The
Bronx River Parkway is a 19.12 miles (30.77 km) long
parkwayThe term parkway has several distinct principal meanings and numerous synonyms around the world, for either a type of landscaped area or a type of road.Type of landscaped area:...
in
downstate New YorkDownstate New York is a term denoting the southeastern portion of New York State, United States, in contrast to Upstate New York. The term "Downstate New York" has significantly less currency than its counterpart term "Upstate New York", and the Downstate region is often not regarded as one...
. It is named for the nearby
Bronx RiverThe Bronx River, approximately long, flows through southeast New York in the United States. It is named after colonial settler Jonas Bronck. The Bronx River is the only fresh water river in New York City....
, which it parallels. The southern terminus of the parkway is at Story Avenue near
Bruckner ExpresswayThe Bruckner Expressway is a freeway in The Bronx. It carries Interstate 278 and Interstate 95 from the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge to the south end of the New England Thruway at the Pelham Parkway interchange....
in
the BronxThe Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
neighborhood of
SoundviewSoundview is primarily a residential neighborhood geographically located in the South Central section of the Borough of The Bronx in New York City. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 9...
. The northern terminus is at the Kensico Circle in
North CastleNorth Castle is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 11,841 at the 2010 census. It has no villages.-Geography:...
,
Westchester CountyWestchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, where the parkway connects to the
Taconic State ParkwayThe Taconic State Parkway , is a divided highway between Kensico Dam and Chatham, the longest parkway in the U.S. state of New York. It follows a generally northward route midway between the Hudson River and the Connecticut and Massachusetts state lines...
and, via a short connector, New York State Route 22. Within the Bronx, the parkway is maintained by the
New York State Department of TransportationThe New York State Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S...
and is designated
New York State Route 907H, an unsigned reference route. In Westchester County, the parkway is maintained by the Westchester County Department of Public Works and is designated unsigned
Westchester County Route 9987.
Most of the exits on the parkway, including the traffic light-controlled intersections in Westchester County, have interchange numbers. The term "Bronx River Parkway" originally referred to the Bronx River Reservation, New York's first
linear parkA linear park is a park that is much longer than wide. It is often formed as a part of a rails-to-trails conversion of railroad beds to rail trail recreational use...
, of which the road is a portion, from the Bronx/Westchester line to Kensico Dam Plaza. Current usage of the term confines it to the roadway, but extends it to the portion which now continues southward beyond the Reservation.
Route description
A seven-mile (11 km) section of the Bronx River Parkway in Westchester County south of White Plains is closed to motorist traffic from 10 AM to 2 PM select Sundays in May, June and September (with the exception of Memorial and Labor Day weekends), allowing
bicyclistsA bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
to venture along the scenic road. Another section north of the one reserved for bicyclists is reserved for
inline skatingInline skating is a recreational sport practiced widely internationally. Inline skates typically have 2 to 5 polyurethane wheels, arranged in a single line. The in-line design allows for greater speed than roller skates and better maneuverability...
.
History
Construction began in
Westchester CountyWestchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
in 1907, making it the earliest limited-access automobile highway to start construction. However, although construction on the
Long Island Motor ParkwayThe Long Island Motor Parkway , also known as the Vanderbilt Parkway and Motor Parkway, was the first roadway designed for automobile use only. It was privately built by William Kissam Vanderbilt with overpasses and bridges to remove intersections...
began a year later, a section of the Long Island road opened for traffic before the end of 1908, opening before the Bronx River as the first limited access automobile highway to be put into use. Neither was up to modern freeway standards, utilizing left turns across the opposing direction at access points.
The Bronx River Parkway was the first highway to utilize a median strip to separate the opposing lanes, the first highway constructed through a park, and the first highway where intersecting streets crossed over bridges.
The Westchester section of the Bronx River Parkway first opened to traffic in 1922 and was completed in 1925. A new roadway in the
New York City boroughNew York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of
the BronxThe Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
including an extension south of the former
Botanical Gardens- See also :* Education in New York City* List of botanical gardens in the United States* List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City- External links :* official website** blog*...
/Burke Avenue terminus opened in 1951. That extension diverges eastward from the river.
From 1953 to 1955, a 2.6 miles (4.2 km) segment of the parkway between Bronxville and the Bronx was closed to straighten and widen the road. During this reconstruction period, a new overpass was also built for the
Cross County ParkwayThe Cross County Parkway is a long parkway in Westchester County, New York. The parkway is a critical east–west connection throughout Westchester, having full interchanges with every major north–south parkway in southern Westchester, in addition to the New York State Thruway mainline....
.
Late exit modifications
During the 1960s and since then an entrance and exit on the northbound side between current exits 5 and 6 in the Bronx, and an associated U-turn from southbound to northbound, formerly open to general traffic, were reserved for official use by police and the Parks Dept. which maintains an office there. This was around the time other U-turns were being eliminated from various parkways in New York City.
