Interstate 895 (New York)

Interstate 895 marker

Interstate 895
Arthur V. Sheridan Expressway

Map of Interstate 895 (New York)

Map of the Bronx in New York City with I-895 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NYSDOT
Length: 1.29 mi[1] (2.08 km)
History: Completed in 1962 as I-278;[2] renumbered to I-895 on January 1, 1970[3]
Major junctions
South end: I-278 in Hunts Point
North end: I-95 in West Farms
Highway system
NY 890NY 961F

Interstate 895 (I-895), named the Arthur V. Sheridan Expressway (and locally known as the Sheridan Expressway or just The Sheridan), is a short freeway in the New York City borough of the Bronx, forming a short connecting link in the Interstate Highway System. Its south end is at a merge with the Bruckner Expressway (I-278) in the Hunts Point neighborhood, and its north end is at the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95), with a short continuation connecting with local West Farms streets. The highway opened to traffic in 1962[2] and received its current Interstate route designation in 1970. It was named for the Bronx Borough Commissioner of Public Works Arthur V. Sheridan, who died in a motor car crash in 1952.[4]

Route description

Overhead guide signs for the Sheridan on the Bruckner Expressway

I-895 begins at exit 49 on I-278, also known as the Bruckner Expressway, in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx. The 6-lane highway heads northward, paralleling the Bronx River and the Amtrak-owned Northeast Corridor railroad tracks. There is a lone interchange, which is for Westchester Avenue, at 0.6 miles (1.0 km) in. A frontage road begins to parallel the roadway until it terminates at a cul-de-sac in East Tremont. The Sheridan crosses over East 174th Street and officially ends at an interchange with the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95) in East Tremont. The roadway continues beyond the Cross Bronx as a short connector to local West Farms streets.[5]

History

In 1941, the New York City Planning Department proposed a short expressway route to connect the Bronx Crosstown Highway (now the Cross Bronx Expressway) and the Southern Boulevard Express Highway (now the Bruckner Expressway). The purpose was to have a commercial-vehicle friendly alternate to the Bronx River Parkway. Construction began in 1958 and in October 1962, the $9.5 million expressway was opened to traffic.

Bicycling on the Sheridan during Transportation Alternatives' 2007 "Tour de Bronx"

Over the years, the expressway has received a number of Interstate designations. It was originally designated as I-695 in late 1958. In early 1959, the highway designation was changed to I-895. Later that year, however, I-278 was rerouted to use the Sheridan Expressway. This was the designation of the highway when it opened in 1962. On January 1, 1970, I-278 was realigned to follow the Bruckner Expressway east to the Bruckner Interchange while the Sheridan Expressway was redesignated as I-895.[3]

The Sheridan Expressway was originally planned to extend northeast to the Bruckner Expressway (I-95) at Co-op City, creating a shortcut toward New England.[2] This extension was, however, cancelled.[2] Because of the cancellation of the extension, the Sheridan is locally seen as a useless stub, serving the same movements as the Major Deegan Expressway (I-87) and Bronx River Parkway.[6][7]

Future

The future of the Sheridan Expressway is uncertain. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) proposed expanding the highway in 1997.[8] The plan faced opposition rooted in claims of environmental justice from community groups, which proposed an alternative calling for the river-front expressway to be replaced with affordable housing, schools and green space.[9]

In August 2008 the alternative community plan was under consideration by NYSDOT.[10] The plan gained momentum in July 2010;[7] however, the state opposed the plan to demolish the highway, citing a study showing that local traffic would be worsened.[11] On June 11, 2012, the Daily News reported that the administration of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was also opposed to the removal.[12] The dispute between the local community and the city and state governments has led to a stalemate, what the Daily News called a "crossroads" and "a road to nowhere".[13]

Exit list

The entire route is in the New York City borough of The Bronx. All exits are unnumbered.

Locationmi[1][14]kmDestinationsNotes
Hunts Point0.000.00 I-278 west Robert F. Kennedy BridgeExit 49 on I-278
0.200.32Bruckner BoulevardNorthbound entrance only
0.610.98Westchester Avenue Hunts Point MarketNo southbound entrance
West Farms1.292.08 I-95 south George Washington Bridge, Trenton, NJNo northbound entrance; exit 4A on I-95
1.402.25West Farms RoadSouthbound exit ramp in planning stages
1.502.41 East 177th Street / East Tremont Avenue to I-95 north / Bronx River ParkwayAt-grade intersection
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "2008 Traffic Volume Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. June 16, 2009. p. 247. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Anderson, Steve. "Sheridan Expressway". NYCRoads. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  3. 1 2 State of New York Department of Transportation (January 1, 1970). Official Description of Touring Routes in New York State (PDF). Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  4. "Sheridan Expressway – Historical Sign". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  5. Microsoft; Nokia (August 14, 2015). "overview map of I-895/Sheridan Expressway" (Map). Bing Maps. Microsoft. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  6. "Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance Stand On Sheridan During Rush Hour" (PDF) (Press release). Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance. July 21, 2009. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  7. 1 2 Dolnick, Sam (July 12, 2010). "Plan to Remove Bronx Expressway Gains Traction". The New York Times. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  8. "The Bruckner–Sheridan Environmental Impact Statement". Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  9. "Sheridan Lands/Community Visions". Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  10. Wiswall, Kyle (August 13, 2008). "One Less Reason to Keep the Sheridan Expressway". Mobilizing the Region. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  11. Dolnick, Sam (July 13, 2010). "Local Traffic Would Worsen Without Sheridan, Study Shows". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  12. Deekman, Daniel (June 11, 2012). "Transportation officials nix Sheridan Expressway removal". Daily News (New York City). Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  13. Beekman, Daniel (July 20, 2010). "Sheridan at crossroads: Local advocates want expressway closed, but DOT warns of traffic snafus". Daily News (New York City). Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  14. Google (January 9, 2016). "Sheridan Expressway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 9, 2016.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interstate 895 (New York).
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, May 06, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.