The Bruckner Expressway is a freeway in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. It carries Interstate 278 (I-278) and I-95 (and formerly I-878) from the Triborough Bridge to the south end of the New England Thruway at the Pelham Parkway interchange. The highway follows a mostly northeast–southwest alignment through the southern portion of the borough, loosely paralleling the course of the East River. It connects to several major freeways including the Bronx River Parkway, and at the Bruckner Interchange, it connects to the Cross Bronx Expressway, the Hutchinson River Expressway, and the Hutchinson River Parkway.
Bruckner Expressway | |
|---|---|
| Henry Bruckner Expressway | |
 Map of the Bronx in New York City with Bruckner Expressway highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by NYSDOT | |
| Length | 7.37 mi (11.86 km) |
| Component highways |  I-278 from Port Morris to Throggs Neck I-95 from Throggs Neck to Pelham Bay Park |
| Major junctions | |
| West end |  I-87 / I-278 in Port Morris |
 NY 895 in Hunts Point Bronx River Parkway in Soundview   I-95 / I-295 / I-678 / Hutchinson River Parkway in Throggs Neck | |
| North end |  I-95 / Pelham Parkway / Shore Road in Pelham Bay Park |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| Highway system | |
Route description
edit_from_the_pedestrian_overpass_at_Stratford_Avenue_in_the_Bronx,_New_York_City,_New_York.jpg)
The expressway begins at the northern approach to the Triborough Bridge, where I-278 meets the southern end of I-87, here known as the Major Deegan Expressway. It heads to the northeast as an elevated highway, carrying the I-278 designation through the South Bronx. After 2 miles (3.2 km), the Bruckner Expressway meets NY 895 (Sheridan Boulevard) and turns eastward to cross the Bronx River into the Soundview neighborhood. Here, the highway connects to the Bronx River Parkway at an interchange one block north of that road's official southern terminus. The Bruckner Expressway remains I-278 into the adjacent neighborhood of Castle Hill, where I-278 enters the west half of the complicated Bruckner Interchange and I-95 transitions from the Cross Bronx Expressway to the Bruckner.
_from_the_pedestrian_overpass_at_Pelham_Bay_Park_station_in_the_Bronx,_New_York_City,_New_York.jpg)
In the east half of the junction, located on the opposite bank of Westchester Creek in Throggs Neck, the Bruckner Expressway (now designated I-95) intersects the Hutchinson River Parkway, I-295, and I-678. I-295 proceeds southeast from the Bruckner Interchange as the Cross Bronx Expressway, while the Hutchinson Parkway and I-678 head to the north and south, respectively. The Bruckner eventually makes a turn to the north as well, connecting with I-695 in the process. The Hutchinson and the Bruckner follow mostly parallel alignments to Pelham Bay Park, where the Bruckner Expressway ends at an interchange with the Pelham Parkway. I-95 continues north from this point as the New England Thruway.
History
editThe Bruckner Expressway was a project envisioned by Robert Moses, who steered the Bruckner through the Soundview section of the Bronx, further altering the neighborhood after the 15-year construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway, which was completed in 1963. The Bruckner Expressway itself was completed in 1973, making it one of the last roads of the New York City Expressway system to be built. It is named in honor of former Bronx Borough President and Congressman, Henry Bruckner (1871–1942), and was built on and over the roadway of Bruckner Boulevard (originally called Eastern Boulevard).[1][2]
Unlike the Cross Bronx Expressway, which cut through the existing street grid, the Bruckner Expressway was built along the Bruckner Boulevard alignment (except at its western end, where the Bruckner Expressway and Major Deegan Expressway meet). Between Sheridan Boulevard and the eastern end of the Bruckner Expressway, the Bruckner Boulevard is the service road, except at the Bruckner Interchange, where Bruckner Boulevard passes underneath the flying junction. West of Sheridan Boulevard, Bruckner Boulevard is underneath the expressway, and extends past the expressway's western terminus for about 0.5 miles (0.80 km), ending under the Third Avenue Bridge.
