George Washington Bridge / Cross-Bronx Expressway
Bruckner Expressway / New England Thruway
Interstate 95 enters the Empire State via the George Washington Bridge from Fort Lee, New Jersey. The suspension bridge carries 14 overall lanes and upwards of 300,000 vehicles a day between the Garden State and Manhattan Island. From there I-95 enters the Cross Bronx Expressway, a Robert Moses designed freeway traveling east from Manhattan Island to Unionport in the Bronx. The high-level Alexander Hamilton Bridge carries the freeway over the Harlem River between Washington Heights and High Bridge. The Cross Bronx Expressway, notorious for its long traffic delays, travels through the Tremont, East Tremont, and West Farms communities of the Bronx with interchanges joining it with I-87 (Major Deegan Expressway), NY 895 (Sheridan Boulevard, Bronx River Parkway, I-278 (Bruckner Expressway), and I-678 (Hutchinson River Expressway) and Hutchinson River Parkway. At the Bruckner Interchange, junction of I-95, I-278, I-295, I-678 and the Hutch, Interstate 95 turns northeast along the Bruckner Expressway toward Co-Op City and the New England Thruway section of the New York Thruway system.
Interstate 95 New York Guides
Exit numbers along the Cross Bronx Expressway originally were laid out based upon milepost zero at the New Jersey state line. Newer installations made at the Bruckner Interchange in the mid-2000s reflected the sequential numbering system of Interstate 295 (Cross Bronx Expressway Extension), where Exits 6A/B were renumbered to Exits 11 and 12. These have since been amended back to their original numbers.
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| A small guide sign directs motorists along Amsterdam Avenue north at W 179th Street to both Interstate 87 (Major Deegan Expressway) and I-95 (Cross Bronx Expressway). 07/27/07 |
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| A direct ramp, between West 180th and 181st Streets, loops from Amsterdam Avenue onto Interstate 95 south on the descent toward the George Washington Bridge. 07/27/07 |
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| State-named shields are posted in each direction of Amsterdam Avenue at the Interstate 95 southbound on-ramp. I-95 travels between 178th and 179th Streets through a cut and cover tunnel across Manhattan Island. 07/27/07 |
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| Amsterdam Avenue north at West 181st Street and the Washington Bridge across the Harlem River. The Washington Bridge provides a direct link to Interstate 95 (Cross Bronx Expressway) north and University Avenue. 07/27/07 |
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| Washington Bridge provides three lanes of travel east from 181st Street and Amsterdam Avenue to a half diamond interchange with University Avenue. Two lanes default onto Interstate 95/U.S. 1 north ahead of Jerome Avenue. 07/27/07 |
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| University Avenue constitutes a multi-lane boulevard north from the Washington Bridge to the Morris Heights neighborhood of the Bronx and south to High Bridge. 07/27/07 |
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| Washington Bridge splits with the University Avenue off-ramp above Undercliff Avenue. Motorists remaining to the left merge onto Interstate 95 (Cross Bronx Expressway) at the Jesup Avenue overpass. There is no direct access to Interstate 87; instead drivers bound for the Major Deegan Expressway are directed to use the Jerome Avenue interchange to U-turn onto I-95 south. 07/27/07 |
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| Interstate 95 north overhead that was posted on 3rd Avenue southbound at the Cross-Bronx Expressway eastbound frontage street in East Tremont, Bronx. This old style assembly included a light fixture. Throgs Neck Bridge was signed in lieu of New England or Bruckner Expressway. The half diamond interchange at Exit 3 joins 3rd Avenue with the Cross-Bronx Expressway via nearby slip ramps from the adjacent frontage streets of Interstate 95. 08/09/04 |
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| Interstate 95 trailblazer formerly posted on Conner Street southbound at Tillotson Avenue in the Bronx. This sign was missing a right arrow as it pointed toward the ramp to Interstate 95 north via Tillotson Avenue south. 03/15/00 |
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| One of the last remaining New England Thruway trailblazers posted was this assembly located northwest of Interstate 95 in the Bronx. The spade shaped sign was posted along 233rd Street eastbound at Provost Avenue. 03/15/00 |
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| Bruckner Boulevard represents a surface street couplet that parallels the Bruckner Expressway southward from the Bronx Pelham Parkway to the RFK Bridge. The boulevard generally serves the cross streets that both I-95 and I-278 intersect with slip ramps to and from the freeways. 08/09/04 |
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| A second set of original button copy signs, replaced by 2011, partitioned traffic between I-278 (Bruckner Expressway) west and I-95 (Cross-Bronx Expressway) south at the Bruckner Interchange. The two directions of Bruckner Boulevard separate to accommodate the Bruckner Interchange with I-678 and Hutchinson River Parkway ahead. 08/09/04 |
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| Traffic to I-678 south to the Whitestone Bridge and Van Wyck Expressway into Queens departs I-95 southbound adjacent to Bruckner Boulevard. High flyover ramps to the south carry the Cross-Bronx Expressway Extension (I-295) directly onto Interstate 95. This set of signs was replaced by 2011. 08/09/04 |
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| The exit ramp to Interstate 678 south partitions into traffic for the Whitestone Bridge and Bruckner Boulevard west. Beyond the sign, which was removed by 2011, is the merge between traffic on I-95 north with traffic from I-678 north. Bruckner Boulevard connects with the local street grid of Schuylerville and Unionport. 08/09/04 |
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| Bruckner Boulevard links Interstate 95 southbound with Hutchinson River Parkway north. An on-ramp joins the parkway ahead of the Boulevard merge with ramps from I-95 south. Hutchinson River Parkway extends north from I-678 to Mount Vernon, New Rochelle and White Plains. 08/09/04 |
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| The Exit 6A ramp split between I-678 south and Bruckner Boulevard west. Bruckner Boulevard west to the Whitestone Bridge approach south to Queens utilizes a roadway that joins Bruckner Boulevard east for its connection to the Hutchinson River Parkway southbound frontage street.
