Pelham Parkway
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(December 2019) |
Pelham Parkway | |
|---|---|
| Bronx and Pelham Parkway | |
 Pelham Parkway highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained byNYCDOT | |
| Length | 2.25 mi[1](3.62 km) |
| Restrictions | No commercial vehicles from US 1 to Stillwell Avenue (excluding service roads) |
| Major junctions | |
| West end |   US 1/Bronx River ParkwayinBronx Park |
US 1in Bronx Park Hutchinson River ParkwayinPelham Bay | |
| East end |  I-95/Shore RoadinPelham Bay Park |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| Counties | Bronx |
| Highway system | |
TheBronx and Pelham Parkway,also known formally as theBronx–Pelham Parkwaybut calledPelham Parkwayin everyday use, is a 2.25-mile-long (3.62 km)parkwayin theboroughofthe BronxinNew York City.The road begins inBronx Parkat theBronx River ParkwayandU.S. Route 1(US 1) and ends atInterstate 95(I-95), theNew England Thruway,inPelham Bay Park,hence the roadway's name. The parkway is designated asNew York State Route 907F(NY 907F), an unsignedreference route,by theNew York State Department of Transportation(NYSDOT).
Despite the parkway moniker, Pelham Parkway is partially afreewayand partially aboulevard,with two main roadways (one in each direction), and two service roads on the surface section. Like other parkways in New York City, commercial traffic is not permitted on the surface section, however it can use the paralleling service roads. The parkway is maintained by theNew York City Department of Transportation.
The residential neighborhood that surrounds the parkway isMorris Park,though the part of the neighborhood closest to the road is commonly referred to asPelham Parkway.
Abikeway,which signed as a portion of theEast Coast Greenwaytravels alongside the parkway for its entire length.
Route description[edit]
Pelham Parkway begins at acloverleaf interchangewith theBronx River Parkway(exit 7W–E) in theBronx Parksection ofthe Bronx.West of here, it continues asEast Fordham Road,which also carries the US 1 designation. The first 0.18 miles (0.29 km) of the Pelham Parkway isco-signedwith US 1.[2]At an intersection withBoston Road– named for theBoston Post Road– US 1 turns north and leaves the parkway.
The road, a six-lane dividedboulevard,crosses under theNew York City Subway'sIRT White Plains Road Line(the2and 5trains) at thePelham Parkway stationat an intersection withWhite Plains Road.The parkway continues east through theMorris Parkneighborhood, passing and intersecting with Williamsbridge Road, which leads to theJacobi Medical Center.At this intersection, the parkway also crosses over theIRT Dyre Avenue Line(the5train) at the undergroundPelham Parkwaystation on that line. The parkway bends eastward, crossing Eastchester Road, then Stillwell Avenue merges into the parkway, marking the eastern end of the service roads.[3]
After Stillwell Avenue and leaving Morris Park, the parkway becomes afreeway,with all entrances and exits having ramps, rather than signalized intersections crossing the center barrier. The parkway crosses over theNortheast Corridortracks and entersPelham Bay.It enters a cloverleaf interchange with theHutchinson River Parkway(exit 3). Less than 0.5 miles (0.80 km) later, the parkway entersPelham Bay Parkand has another cloverleaf interchange withI-95(theNew England Thruway). This junction serves as the eastern terminus of Pelham Parkway, which continues east into the park as anexpresswayknown asShore Road.[3]
The speed limit on the parkway is 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) between Boston Road and Stillwell Avenue (the surface section), and 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) between Stillwell Avenue and Shore Road (the freeway section).
Pelham Parkway is maintained by theNew York City Department of Transportation(NYCDOT), while the surrounding landscaping and bike path are managed by theNew York City Parks Department.The parkway between White Plains Road and Stillwell Avenue has a wide landscaped median between the frontage roads on both sides and the westbound main road. The space between the westbound main and frontage roads on the north side is used as a park, with benches and walking paths.
The parkway also has two bike paths between Boston Road and Stillwell Avenue, one for each direction. These bike paths are part of the largerEast Coast Greenway,which connectsMaineandFlorida.