A gas station in the wide median between Bronx exits 7 and 8, north of the pedestrian overpass to the Botanical Garden, was closed due to fire in the early 1980s and has since been razed and the median relandscaped. Of a pair of former gas stations on the outer margins of the roadway in Westchester near Crestwood, the southbound one is currently being used as a Westchester County Police Sub-Station, and the northbound used only as a tourist information stand.
The interchange with the Cross County Parkway did not provide direct access to and from both directions of the latter until extra ramps and an extra overpass were provided in the 1970s. The original interchange is now exit 11W.
In 2009 the northbound exit ramp to Oak St., Yonkers was replaced by an exit to Yonkers Ave., a block to the south.
Truncation and extension
The Bronx River Parkway originally went beyond its northern terminus at Kensico Circle to NY Route 22 northbound. Today, the most obvious route through the circle leads motorists directly to and from the
Taconic State ParkwayThe Taconic State Parkway , is a divided highway between Kensico Dam and Chatham, the longest parkway in the U.S. state of New York. It follows a generally northward route midway between the Hudson River and the Connecticut and Massachusetts state lines...
, and the way to NY 22 northbound is considered to be a little spur off the circle. This spur from the Kensico Circle to NY 22 is unsigned
County Route 68. Prior to heightened security measures enacted post-September 11th motorists could take the road that leads towards NY 22 and then drive across the top of the Kensico Dam and eventually re-connect with the Taconic State Parkway.
An extension from the southern terminus in the Bronx into
Soundview Park was proposed until the 1970s.
Westchester designation
The southernmost portion of the parkway in Westchester, south of the Sprain, is internally designated as NY 907G, an unsigned reference route, in apparent violation of the numbering standard. Ordinarily, the second digit should be the region.
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Long Island, regions 10 and 11, share 0; Westchester is region 8 (the
Hutchinson River ParkwayThe Hutchinson River Parkway is a north–south parkway in southern New York, United States. It extends for from the massive Bruckner Interchange in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx to the New York – Connecticut state line at Rye Brook...
also shares this oddity). The section south of here is marked only with reference markers, and the section north only with county mileposts. This middle section has county mileposts in the middle, and reference markers with state mileposts (counting from the southern terminus in the Bronx, not the city line) alongside. However, Reference Route 907G is no longer listed in the NYSDOT traffic counts and the entirety of the parkway in the county is considered a county route by Westchester County.
Exit list
|-
|rowspan=11|Bronx
|rowspan=2|
SoundviewSoundview is primarily a residential neighborhood geographically located in the South Central section of the Borough of The Bronx in New York City. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 9...
|0.00
|1
|Story Avenue
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
|
|2E-W
| / Watson Avenue
|No northbound exit for exit 2E; No southbound exit for Watson Avenue
|-
|rowspan=3|
West FarmsWest Farms is a residential neighborhood in a west central part of The Bronx, New York City, also known as the northeast corner of the South Bronx. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 6...
|
|3
|Westchester Avenue
|Southbound exit only
|-
|0.80
|4
|
|
|-
|
|5
|
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
|rowspan=4|
Bronx ParkBronx Park, laid out along the Bronx River in the Bronx, New York, is the home of the New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo. Bicycle paths go northwest, north and east, along Mosholu Parkway, Bronx River Parkway and Pelham Parkway respectively...
|
|6
|
|
|-
|2.30
|7E
|
|
|-
|2.30
|7W
|
|
|-
|3.10
|8
|
|Signed as exits 8E (Allerton Avenue) and 8W (Mosholu Parkway)
|-
|
WilliamsbridgeWilliamsbridge is a working class neighborhood geographically located in the northeast Bronx borough of New York City in the United States. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 12. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: East 222nd Street to the north, Boston...
|4.00
|9
|Gun Hill Road
|
|-
|
WoodlawnWoodlawn is a neighborhood at the very north end of the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Unlike some neighborhoods in New York City, its boundaries are fairly well-defined, as it is bounded by McLean Avenue to the north, which is approximately the New York City / Westchester County line, the...
|5.40
|10
|East 233rd Street
|
|-
|rowspan=30|
WestchesterWestchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
|rowspan=15|
YonkersYonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
|
|10C
|
Bronx River RoadBronx River Road is a major street and neighborhood in Yonkers, New York. It runs alongside the Bronx River, Bronx River Parkway, and Metro-North railroad tracks in south-eastern Yonkers. On the other side of the Bronx River is the City of Mount Vernon, New York as well as the Bronx...
- Yonkers, Bronx
|Southbound exit and entrance
|-
|
|10A
|
Yonkers AvenueYonkers Avenue is an east–west street in the city of Yonkers in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is one of four major east–west through routes in the city. The western terminus of the street is at Nepperhan Avenue, which connects to U.S. Route 9 and New York State Route 9A...
/ Mount Vernon Avenue - Yonkers
|Northbound exit and entrance
|-
|
|10B
|
Bronx River RoadBronx River Road is a major street and neighborhood in Yonkers, New York. It runs alongside the Bronx River, Bronx River Parkway, and Metro-North railroad tracks in south-eastern Yonkers. On the other side of the Bronx River is the City of Mount Vernon, New York as well as the Bronx...
