Palisades Interstate Parkway

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Palisades Interstate Parkway
Maintained by Palisades Interstate Park Commission
Length: 38.25 mi[1][2][3] (61.56 km)
NJ 445S: 0.42 miles (0.68 km)[2]
Formed: 1958[4]
South end: I-95/US 1/9/46 in Fort Lee, NJ
Major
junctions:		 US 9W/NJ 67 in Fort Lee, NJ
I-87/I-287/NY Thruway in Nanuet, NY
US 202 in Mount Ivy, NY
US 6 in Bear Mountain State Park, NY
North end: US 6/9W/202 in Ft. Montgomery, NY
Counties: NJ: Bergen NY: Rockland, Orange

The Palisades Interstate Parkway (PIP) is a 38.25-mile (61.56 km) long limited-access highway in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. The parkway is a major commuter route into New York City from Rockland and Orange counties in New York and Bergen County in New Jersey. The southern terminus of the route is at the George Washington Bridge (I-95/US 1-9/US 46 and the end of NJ 4) in Fort Lee, New Jersey. At Exit 18, the PIP forms a concurrency with U.S. Route 6 for the duration of its run. The northern terminus is at a traffic circle in Fort Montgomery, New York, where the PIP connects to U.S. Route 9W and U.S. Route 202 and the Bear Mountain Bridge.

The route is named for the New Jersey Palisades, a line of cliffs rising along the western side of the Hudson River. In New Jersey, the parkway is designated, but not signed as, Route 445. A short spur in Fort Lee is designated, but not signed as, Route 445S. In New York, the roadway is designated New York State Route 987C, an unsigned reference route. As with most parkways in the New York metropolitan area, commercial traffic is prohibited from using the PIP. The Palisades Interstate Parkway was built from 1947-1958, and fully opened to traffic on August 28, 1958.[4]

Contents

[edit] Route description

Lengths
mi km
NJ 11.48[1][2] 18.48
NY 26.77[3] 43.08
Total 38.25 61.56

[edit] New Jersey

The Palisades Interstate Parkway begins at the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee[5]. Passengers from the upper level of the GWB can directly get on the PIP northbound. Passengers from the lower level of the bridge must travel through north Fort Lee, on US 9W, before getting on the PIP. Passengers riding northbound on the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) must be in local lanes to directly get on the PIP. It can be a confusing interchange for someone unfamiliar with the arrangement. Construction to fix this problem has been rumored for quite sometime, but nothing has been made official. Once the PIP leaves the GWB, it proceeds north along the New Jersey Palisades, breezing by the Englewood Cliffs Service Area. Unlike service areas further north along the parkway, there are two in Englewood, one for northbound drivers and one for southbound drivers. The others are in the center median shared by drivers going in both directions. There are also three different scenic lookout points over the Palisades about where Manhattan Island begins at the Harlem River. After this, the PIP parallels US 9W and the Hudson River for its entire run in New Jersey. In fact, all four exits in New Jersey are either with US 9W, or within mere feet of the route. The PIP leaves New Jersey into New York in the town of Rockleigh.[5]

[edit] New York

Welcome to the PIP sign posted at its northern terminus in Orange County
Welcome to the PIP sign posted at its northern terminus in Orange County

[edit] Rockland County

The Palisades enters Rockland County in the village of Palisades. At about the border the PIP changes direction from due north along the Hudson River to a north-west direction. Shortly after the Kings Ferry Service Area in the center median, the first two exits in New York are key exits for two colleges in Rockland County. Exit 5 provides a link to St. Thomas Aquinas College, and Exit 6 provides a link to Dominican College. Both of the colleges are located in Orangeburg. In West Nyack, the PIP has a key interchange with the New York State Thruway (I-87,I-287). This intersection is about two miles west of the Tappan Zee Bridge. After the PIP's interchange with the NY Thruway, the PIP turns slightly north-east and its speed limit increases to 55 miles per hour (89 km/h). From the GWB to the NY Thruway it is exclusively 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). At Exit 13, the PIP intersects US 202 as the route crosses south of Harriman State Park in Mount Ivy. This is the first of two meetings between the PIP and US 202. At Exit 15, the PIP has its last busy intersection in Rockland County with Old NY Route 210 in Stony Point. From here, the PIP enters Harriman State Park, and at Exit 16, the PIP intersects Lake Welch Parkway, which is one of several parkways commissioned within the park.[5]

The Palisades Interstate Parkway's northern terminus in Fort Montgomery, New York
The Palisades Interstate Parkway's northern terminus in Fort Montgomery, New York

