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There have been plans in New York for expresswaysparkways, and other proposed road improvements, but some were never constructed due to financial problems, community opposition and environmental issues.
Several expressways in New York City, mostly planned by Robert Moses, were canceled because of public oppositions, including two that would have been built through Midtown and Lower Manhattan.
The Lower Manhattan Expressway was planned to carry Interstate 78 from its current terminus at the end of the Holland Tunnel through Lower Manhattan to the Williamsburg Bridge with a connection to the Manhattan Bridge at Canal Street. The Expressway would have been built directly through such neighborhoods as Greenwich Village, SoHo, and the Lower East Side, much of which was characterized as old and "run down" by the mid 20th century. After a long battle, the expressway was canceled in the 1970s by New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller due to fears of increased pollution and negative effects on such cultural neighborhoods as Little Italy and Chinatown.
The Mid-Manhattan Expressway was another freeway planned to be built directly through the busy Midtown Manhattan business district just south of 34th Street and would pass very close to the Empire State Building. The Expressway was to carry Interstate 495 from the Lincoln Tunnel (where I-495 was to continue to the New Jersey Turnpike) to the Queens Midtown Tunnel where it would connect to the Long Island Expressway. The expressway was originally very popular among local leaders, and Moses had gone so far as to run the Expressway right through Manhattan skyscrapers. However, fears of increased vehicular traffic in the already congested city brought the expressway down and it was canceled in 1971.
Much of the reason for the cancellations was due to local groups protesting the construction of these expressways through their neighborhoods, and the seen negative effects in local communities caused by the building of such expressways as the Cross Bronx Expressway, which is largely credited for the destruction and dereliction of the Tremont neighborhood, and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
New York City was not the only part of New York to face an onslaught of freeway revolts. Long Island, which was almost as heavily populated as New York City, had dozens of roads planned by the New York State Department of Transportation, as well as Suffolk and Nassau Counties (see List of Suffolk County (New York) Road proposals). On two occasions, Suffolk County built roads and allowed them to be redesignated as state highways, in the hope that the state would upgrade them when the county couldn't. The following is a list of roads throughout New York State that were either canceled, truncated, or stalled.
County Road 105 (Cross River Drive-Hot Water Street) was a proposed western extension of existing CR 105 between County Road 104 south of Flanders and County Road 111 near Manorville. This was to be the third link in the formerly proposed Central Suffolk Highway project.
County Road 103 (Cedar Swamp Road) was a proposed connecting road in Riverhead beginning at County Road 51, running along the western edge of Cranberry Bog County Park, then crossing the Peconic River and ending either at County Road 58 east of Osborn Avenue, or at the formerly proposed North Fork extension of the Long Island Expressway.
County Roads 83 and 83A (Patchogue-Mt. Sinai Road and Cedar Beach Spur) was a planned extension of Patchogue-Mount Sinai Road that was to begin north of NY 25A then east through Miller Place to Sound Beach, with an extension to Cedar Beach Town Park in Mount Sinai, New York. In addition, there was a proposed extension south of NY 27 into the Village of Patchogue, possibly as far south as the Great South Bay.
In 1936, the Regional Plan Association recommended the extension of the Southern State Parkway along the route of the Heckscher State Parkway east to Islip Terrace, then on new right-of-way east to Montauk Point. The proposed eastern extension of the Southern State Parkway was never officially mapped by the LISPC. However, it may have considered by the LISPC as a long-range proposal, since it would have connected to the William Floyd Parkway and (unbuilt) Ponquogue Causeway, as well as to Hither Hills and Montauk Point state parks. Once Sunrise Highway was extended, and proposed to be further extended into The Hamptons, the proposal was deemed unnecessary, although part of the right-of-way may've been used for the Woodside Avenue extensions.
County Route 107 (West Babylon-Centerport Highway) was planned to replace Cadman Road, Hubbard's Path, part of Belmont Avenue, and most of County Road 86 (Broadway-Greenlawn Road).
Throughout the 20th century, Suffolk County in the U.S. state of New York planned to upgrade and improve many of its roads. Most of the construction of these roads took place between the 1940s and 1980s. However, many of them were unfinished, unbuilt or never upgraded due to fiscal concerns and a rash of anti-highway opposition in the late 20th century. Furthermore, not all that were planned were intended to be limited-access highways. Those that were unbuilt or unfinished are listed as follows.
