ||
| Spuyten Duyvil Creek (Harlem River) | 7.38– 7.60 | 11.88– 12.23 | Henry Hudson Bridge (E-ZPass or Toll-by-Mail) | |||
| The Bronx | Spuyten Duyvil | 7.84 | 12.62 | 18 | Kappock Street | No entrance ramps |
| 8.2[18] | 13.2 | 19 | West 232nd Street | |||
| Riverdale | 8.6[18] | 13.8 | 20 | West 237th Street / West 239th Street | Signed for 237th Street southbound, 239th Street northbound | |
| 9.0[18] | 14.5 | 21 | West 246th Street | No southbound entrance | ||
| 9.46 | 15.22 | 22 | West 253rd Street / West 254th Street / Riverdale Avenue | Signed for 253rd Street northbound, 254th Street southbound | ||
| Fieldston | 9.93 | 15.98 | 23 |   US 9 / NY 9A north (Broadway) | North end of NY 9A overlap; signed as exits 23A (south) and 23B (north) northbound | |
| Van Cortlandt Park | 10.45 | 16.82 | 24 |     Mosholu Parkway south to I-87 south (Major Deegan Expressway) | I-87 not signed northbound; northern terminus of Mosholu Parkway | |
| 10.95 | 17.62 | – |  Saw Mill River Parkway north – Yonkers | Continuation into Westchester County | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | ||||||
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "2014 Traffic Data Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. July 22, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Anderson, Steve. "Henry Hudson Parkway (NY 9A)". NYCRoads. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c New York State Department of Transportation (2003). LIST OF STATE ROUTES IN NEW YORK COUNTY (PDF). Retrieved January 15, 2017.
- ^ "Marine Parkway Bill Is Passed by Assembly: Measure for Brooklyn-Queens Highway Goes to Governor". New York Herald Tribune. March 22, 1934. p. 12. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1114809693; "Rockaway Project Passes Assembly; Parkway Authority Bill Goes to Lehman – Senate Votes Hudson Drive Extension". The New York Times. March 22, 1934. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ "Hudson Parkway Begun; Highway to Link Riverside Drive and Sawmill River Road". The New York Times. February 26, 1935. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ "Parkway Issue Of $3,100,000 Offered Today: Banking Group to Float Bonds for Riverside Drive Extension and Bridge". New York Herald Tribune. April 5, 1935. p. 29. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1221580105; "Gets Fund to Link Drive and Parkway; Moses Announces the Sale of $3,100,000 Bonds for Upper Riverside Extension". The New York Times. April 3, 1935. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ "New Parkway Speeds Cars at 1,500 an Hour: Henry Hudson Link Saves 6 to 30 Minutes in Manhattan-Westchester Trip Bridge Toll On Tomorrow Shore Road Extension in Brooklyn Also Opened New Parkway Simplifies Manhattan-Westchester Drive". New York Herald Tribune. December 13, 1936. p. 38. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1222356419; "50 City Officials Tour New Parkway; Led by La Guardia, the Party Inspects Spuyten Duyvil Bridge That Opens Today". The New York Times. December 12, 1936. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ Addonizio, Joseph F. (October 10, 1937). "Real Estate Market News and Comment of City and Metropolitan Area". New York Herald Tribune. p. D1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1223331841; "West Side Highway to Open; Huge $24,000,000 Project Gives City a Fast Traffic Outlet to North and Provides 210 Acres of Parks and Play Areas". The New York Times. October 10, 1937. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ "West Side Plan Proceeds on a New Basis; A Greater Riverside Park Is Combined With a Motor Artery for the City". The New York Times. June 23, 1935. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ Mathieu, George M. (December 26, 1937). "New Local Roads Open; Extension and Widening Of Important Links Aid Motorists". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ "Hudson Parkway Link To Be Opened Today". New York Herald Tribune. January 15, 1938. p. 28. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1242949417; "New Drive Opened Along West Side; Link in Scenic Henry Hudson Parkway Made Available for Southbound Traffic". The New York Times. January 16, 1938. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ Ingraham, Joseph C. (November 22, 1965). "New West Side Highway Plan Provides for Reversible Lanes". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
- ^ Farrell, William E. (May 16, 1971). "Legislators Here Oppose Plan for 2 City Highways". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ Schumach, Murray (May 23, 1971). "Residents and Politicians at Riverside Rally Oppose Truck Route Into Park". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ "Board of Inquiry Report – Castle Village Retaining Wall Collapse" (PDF). New York City Department of Buildings. April 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
- ^ "Bronx County Inventory Listing" (CSV). New York State Department of Transportation. August 7, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
- ^ "New York County Inventory Listing" (CSV). New York State Department of Transportation. August 7, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Henry Hudson Parkway" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
External links
[edit]
- Henry Hudson Parkway at Alps' Roads
- Background on the parkway's history and the scenic byway initiative
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NY-334, "Henry Hudson Parkway, Extending 11.2 miles from West 72nd Street to Bronx-Westchester border, New York, New York County, NY", 94 photos, 220 data pages, 9 photo caption pages