This overhead was carbon copied by 2011 and its lights removed. 08/09/04 |
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| Situated below the Bruckner Interchange viaducts and flyovers is the Bruckner Boulevard westbound ramp onto the boulevard eastbound. The eastbound connection allows for drivers to access Interstate 678 southbound via the Hutchinson River Parkway southbound frontage street near Ferry Point Park. Additionally traffic remaining on Bruckner Boulevard eastbound can access the Hutchinson River Parkway northbound via its on-ramp, thus providing indirect access from Interstate 95 southbound at Exit 6A onto The Hutch. 08/09/04 |
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| Lost in the complicated array or ramps is a return ramp onto Interstate 95 (Cross-Bronx Expressway) south for Bruckner Boulevard westbound motorists. That connection is accomplished by utilizing the Zerega Avenue off-ramp west of the Unionport Drawbridge.
This overhead was replaced by 2011. 08/09/04 |
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| The two roadways of Bruckner Boulevard converge at Brush Avenue to cross the Unionport Drawbridge over the Westchester Creek. The 1953-built span carries the roadway into Unionport where Bruckner Boulevard again splits between the east and westbound directions of I-278 (Bruckner Expressway). 08/09/04 |
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| Both directions of Bruckner Boulevard crosses the Unionport Drawbridge over Westchester Creek. A companion eastbound-only four lane span built in 1930 was removed during the Bruckner Interchange construction of the 1960s. Otherwise drivers bound for Interstate 95 south and Zerega Avenue depart Bruckner Boulevard via a ramp to the right. Bruckner Boulevard continues west alongside Interstate 278 to the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx ahead. 08/09/04 |
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| The Zerega Avenue ramp from Bruckner Boulevard reemerges the Cross-Bronx Expressway at the intersection with Zerega Avenue and Chatterton Avenue. Zerega Avenue straddles Westchester Creek between Castle Hill Avenue and Westchester Avenue at Parkchester. Motorists bound for I-95 continue straight onto the Cross-Bronx Expressway westbound frontage street.
This sign was replaced by 2011. 08/09/04 |
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| Like Bruckner Boulevard, the Cross-Bronx Expressway frontage street system parallels both directions of I-95 between the Bruckner Interchange and the Bronx River Parkway. 08/09/04 |
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| A traffic signal operates at the Cross-Bronx Expressway frontage road and Castle Hill Avenue. Castle Hill Avenue, like Zerega Avenue, provides runs between Unionport and Parkchester. 08/09/04 |
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| The Westchester Avenue / White Plains Road off-ramp (Exit 5A) from I-95 south departs the freeway for the frontage street near Olmstead Avenue. The Cross-Bronx Expressway frontage street intersects Westchester Avenue at Hugh J. Grant Circle a few blocks ahead. 08/09/04 |
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| Finally Bruckner Boulevard westbound motorists have the opportunity to merge onto Interstate 95 (Cross-Bronx Expressway) below. The Cross-Bronx Expressway stays below the city street grid between the Bruckner Interchange and Bronx River.
This original button copy sign was replaced by 2011. 08/09/04 |
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| Trucks trudge along the Cross Bronx Expressway westbound at the on-ramp from the frontage street west of Rosedale Avenue. This ramp serves traffic from Bronx River Parkway north to I-95 south.
The button copy sign pictured here was replaced by May 2011. 07/27/07 |
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| An overhead sign precedes the northbound on-ramp to Bronx River Parkway from the westbound frontage street. Bronx River Parkway begins at a cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 278 (Bruckner Expressway) at Soundview and leads north to White Plains as Sprain Brook Parkway. 07/27/07 |
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| Motorists bound Bronx River Parkway from either direction of Interstate 95 utilize the northbound on-ramp from the westbound Cross Bronx Expressway frontage street. A pedestrian signal lies at the ramp gore point. 07/27/07 |
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| The Cross Bronx Expressway frontage road provides the movement from Bronx River Parkway north to Interstate 95 north at the Park Versailles neighborhood of the Bronx. 07/27/07 |
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| A Texas-style U-turn ramp allows drivers along the Cross Bronx Expressway eastbound frontage street access to the westbound frontage street independent of Rosedale Avenue. The ramp facilitates part of the route motorists from I-95 north to Bronx River Parkway north must take in lieu of a direct connection. 07/27/07 |
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| Following the U-turn ramp, motorists see a set of trailblazers to both Interstate 95 south and Bronx River Parkway north. There is no direct connection from the parkway north to the Cross Bronx Expressway south, so drivers must also use the frontage street system. 07/27/07 |
Photo Credits:03/15/00, 08/09/04, 07/27/07 by AARoads
Connect with:
Interstate 278
Interstate 287
Interstate 295
Interstate 678
Interstate 695
Route 895 - Sheridan Boulevard
Page Updated 02-17-2013.
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