County Road 2 was proposed to be extended as part of a lengthening of Straight Path (named Straight Path Extension) northeast of NY 231. The terminus was either to be at County Road 4 (Commack Road) at the north end of the multiplex with the proposed Babylon-Northport Expressway or would merge with Carll's Straight Path just south of the Long Island Expressway, then terminate at Long Island Motor Parkway with another potential unorthodox interchange with the Babylon-Northport Expressway.
County Road 8 (Yaphank Bypass) was to be a new four-lane road beginning at the vicinity of exit 66 of the Long Island Expressway, running west of the Carman's River and terminating at County Road 21 near Bayliss (Bailey) Road.
County Road 24 (formerly Longwood Road) was planned as a Farmingville-Upton Turnpike, along Granny Road, Ashton Road, part of East Bartlett Road and Longwood Road.
Not to be confused with New York State Route 25, County Road 25 (formerly Wading River-Center Moriches Road) was planned to be widened and realigned west of the existing Wading River-Center Moriches Road between the Long Island Expressway's exit 69, then run south towards Moriches-Middle Island Road west of exit 59 on Sunrise Highway, where it would continue south towards Montauk Highway at the western terminus of the Moriches Bypass(Suffolk CR 98). The project was never built, and the Suffolk CR 25 designation eventually faded into oblivion.
Though presently a pair of unsigned roads on the North Fork, County Road 26 (North Brookhaven Expressway) was planned as an eastern extension of NY 347 (Nesconset-Port Jefferson Highway).
County Road 38 (North Sea Road) was proposed as a four-lane highway running along the shore of the Great Peconic Bay, Little Peconic Bay, Shelter Island Sound, Gardiner's Bay, and Napeague Bay. The extension was to be known as the Sag Harbor-Promised Land Road. This proposal dates as far back as the 1930s,[3] but continued to show up on maps well into the 1980s.
County Road 39 (North Road in Shinnecock Hills, Hampton Bays-Amagansett Road) was planned as an extension of North Road between Flying Point and the Sunrise Highway extension east of County Road 79 (Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Road).
Although County Road 48 (Middle Road) was planned to be upgraded as part of an extension of the Long Island Expressway leading to a bridge to either Old Saybrook, Connecticut or Watch Hill, Rhode Island, an additional westward extension of Suffolk CR 48 at least to Suffolk CR 105 was proposed in anticipation of the construction of a second Long Island Lighting Company nuclear power plant in Jamesport, New York. Both the nuclear plant and the road were cancelled due to public opposition, however, Sound Avenue is still listed on the books as being part of CR 48 between Cross River Drive and Middle Road by Suffolk County, despite the fact that signs indicate that the road is the western terminus of CR 48.
County Roads 50A and 50C (Union Boulevard Extensions) were two proposed extensions of County Road 50 west of Babylon and east of Great River. The eastern extension was intended to run between Oakdale and Sayville. Like the existing CR 50, it was to run along the Montauk Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. The western extension was to run between NY 109 in West Babylon and CR 34 in Babylon, along Park Avenue. Both were to be re-designated as CR 50.
County Road 55 (Eastport-Manor Road Extension) was a proposed extension of Eastport-Manor Road north of County Road 111 (Port Jefferson Westhampton Beach Highway) into the grounds of the Grumman Calverton Naval Air Weapons Research Facility. Was to include an interchange with the Long Island Expressway, which was more than likely to be named exit 70A.
Currently the unmarked Abrams Landing Road(former Suffolk CR 33A) in Amagansett, County Road 74 (Promised Land Road Extension) was a proposed western extension of County Road 33 to Abrams Landing Road terminating at Montauk Highway near County Road 45 (Springs-Amagansett Road).
County Roads 83 and 83A (Patchogue-Mt. Sinai Road and Cedar Beach Spur) was a planned extension of Patchogue-Mount Sinai Road that was to begin north of NY 25A then east through Miller Place to Sound Beach, with an extension to Cedar Beach Town Park in Mount Sinai, New York. In addition, there was a proposed extension south of NY 27 into the Village of Patchogue, possibly as far south as the Great South Bay.
County Road 90 (Furrow's Road and Peconic Avenue) was planned as a Central Suffolk Highway, the second part of a proposed reconnection of the two segments of NY 24.
County Road 91 (Manorville Branch Road) was a proposed highway that was to run along the former Manorville Branch of the Long Island Rail Road, that connected the Main Branch in Manorville and Montauk Branch in Eastport.
County Road 94 (Nugent Drive Extension) was to be a northwest extension of existing CR 94, replacing part of Edwards Avenue, then break away from it north of the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road. The road was to have interchanges with NY 25 and County Road 54 (Hulse Landing Road). West of there, it would then replace part of Sound Avenue until terminating at NY 25A.
