Cross-Bronx Expressway

The Cross-Bronx Expressway is a major expressway in New York City. Part of Interstate 95, Interstate 295 and US 1, the six-lane freeway passes through the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Cross-Bronx Expressway is a major connection between the Alexander Hamilton Bridge on the west side of the Bronx and the Throgs Neck Bridge on the east. The Cross-Bronx is designated Interstate 95 between the Alexander Hamilton Bridge (though many incorrectly refer to the Trans-Manhattan Expressway section as the Cross-Bronx) and the Bruckner Interchange, at which point it becomes Interstate 295 until it ends at the Throgs Neck Bridge. I-95 continues as the Bruckner Expressway and New England Thruway to Connecticut.

History

In 1936, the Regional Plan Association (RPA) proposed a Cross-Bronx highway which would connect the George Washington, Triborough, and Bronx-Whitestone Bridges, as well as access to points north to New England. Five years later, the New York City Planning Planning Department recommended construction of the "Bronx Crosstown Highway."

Robert Moses proposed a six-lane expressway to run through the heart of the South Bronx in 1945. This project proved to be one of the most difficult expressway projects of the time: construction required blasting through ridges, crossing valleys and redirecting rivers. In doing so, minimal disruption to the apartment buildings that topped the ridges in the area of Grand Concourse was a priority. Moreover, the expressway had to cross 113 streets, seven expressways and parkways (some of which were under construction), one subway line, five elevated lines, three commuter rail lines, and hundreds of utility, water and sewer lines, none of which could be interrupted.

Construction began in 1948. The roadway was carefully constructed with twelve-foot wide lanes and ten foot wide cobblestone shoulders. In 1963, the last of the three sections of roadway between the Alexander Hamilton and Throgs Neck Bridges were finished, completing the Cross Bronx Expressway.

Many have blamed the Cross-Bronx Expressway for worsening the decay of already-embattled neighborhoods in the South Bronx, with the prominent example being the neighborhood of Tremont. In Robert Caro's The Power Broker, the author argues that Moses intentionally directed the expressway through this neighborhood, even though there was a more viable option only one block south. Many of the neighborhoods it runs through have been continually poor since before its construction, primarily due to the lowered property value caused by the Expressway. This is partially to blame for the public opposition to many other planned expressways in New York City that were later cancelled. The Cross-Bronx Expressway was an engineering marvel for its time, for it was the first highway to plow through a crowded urban environment. The Expressway was designed by the famed WWII General who also engineered the Burma Road, but in regards to the expressway was quoted as "The [Burma] Road was tough. But that was nothing compared to this son of a bitch". The most expensive mile of road ever built is part of the Cross-Bronx, costing $40,000,000. At one point during construction, Moses' team had supported the Grand Concourse while the Expressway was being rammed through. In the process, crews had to elevate a major thoroughfare, a subway line and an El train.

The expressway is one of the main routes for shipping and transportation through New York City due to its connections with New Jersey via the George Washington Bridge, Long Island via the Throgs Neck and Whitestone Bridges, Upstate New York via Interstate 87 northbound and the Bronx River Parkway, Manhattan via Interstate 87 southbound to the Triborough Bridge, and New England via the New England Thruway (Interstate 95) and the Hutchinson River Parkway.

However, the expressway is known for its extreme traffic problems; on a typical day 145,000 vehicles travel on the six lanes of highway the road contains, and it is not uncommon for truckers to use the Cross-Westchester Expressway to the Major Deegan Expressway to get around this stretch of I-95. Proposals have been made to add a second deck to the road, although to no avail. (Source: NYC Roads)

Exit List

See also

• The Bronx
• Robert Moses

Related roads on Wikipedia

• Image:I-95.svg Interstate 95 in New York
• Image:I-295.svg Interstate 295
• Image:US 1.svg US 1
• Image:I-278.svgImage:I-95.svg Bruckner Expressway
• Image:I-95.svgImage:US 1.svgImage:US 9.svg Trans-Manhattan Expressway
• Image:I-95.svgImage:I-295.svgImage:I-278.svgImage:I-678.svgImage:Hutchinson River Pkwy Shield.svg Bruckner Interchange
• Image:I-295.svg Throgs Neck Bridge
• Image:I-678.svg Whitestone Bridge
• Image:I-95.svgImage:US 1.svg Washington Bridge
• Image:I-95.svgImage:US 1.svgImage:US 9.svgImage:US 46.svg George Washington Bridge

Sources

1. ^ Bruckner Interchange @ Google Maps
2. ^ I-295/I-695 Merge @ Google Maps

Wikipedia information about Cross-Bronx Expressway This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cross-Bronx Expressway". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.