History[edit]
Origins[edit]
In the 1870s, landscape architectFrederick Law Olmstedenvisioned agreenbeltacross the Bronx, consisting of parks and parkways that would align with existing geography.[4][5]: 47 However, in 1877, the city declined to act upon his plan.[6]Around the same time,New York HeraldeditorJohn Mullalypushed for the creation of parks in New York City, particularly lauding theVan Cortlandtand Pell families' properties in the western and eastern Bronx respectively. He formed theNew York Park Associationin November 1881.[5]: 49 [7]There were objections to the system, which would apparently be too far from Manhattan, in addition to precluding development on the parks' sites.[8][9]However, newspapers and prominent lobbyists, who supported such a park system, were able to petition the bill into theNew York State Senate,and later, theNew York State Assembly(the legislature'slower house).[8]: 56 [10]
In June 1884, GovernorGrover Clevelandsigned theNew Parks Actinto law, authorizing the creation of the park system.[8][9][11]The system consisted of three parkways and six parks, withBronx Parkat the center of the system. Bronx Park was connected toPelham Bay Parkin the east via Pelham Parkway; toVan Cortlandt Parkin the northwest viaMosholu Parkway;and toCrotona Parkin the south via Crotona Parkway. There were no direct connections to Claremont Park andSt. Mary's Park,the other two parks in the system.[5]
Construction, proposed upgrades[edit]
The original Pelham Parkway was built in 1911 and opened in 1912 as a small, two-lane road in today's westbound lanes through what was then rural Westchester County. The road had strict building codes, as nobody could build within 150 feet of it.[12]
When New York City boomed after World War I and the Bronx became part of the city and neighborhoods, highways, and parks built up, the Pelham Parkway became a commuter route. Construction on today's Pelham Parkway started in 1935 under parks commissionerRobert Mosesand was completed in 1937.[citation needed]
In the 1950s and 1960s, Moses wanted to upgrade the parkway to afreewayand extend it to theHenry Hudson Parkwayin the Inwood neighborhood ofManhattan.It would also connect to proposed limited-access upgrade and extension of theMosholu Parkwayand a large interchange withI-95and a never built portion ofI-895at the current interchange with I-95 in Pelham Bay. Due to a growing opposition to highway improvements in the city partially fueled by opposition to the construction of theCross Bronx Expressway,only the section from Shore Road to Stillwell Avenue was upgraded to a freeway.[13][14]
Present[edit]
In 2010, many trees were cut down along the Pelham Parkway so that NYSDOT could install a guardrail in response to an uptick in accidents. While there was local opposition to this, the project was carried out, and the parks department vowed to plant 200 new trees along the parkway.[15]
Major intersections[edit]
The entire route is in theNew York Cityboroughofthe Bronx.
| Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronx Park | 0.00 | 0.00 |  US 1south (Fordham Road) | Western terminus; western end of US 1concurrency | |
| Bronx River Parkway–Soundview Park,White Plains | Cloverleaf interchange;exit 7E on Bronx River Parkway | ||||
| Morris Park | 0.18 | 0.29 |  US 1north (Boston Road) | Eastern end of US 1 concurrency; all trucks must exit | |
| 0.65 | 1.05 | Williamsbridge Road | |||
| 1.35 | 2.17 |  Eastchester Road | ServesJacobi Medical Center | ||
| 1.50 | 2.41 | Stillwell Avenue | All trucks must exit | ||
| Western end of freeway section | |||||
| Pelham Bay | 1.87 | 3.01 | Hutchinson River Parkway–Rye,Whitestone Bridge,New England | No westbound access to Parkway north; exits 1C-D on Hutchinson Pkwy. | |
| Pelham Bay Park | 2.25 | 3.62 |   I-95toHutchinson River Parkwaynorth –Co-op City,George Washington Bridge,Throggs Neck Bridge | Exits 8B-C on I-95; Hutchinson Pkwy. not signed eastbound; located nearPelham Bay Park station | |
| Shore Road–Orchard Beach,City Island | Continuation east | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ab"2008 Traffic Volume Report for New York State"(PDF).New York State Department of Transportation.June 16, 2009. p. 254.RetrievedMarch 25,2010.
- ^"2014 Traffic Data Report for New York State"(PDF).New York State Department of Transportation.July 22, 2015.RetrievedJanuary 20,2020.
- ^abMicrosoft;Nokia."overview map of Pelham Parkway"(Map).Bing Maps.Microsoft.RetrievedFebruary 20,2013.
- ^Olmsted, Frederick Law; Vaux, Calvert; Croes, John James Robertson (1968). Fein, Albert (ed.).Landscape into cityscape: Frederick Law Olmsted's plans for a greater New York City.Cornell University Press. p. 331.ISBN9780442225391.
- ^abcGonzalez, Evelyn (June 5, 2004).The Bronx.Columbia University Press.ISBN978-0-231-50835-3.RetrievedJanuary 8,2017.
- ^Golan, Michael (1975). "Bronx Parks: A Wonder From the Past".Bronx County Historical Society Journal.12(2).The Bronx County Historical Society:32–41.
- ^"The Need of More Parks; First Meeting of the New-York Park Association Yesterday".The New York Times.November 27, 1881.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedAugust 18,2019.
- ^abc"Van Cortlandt Park, Borough of the Bronx: Restoration Master Plan, Part 1"(PDF).New York City Parks Department,Storch Associates. 1986.RetrievedAugust 18,2019.
- ^ab"The Albany Legislators.; Parks for New-York City—Limiting Mayor Edson's Appointments".The New York Times.March 25, 1884.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedAugust 18,2019.
- ^Mullaly, John (1887).The New Parks Beyond the Harlem: With Thirty Illustrations and Map. Descriptions of Scenery. Nearly 4,000 Acres of Free Playground for the People.New York: Nabu Press. pp. 117–138.ISBN978-1-141-64293-9.
- ^"Proposed New Parks".The New York Times.January 24, 1884.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedAugust 18,2019.
- ^"History of the Pelham Parkway".The New York Institute of Special Education.RetrievedNovember 13,2018.
- ^Pelham Parkway; Historic Overview (NYCRoads )
- ^"New Bronx Road Urged by Moses".The New York Times.March 4, 1965.RetrievedJuly 13,2023.
- ^"Bronx Greenbelt: Mosholu and Pelham Parkways".Forgotten NY.RetrievedNovember 13,2018.
External links[edit]
- Pelham Parkway at
- Pelham Parkway & Pelham Bay-Shore Drive @ NYCROADS