County Road 100 (Suffolk Avenue) was planned as a Central Suffolk Highway, part of a proposed reconnection of the two segments of NY 24. Only the portion between County Road 13 and NY 454 exists to this day.
County Road 101 (Sills Road Extension) was to be given to two extensions north of exit 66 on the Long Island Expressway. One of the two extensions would lead northeast to County Road 46 (William Floyd Parkway). The first of which was to begin at the northeast corner of Patchogue-Yaphank Road & Long Island Avenue (north side of the L.I.E.), which would then cross over Gerard Road, Lower Yaphank Lake, County Road 21 (East Main Street), and then continue northeastward to just south of the intersection of William Floyd Parkway and Longwood Road. The second would follow the existing Patchogue-Yaphank Road into "downtown" Yaphank, eliminating the two triangle intersections with Mill Road, then East & West Main Street, then heading eastward toward the aforementioned route to CR 46 and Longwood Road. Another proposal would lead it to the north side of the former Parr Meadows race track.
County Road 103 (Cedar Swamp Road) was a proposed connecting road in Riverhead beginning at County Road 51, running along the western edge of Cranberry Bog County Park, then crossing the Peconic River and ending either at County Road 58 east of Osborn Avenue, or at the formerly proposed North Fork extension of the Long Island Expressway.
County Road 105 (Cross River Drive-Hot Water Street) was a proposed western extension of existing CR 105 between County Road 104 south of Flanders and County Road 111 near Manorville. This was to be the third link in the formerly proposed Central Suffolk Highway project.
County Route 107 (West Babylon-Centerport Highway) was planned to replace Cadman Road, Hubbard's Path, part of Belmont Avenue, and most of County Road 86 (Broadway-Greenlawn Road).
County Road 108 (Old Willet's Path) was also to include Plymouth Boulevard, and most of Old Northport Road, and terminate at County Road 11 west of the railroad bridge over the Port Jefferson Branch of the Long Island Rail Road.
County Road 111 (Port Jefferson-Westhampton Beach Highway) was to be a direct route from the north shore to the Hamptons. Only a portion of the road was built between Manorville and near Eastport. The road essentially became merely a four-lane version of Eastport-Manorville Road, the original two-lane road it replaced.
While the upgrading of NY 27 (Sunrise Highway) was delayed near Patchogue, there were occasional rumors of an effort to upgrade Roe Boulevard West, Roe Boulevard East, Vernon Avenue and Washington Place as a four-lane highway in order to take up the slack. As Sunrise Highway was finally upgraded between 1988 and 1993, the proposal to widen these roads was scrapped.
Bear Mountain Parkway's 1.8 mile gap between Cortlandt and Yorktown has been left in limbo since the two segments were completed in 1932. As recently as 2002 a proposal to merge the two sections was considered.
Spring Valley Bypass; In 1958, Ramapo town engineer Edwin Wallace noticed an increase in the amount of traffic passing through the village of Spring Valley. This led Wallace to propose a 5-mile (8.0 km) bypass of the village, starting at NY 59 in Monsey and ending at NY 45 in Hillcrest. Rockland County approved the proposed bypass two years later, and the plans were forwarded to the New York State Department of Transportation.[9]
A major 4-lane straightening and expansion of the Hutchinson River Parkway in Eastchester through a park was put on indefinite hold after outcry from local residents in 1978 and 1979.
The Taconic State Parkway was rerouted further away from what is now Lake Taghkanic State Park in 1946 when owners of the vacation cottages that would have been condemened along the lake's west shore objected. Construction of the highway was held up for two years while a new route was acquired and planned
Buffalo-Niagara Falls was also not immune to freeway revolts. An extensive system of highways and parkways were planned to be built in the counties of Niagara and Erie.
Interstate 990 was originally to extend all the way to Lockport, New York and eventually to Rochester, New York; instead, it terminates at New York State Route 263. Also, the expressway was planned to cross the east side of Buffalo, in a portion to be called the Crosstown Expressway; it would have terminated at the Niagara section Interstate 190 near the northern sections of South Buffalo.
River Road Expressway Buffalo Beltway in Niagara Falls to South Grand Island Bridges.
Tonawanda Expressway (Today's Twin Cities Memorial Highway New York State Route 425) Creating a freeway instead of an arterial from Interstate 290 to the Buffalo Beltway.
Tuscarora Expressway An outer Beltway for the City of Niagara Falls from Tonawanda Expressway to Robert Moses State Parkway.
