Gun Hill Road (Bronx)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the street in the Bronx. For the band, see Gunhill Road.
| Gun Hill Road |
|
_map.png/290px-Gun_Hill_Road_(Bronx)_map.png) |
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| Length: | 3.5 mi[1][2] (5.63 km) |
|---|---|
| East end: |  Stillwell Avenue/Hutchinson River Parkway in Morris Park |
| Major junctions: |
 US 1 in Morris Park New England Thruway in Morris Park Bronx River Parkway in Woodlawn |
| West end: |  Mosholu Parkway in Woodlawn |
| Counties: | Bronx |
Gun Hill Road is a major thoroughfare in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The road stretches for 3.5 miles (5.63 kilometres) in Woodlawn and Morris Park. Gun Hill Road begins at Stillwell Avenue in Morris Park near the Hutchinson River Parkway exit and comes to an end at the Mosholu Parkway in Woodlawn. Van Cortlandt Park and the Mosholu Golf Course are both located at the western terminus of Gun Hill Road.
Contents |
[edit] Street description
Gun Hill Road begins at an intersection with Exit 4S of the Hutchinson River Parkway and Stillwell Avenue. The road for about .2 of a mile is one-way, and intersects with Waring Avenue.[2] The New England Thruway exit 10 ramp joins at the intersection with Edson Avenue and Ely Avenue. Gun Hill Road parallels the New England Thruway until Bartow Avenue intersects, where Gun Hill moves away from the Thruway.[1] Eastchester Road intersects soon after, which brings you to U.S. Route 1. Between the DeWitt Place and Sexton Place intersections, the first subway station on Gun Hill Road, which is for the 5 train. Gun Hill Road intersects U.S. Route 1 as the road enters Woodlawn.
White Plains Road, a divided highway, intersects soon after.[1] At the intersection is another subway station, this time serving the 2 and 5 trains. Just after the White Plains Road intersection, Gun Hill Road crosses over the Bronx River Parkway at Exit 9. As Gun Hill Road moves northwestward, the road passes to the south of Woodlawn Cemetery. The intersection with DeKalb Avenue in Woodlawn will bring you to the North Central Bronx Hospital. After the intersection with Jerome Avenue, Gun Hill Road passes to the south of the Mosholu Golf Course. Also, the road changes names from East Gun Hill Road to West Gun Hill Road.[1] Gun Hill Road comes to an end at the Mosholu Parkway, where it becomes a park road known as Van Cortlandt Park South.
[edit] History
During the Revolution, the road was an important artery fought between the British and the Colonists.[3] In January 1777, the colonists brought a cannon to the top of a hill and fired at the British. The hill is now inside Woodlawn Cemetery and was called Gun Hill afterwards. The road was known as Kingsbridge Road (part of the original Boston Post Road) until 1875, when it was changed to Gun Hill Road. The original Gun Hill Road did not stretch farther east than White Plains Road. Through segments, Gun Hill Road was extended to the Hutchinson River by 1938.
In 1941, the New York City Planning Department proposed the Gun Hill Crosstown Highway as an upgrade, but nothing happened with this plan.[4] In the mid-1960s, the Tri-State Transportation Commission proposed a new route just a mile north of Gun Hill Road called the City Line Expressway; this also got nowhere.[4]
Lifelong NYC residents will remember tales that Washington hid his guns in the dirt at the foot of the "hill" lending creedance to the name "Gunhill Road".
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Subway
There are 2 subway stations along Gun Hill Road. Both are labeled under Gun Hill Road and serve the 5 train. The first one along the road is in the Baychester area of the Bronx, and it serves the 5 train alone. The station opened in May of 1912 and is running to this date after a closing in 1937.[5] The second station along Gun Hill Road is located in Woodlawn, at White Plains Road. The station serves the 2 train at all times as well as the 5 at peak rush hours. The 8 train was also accessible here, until its decommissioning in 1973. The station was opened in March 1917 and has two usable platforms. The other two platforms are abandoned.[6]
[edit] Bus
There are several buses that travel on Gun Hill Road. They include the Bx28, Bx30, Bx39 (not directly), and the Bx55 (not directly).[7]
[edit] Major intersections
| County | Location | Mile[1][2] | Roads intersected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronx | Baychester | 0.00 | Hutchinson River Parkway/Stillwell Avenue |
Eastern terminus of Gun Hill Road; Exit 4S (Hutchinson River) |
| 0.20 | Interstate 95 |
|||
| Williamsbridge | 1.60 | U.S. Route 1 |
||
| 2.30 | Bronx River Parkway |
Exit 9 (Bronx River) | ||
| Norwood | 3.40 | Mosholu Parkway |
Western terminus of Gun Hill Road |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Google Maps. Overview Map of Gun Hill Road [map]. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
- ^ a b c Google Maps. Overview Map of Gun Hill Road - one way [map]. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
- ^ John McNamara (1991). History in Asphalt: The Origin of Bronx Street and Place Names (HTML). Google Books. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
- ^ a b Steve Anderson (2007). NY-164 - City Line Expressway (HTML). NYCRoads.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
- ^ nycsubway.org — IRT White Plains Road Line: Gun Hill Road
- ^ nycsubway.org — IRT White Plains Road Line: Gun Hill Road
- ^ Metropolitan Transportation Authority (2007). Bx28 bus schedule (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-11-06. Also see Bx30, Bx39 and Bx55
