Interstate 95 in New York

Interstate 95 Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Length:	23.50 mi[1] (37.82 km)
South end:	I-95 / US 1-9 in Ft. Lee, NJ
Major junctions:	I-87 in the Bronx I-278 / I-678 / I-295 Bruckner Interchange Hutchinson Pkwy in the Bronx I-287 in Rye
North end:	I-95 in Greenwich, CT
Numbered highways in New York < NY 94 NY 95 > Interstate – U.S. – N.Y. (former) – Reference

Interstate 95 (I-95) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Canada – United States border near Houlton, Maine. In the U.S. state of New York, I-95 extends 23.50 miles (37.82 km) from the George Washington Bridge in New York City to the Connecticut state line at Port Chester. From the George Washington Bridge, which carries I-95 across the Hudson River from New Jersey into New York City, it runs across upper Manhattan on the Trans-Manhattan Expressway and continues east across the Harlem River on the Alexander Hamilton Bridge and onto the Cross-Bronx Expressway. In the Bronx, I-95 leaves the Cross-Bronx at the Bruckner Interchange, joining the Bruckner Expressway to its end. It then continues northeast on the New England Thruway out of New York City into Westchester County and to the Connecticut state line, where I-95 continues on the Connecticut Turnpike.

Through New York, Interstate 95 is statutorily defined as Interstate Route Connection 511 in New York City and Interstate Route 501 in Westchester County.^[2]

Route description

George Washington Bridge

Interstate 95 crosses the Hudson River from Fort Lee, New Jersey on the George Washington Bridge, as a concurrency with U.S. Route 1/9. The bridge carries two levels of roadway and enters the Trans-Manhattan Expressway just below the George Washington Bus Terminal.

Trans-Manhattan Expressway

The Trans Manhattan Expressway uses a dual-dual setup (GW Bridge upper level, inner roadways; lower level, outer roadways) with all ramps towards the bridge splitting for access to each level. The first interchange in New York is a complicated one with NY 9A (Henry Hudson Parkway). Access is also provided to the frontage roads - 178th Street and 179th Street - to the east, providing access for buses to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal and for all vehicles to Broadway. US 9 takes these ramps, heading north on Broadway towards Albany.

East of the Henry Hudson Parkway interchange, I-95 runs east across Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan via the Trans-Manhattan Expressway, which lies in a trench between 178th and 179th Streets. Near its east end, portions of the older 178th Street and 179th Street Tunnels still exist, now closed. West of Broadway, the Expressway passes under the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal; several blocks east of Broadway are covered by apartment buildings built over the trench of the Trans-Manhattan Expressway. After crossing under Amsterdam Avenue, I-95 reaches its second and last interchange in Manhattan, providing access only to and from the south (compass west). Direct ramps run from I-95 to the Harlem River Drive towards the south, as well as to the Washington Bridge over the Harlem River into the Bronx; ramps are also present to connect to Amsterdam Avenue. (Traffic between Amsterdam Avenue and the north on I-95 can cross the Washington Bridge for access to I-95 in the Bronx.) The inner and outer lanes merge right before the Alexander Hamilton Bridge.

Alexander Hamilton Bridge

The Alexander Hamilton Bridge takes I-95 (and US 1) across the Harlem River just south of the Washington Bridge (not to be confused with the George Washington Bridge). A full interchange is provided with Interstate 87 (the Major Deegan Expressway) just after crossing the bridge, and ramps to and from the Washington Bridge are included in that interchange, where the Cross-Bronx Expressway begins its run east across the Bronx.

Cross Bronx Expressway

After the interchange with I-87, Interstate 95 transitions to the Cross Bronx Expressway. US 1 leaves the Cross-Bronx Expressway at the Webster Avenue interchange, and the Expressway continues east as only I-95. Interstate 895 (the Sheridan Expressway) runs south to Interstate 278, pointing towards the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. Just after is the interchange with the Bronx River Parkway, and then soon comes the huge Bruckner Interchange. At that interchange, the lanes of the Cross Bronx Expressway split for the Bruckner Expressway (Interstate 278) to come in between, and the Hutchinson River Parkway (Interstate 678 to the south) interchanges with both roads. I-95 switches to the Bruckner Expressway, which continues northeast from the interchange, and the Cross-Bronx continues southeast towards the Throgs Neck Bridge as Interstate 295.

In recent years, the Cross-Bronx has had posted exit numbers both sequentially and with mile-based numbers. Almost all of New York's exit numbers are sequential (see below).

Bruckner Expressway

At the Bruckner Interchange, Interstate 95 switches to the Bruckner Expressway. The Bruckner Expressway soon turns north as it merges with the Throgs Neck Expressway (Interstate 695). At the Bronx and Pelham Parkway, the Bruckner becomes the New England Thruway.