In 2019, the New York State Department of Transportation began a $1.1 billion project to rebuild parts of the Bruckner Expressway and improve traffic flow, which would reduce air and noise pollution. The project would rebuild the interchanges with both Sheridan Boulevard and Hunts Point Avenue, add a third lane in both directions of the Bruckner, and rebuild four bridges.[3]
Exit list
editThe mileposts below follow actual signage, even though the route is continuous. The entire route is in the New York City borough of the Bronx.
| Location | mi[4][5][6] | km | Old exit | New exit | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Morris | 28.89 | 46.49 | – |  I-278 west (RFK Bridge) – Manhattan, Queens, Randalls Island | Continuation west; west end of I-278 overlap | ||
| 44 | 47 |  I-87 north (Major Deegan Expressway) – Albany | Southern terminus of I-87 | ||||
| 29.49 | 47.46 | 45 | 48 | East 138th Street | Eastbound exit and entrance | ||
| Hunts Point | 48 | Leggett Avenue – Hunts Point Market | Westbound exit and entrance | ||||
| 30.78 | 49.54 | 46 | 49 |  NY 895 north (Sheridan Boulevard) to East 177th Street | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; southern terminus of NY 895; former I-895 | ||
| 31.18 | 50.18 | 50 | Hunts Point Avenue – Hunts Point Market | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
| Bronx River | Eastern Boulevard Drawbridge [7] | ||||||
| Soundview | 31.48 | 50.66 | 51 | Bronx River Avenue | Westbound exit only | ||
| 31.58 | 50.82 | 51 | 52 | Bronx River Parkway north – White Plains | No westbound exit; exits 2E-W on Bronx River Parkway | ||
| 32.35 | 52.06 | 52 | 53 | White Plains Road / Castle Hill Avenue | |||
| Throggs Neck (Bruckner Interchange) | 54 |   I-295 south / I-678 south / Hutchinson River Parkway north / Zerega Avenue – Throgs Neck Bridge, Whitestone Bridge | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; exit 12 on I-295; exit 19W on I-678; exit 1A on Hutchinson Parkway | ||||
| 33.62 6.02 | 54.11 9.69 | 12 | 6B | I-95 south / I-678 south / Bruckner Boulevard – George Washington Bridge, Whitestone Bridge I-278 ends | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; south end of I-95 overlap; eastern terminus of I-278 | ||
| Schuylerville | 7.40– 7.70 | 11.91– 12.39 | 13 | 7A |   I-695 south to I-295 south – Throgs Neck Bridge | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; northern terminus of I-695 | |
| 14 | 7B | East Tremont Avenue | Southbound exit only | ||||
| Country Club | 15 | 7C | Country Club Road – Pelham Bay Park | Northbound exit and entrance | |||
| 8.40 | 13.52 | 16 | 8A | Westchester Avenue | No northbound exit | ||
| Pelham Bay Park | 8.66 | 13.94 | 17-18 | 8 |  Pelham Parkway west – Orchard Beach, City Island | Signed as exits 8B (Orchard) and 8C (Pelham) southbound; access to Orchard Beach via Shore Road | |
| – | I-95 north (New England Thruway) – New Haven | Continuation north; north end of I-95 overlap | |||||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||||
References
edit- ^ "Henry Bruckner, Lawyer, Son of Bronx President". The New York Times. August 3, 1970. p. 31. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
- ^ "Bruckner Expressway". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ "Work begins on second phase of Hunts Point access improvement project | New York Construction Report". 29 March 2021.
- ^ "2010 Traffic Volume Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. July 25, 2011. pp. 151, 205. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
- ^ "Bruckner Expressway" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
- ^ "Bronx County Inventory Listing" (CSV). New York State Department of Transportation. August 7, 2015. Archived from the original on 2020-01-24. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
- ^ "NYC DOT - Movable Bridges in the Bronx".