- Yonkers
|Southbound exit and entrance
|-
|7.87
|11
|
|Signed as exits 11E (east) and 11W (west)
|-
|8.86
|
|
|Northbound exit and southbound entrance
|-
|
|1A
|Desmond Avenue - Yonkers
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
|
|1
|Paxton Avenue –
BronxvilleBronxville is an affluent village within the town of Eastchester, New York, in the United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately north of midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County. At the 2010 census, Bronxville had a population of 6,323...
|No southbound exit
|-
|
|2
|West Pondfield Road –
BronxvilleBronxville is an affluent village within the town of Eastchester, New York, in the United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately north of midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County. At the 2010 census, Bronxville had a population of 6,323...
,
YonkersYonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
|Northbound exit only
|-
|
|3
|Elm Street –
TuckahoeTuckahoe is a village in the town of Eastchester in Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village's population was 6,486....
|Northbound exit and entrance
|-
|9.26
|4
|Scarsdale Road – Crestwood (Yonkers),
TuckahoeTuckahoe is a village in the town of Eastchester in Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village's population was 6,486....
|At-grade
|-
|
|6
|Read Avenue – Crestwood (Yonkers)
|Southbound exit only
|-
|
|8
|Thompson Street - Crestwood (Yonkers)
|Northbound exit and entrance
Crestwood StationThe Crestwood Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of Crestwood, NY, which is in the city of Yonkers and the residents of the northern part of Tuckahoe, Westchester County, New York via the Harlem Line. It is from Grand Central Terminal...
Parking Lot
|-
|
|8
|Vermont Terrace – Crestwood (Yonkers)
|Southbound exit and entrance
|-
|
|9
|Leewood Drive – Eastchester
|At-grade intersection, except for northbound exit
|-
|12.26
|10
|Strathmore Road / Harney Road –
YonkersYonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
, Eastchester
|At-grade intersection
|-
|
GreenburghGreenburgh is a town in the western part of Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 88,400 at the 2010 census. Paul J. Feiner has been the Town Supervisor since 1991.-History:...
|
|11
|Ardsley Road –
GreenburghGreenburgh is a town in the western part of Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 88,400 at the 2010 census. Paul J. Feiner has been the Town Supervisor since 1991.-History:...
,
ScarsdaleScarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
|Southbound exit and entrance
|-
|rowspan=6|
ScarsdaleScarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
|13.28
|12
|Crane Road –
ScarsdaleScarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
|No southbound entrance
|-
|
|13
|Ogden Road –
ScarsdaleScarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
|Northbound exit and entrance
|-
|
|14
|Butler Road –
ScarsdaleScarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
|Northbound exit and entrance
|-
|15.41
|15
|Fenimore Road / East Hartsdale Avenue –
ScarsdaleScarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
,
HartsdaleHartsdale is a hamlet and a census-designated place located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York. The population was 5,293 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hartsdale is located at ....
/
GreenburghGreenburgh is a town in the western part of Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 88,400 at the 2010 census. Paul J. Feiner has been the Town Supervisor since 1991.-History:...
|Northbound exit and southbound entrance
|-
|
|16
|Greenacres Avenue –
ScarsdaleScarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
|Southbound exit only
|-
|
|18
|Claremont Road –
ScarsdaleScarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
|Northbound exit and entrance
|-
|rowspan=7|
White PlainsWhite Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
|
|19
|Walworth Crossing -
White PlainsWhite Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
,
ScarsdaleScarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
|Northbound exit and entrance
|-
|
|21
| -
White PlainsWhite Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
|No northbound entrance
|-
|16.74
|22
|
|At-grade intersection
|-
|
|23
|Old Tarrytown Road –
GreenburghGreenburgh is a town in the western part of Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 88,400 at the 2010 census. Paul J. Feiner has been the Town Supervisor since 1991.-History:...
|At-grade intersection
|-
|
|24
|Fisher Lane –
GreenburghGreenburgh is a town in the western part of Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 88,400 at the 2010 census. Paul J. Feiner has been the Town Supervisor since 1991.-History:...
,
North CastleNorth Castle is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 11,841 at the 2010 census. It has no villages.-Geography:...
|At-grade intersection
|-
|
|25
|Parkway Homes Road –
GreenburghGreenburgh is a town in the western part of Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 88,400 at the 2010 census. Paul J. Feiner has been the Town Supervisor since 1991.-History:...
,
North CastleNorth Castle is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 11,841 at the 2010 census. It has no villages.-Geography:...
|At-grade intersection
|-
|18.60
|26
|Virginia Road -
GreenburghGreenburgh is a town in the western part of Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 88,400 at the 2010 census. Paul J. Feiner has been the Town Supervisor since 1991.-History:...
,
North CastleNorth Castle is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 11,841 at the 2010 census. It has no villages.-Geography:...
|At-grade intersection
|-
|
North CastleNorth Castle is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 11,841 at the 2010 census. It has no villages.-Geography:...
|19.12
|
|
|Kensico Circle
See also
- List of reference routes in New York
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Bronx County, New York
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Westchester County, New York
External links