Major Deegan Expressway

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Major Deegan Expressway
Length: 8.38 mi (13.49 km)
South end: Bruckner Expressway / Triborough Bridge in the Bronx
Major
junctions:		 Cross Bronx Expressway in the Bronx
North end: New York State Thruway at Westchester line
Numbered highways in New York
< NY 1A NY 1X >
Interstate - U.S. - N.Y. - Reference

The Major William Francis Deegan Expressway (sometimes called "The Major Deegan" or simply "the Deegan") is an 8.4 mile (13.5 km) part of Interstate 87 in the New York City, USA, borough of The Bronx. The Deegan, as well as I-87 itself, begins at I-278 very close to the Triborough Bridge. Heading north, the Deegan meets with I-95 (Cross-Bronx Expressway) and ends at the Westchester border, where the road continues as the New York State Thruway.

Named for William Francis Deegan (a Major in the Army Corps of Engineers and a Democratic political leader in New York City), the expressway was opened in 1956 and after upgrades, received the I-87 designation two years later.

Contents

[edit] Route description

At 138th Street
At 138th Street
 Please help improve this section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.


[edit] History

The Major Deegan Expressway dates back to 1936 when the Regional Plan Association concluded that to relieve NYC's traffic problems, a limited-access, truck-accessible expressway should be built on the west side of the Bronx. This route would connect the brand-new Triborough Bridge to the proposed New York State Thruway. In April, 1939, a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) section of the expressway, known as New York State Route 1B, was completed, extending from the bridge to Grand Concourse. The highway was adorned with Whitestone-style light posts placed every 75 feet (23 m) of the 6-lane highway, each of which were 12 feet (3.7 m) in width. In 1945, public works planner Robert Moses proposed extending the highway to the proposed Thruway. In 1950, the plan began to come along.

The lower part of Tibbets Brook, alongside the New York and Putnam Railroad, was put underground to make room for the new highway. The present alignment was opened in 1956 and after upgrades, received the I-87 designation two years later.

In 1999, Governor George Pataki unsuccessfully proposed renaming the Expressway to honor Yankee great Joe DiMaggio. At the urging of Rudolph Giuliani the West Side Highway instead was renamed for DiMaggio.

[edit] Exit list

The entire route is in Bronx County (the Bronx).

Mile[1] # Destinations Notes
0.00 I-278 (Bruckner Expressway, Triboro Bridge) - New Haven, Manhattan, Queens Southbound exit and northbound entrance
1 Brook Avenue No northbound exit
0.57 2 Willis Avenue - Third Avenue Bridge
1.20 3 Grand Concourse, East 138th Street - Madison Avenue Bridge
4 East 149th Street - 145th Street Bridge Northbound exit only
2.44 5 East 161st Street - Macombs Dam Bridge Yankee Stadium
6 East 153rd Street, River Avenue Northbound exit is via exit 5 - Yankee Stadium
3.43 7 I-95 / US 1 (Cross Bronx Expressway, George Washington Bridge) - New Haven, Trenton Signed as exits 7N (north) and 7S (south)
8 West 179th Street No southbound exit
4.83 9 West Fordham Road - University Heights Bridge
5.93 10 West 230th Street
6.70 11 Van Cortlandt Park South
7.14 12 Henry Hudson Parkway south / Saw Mill Parkway north (Mosholu Parkway) Northbound exit and southbound entrance
7.55 13 East 233rd Street
14 McLean Avenue Northbound exit only; ramp accesses the service road in the Bronx but McLean Avenue is in Westchester County

[edit] References

  1. ^ New York Routes - Interstate 87 Junction List

[edit] External links

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Expressways in New York City
Manhattan-Bronx
Brooklyn-Queens
Staten Island