New England Thruway

At the Bronx and Pelham Parkway interchange, Interstate 95 becomes the New England Thruway, which is part of the New York State Thruway system. I-95 then crosses the Hutchinson River Parkway once, curves gently to the northeast, and crosses the Hutch again before exiting New York City into Westchester County. The New England Thruway passes through New Rochelle, Mamaroneck, Harrison, Rye and Port Chester, ending at the Connecticut state line, where the Connecticut Turnpike continues as I-95. The only toll on the New England Thruway is a northbound-only barrier in New Rochelle. In Rye and Port Chester, just shy of the state line, Interstate 287 (the Cross-Westchester Expressway) ends at I-95.

History

Interstate 95 was designated in the late 1950s, and has always run along its current path in New York. The majority of it had already been built, with the final sections — parts of the Cross-Bronx Expressway and Bruckner Expressway - finished in 1963 and 1972 respectively. Prior to the 1972 completion of the Bruckner, coinciding with the completion of the new Bruckner Interchange, the old Bruckner Boulevard (part of Route 164) was used by through traffic.

I-95 was one of only a few roads in New York to use mile-based exit numbers. The exits on the New England Thruway were originally sequential, beginning at 1 at its south end — but were at some point renumbered to continue where the mile-based numbers left off, while remaining sequential. In the early 2000s, the numbers on the free section were slowly changed to new sequential numbers; the numbers on the New England Thruway section have not been changed.

Exit list

County	Location	Mile[1]	#		Destinations	Notes
			Old
New York	Manhattan	0.00	George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River
		0.55	1A	1	NY 9A (Henry Hudson Parkway) / West 178th Street (US 9 north), West 181st Street	North end of US 9 overlap
		1.16	1B	2	Harlem River Drive to FDR Drive - Manhattan	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
Bronx	The Bronx	1.45	1C	3	I-87 (Major Deegan Expressway) / Amsterdam Avenue – Albany, Queens	Signed as exits 3N (north) and 3S (south) northbound, and 1C southbound
		2.03		2A	Jerome Avenue
		2.66		2B	US 1 north (Webster Avenue)	North end of US 1 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance
		3.24		3	Third Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		4.02		4A	I-895 south (Sheridan Expressway) – Robert F. Kennedy Bridge	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		4.38		4B	Rosedale Avenue, Bronx River Parkway
		5.08	5A	8	White Plains Road, Westchester Avenue
				5B	Castle Hill Avenue	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		6.43	6A	10	I-678 south / Bruckner Boulevard – Whitestone Bridge
				6B	I-278 west (Bruckner Expressway) – Robert F. Kennedy Bridge	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
			6B	12	I-295 south – Throgs Neck Bridge	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		7.32		7A	I-695 south to I-295 south – Throgs Neck Bridge, Long Island	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
				7B	East Tremont Avenue	southbound exit and northbound entrance
				7C	Country Club Road - Pelham Bay Park	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
				8A	Westchester Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
				8B	Orchard Beach, City Island
		8.72	1	8C	Pelham Parkway west
		8.99	2	9	Hutchinson River Parkway north
			2	10	Gun Hill Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			3	11	Bartow Avenue, Co-op City Boulevard
		10.10	4	12	Baychester Avenue	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		10.86	5	13	Conner Street, Baychester Avenue
		11.45	6	14	Hutchinson River Parkway south - Whitestone Bridge	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Westchester	New Rochelle	13.12	7	15	US 1 – New Rochelle, The Pelhams
		14.53	8	16	North Avenue, Cedar Street - New Rochelle
		15.73	9	17	Chatsworth Avenue - Larchmont	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Mamaroneck	17.63-18.53	10	18	Fenimore Road, Mamaroneck Avenue - Mamaroneck, White Plains	Signed as exits 18A (east) and 18B (west)
	Rye	20.97	11	19	Playland Parkway - Rye, Harrison
		22.20	12	20	US 1 south - Rye	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			12	21	I-287 west / US 1 north – Port Chester, White Plains, Tappan Zee Bridge
		22.60	13	22	Midland Avenue - Port Chester, Rye	Southbound exit is part of exit 21
I-95 continues into Connecticut as the Connecticut Turnpike

Auxiliary routes

• Interstate 295 runs southeast from the Bruckner Interchange along the Cross-Bronx Expressway, then south over the Throgs Neck Bridge and Clearview Expressway to its terminus at Hillside Avenue, just south of the Grand Central Parkway. It was once part of Interstate 78 and was planned to terminate at the John F. Kennedy International Airport.
• Interstate 495 runs from Interstate 278 east along the Long Island Expressway to Riverhead, crossing I-295 in Queens. It was once planned to continue west to I-95 in New Jersey; that part is now New York Route 495 and New Jersey Route 495. It was also to go east and meet I-95 again in either Connecticut or in Rhode Island. This would have made I-495 a loop off of its parent.
• Interstate 695 is a short route along the Throgs Neck Expressway, connecting I-295 to I-95 in the Bronx. It is officially part of I-295, and was once part of I-78, but is signed as I-695. The number had been used for other plans, including a route parallel to Woodhaven Boulevard and an upgrade of the West Side Highway and Henry Hudson Parkway.
• Interstate 895 is a short connection along the Sheridan Expressway from Interstate 278 to I-95 in the Bronx. It was planned to continue north from I-95 to rejoin it near Pelham Bay Park.

References

Interstate 95
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