[edit] Orange County

The Palisades enters Orange County north of Lake Welch Parkway at Exit 16 and south of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission Visitor Center, which is located in the center median because it was originally a parkway service area. The first interchange in Orange County is Exit 17 at Anthony Wayne Recreation Area. At Exit 18, the PIP intersects US 6 and Seven Lakes Drive. US 6 west heads toward the New York Thruway and NY 17 five miles west in Harriman. US 6 east forms a concurrency with the PIP for the last two miles of the PIP's run. Seven Lakes Drive joins the two routes for one mile before departing at Exit 19. The two routes then enter Bear Mountain State Park in an eastern direction. Finally, the Palisades Interstate Parkway meets its end at US 9W/US 202 at a traffic circle inches from the Hudson River and the Bear Mountain Bridge. US 6 and 202 head east over the bridge, while US 9W heads north toward the United States Military Academy in West Point.[5]

[edit] History

In 1933-34, the first thoughts of a Palisades Interstate Parkway were developed by William A. Welch. The plan was to build a parkway to connect the New Jersey Palisades with the state parks along the Hudson River in Rockland and Orange Counties. Welch would soon garner the support of John D. Rockefeller, who donated 700 acres (2.8 km²) of land along the New Jersey Palisades overlooking the Hudson River. With this favorable momentum for the new route, the proposed route was accepted as a Civil Works Administration project under Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal coalition. However, the New Jersey Highway Commission did not support construction, so the idea of a parkway was put on hold.[4]

During the 1940s, Rockefeller renewed the push for a parkway along the New Jersey Palisades, and teamed with ultimate PIP planner, Robert Moses, to establish and design the parkway. The plan originally was to have the PIP stretch from the Garden State Parkway, along the Hudson River, to the George Washington Bridge, and then north along its present-day route ending at the Bear Mountain Bridge. This southern extension was never built, but construction began on the current PIP in New York on April 1, 1947. Construction on the New Jersey portion began about one year later.[4]

Construction was delayed twice due to material shortages, but that did not stop the PIP from being opened in stages during the 1940s and 1950s. The route was completed in New Jersey in 1957, and on August 28, 1958, the final piece of the PIP was completed between exits 5 and 9 in southern Rockland County.[4]

Shortly after completion of the PIP, the parkway's interchange with U.S. Route 6 was upgraded to include what is known as Queensboro Circle. Queensburo Circle is located just off of Exit 18 of the PIP. The exiting driver must proceed to this one of many traffic-circles within Bear Mountain State Park and Harriman State Park before getting off on U.S. 6's Long Mountain Spur or Seven Lakes Drive. In the early days of the parkway, the PIP originally had posted speed limits of 40 miles per hour (64 km/h), but now are posted between 55 miles per hour (89 km/h) with additional lanes added in higher traveled areas.[4]

The PIP is well known for its stone arch overpasses throughout its route and its several scenic overlooks in New Jersey. All sorts of unique trees and flowers, can be seen along the route as well. In 1998, because of all the natural and constructed beauty, the PIP was designated as a national landmark by the National Park Service.[6]

[edit] Future

Currently the Palisades Interstate Parkway can only be reached directly via the upper level of the George Washington Bridge. Those traveling on the lower level must take the exit for US 9W, and travel through northern Fort Lee to reach the PIP. The Port Authority plans to construct ramps to directly connect the lower level to the PIP. Originally, this was to take place anywhere between 2005 and 2009, but has been postponed with no future date scheduled as of now.[7]

[edit] Exit list

County Location Mile[1][3] # Destinations Notes
Bergen Fort Lee 0.00 I-95 north / US 1/9 north (George Washington Bridge) – New York City, Long Island, New England Southbound exit and northbound entrance
0.18 George Washington Bridge toll plaza (southbound)
Myrtle Avenue Southbound exit and entrance
0.31 US 9W south / NJ 67 south (NJ 445S) Fort Lee Spur; southbound exit and northbound entrance; to I-95 (New Jersey Turnpike) south and US 1/9 south
Englewood Cliffs 1.89 1 CR 505 (Palisade Avenue) – Englewood Boat Basin
Alpine 7.48 2
US 9W (Palisades Boulevard) to CR 502 (Closter Dock Road)
9.29 3 US 9W (Palisades Boulevard)
10.34 4 US 9W (Highland Avenue)
11.06
0.00		 New Jersey-New York state line
Rockland Tappan
2.57 5N-S NY 303 (Commonwealth Avenue) – Orangeburg, Tappan
Orangeburg 3.50 6E-W CR 20 (Orangeburg Road) – Orangeburg, Pearl River
Orangetown/Clarkstown
town line		 6.40 7 CR 42 (Town Line Road) – Nanuet
Clarkstown 7.13 8E-W NY 59 (Nyack Turnpike) – West Nyack, Nyack, Spring Valley, Suffern
7.91 9E-W I-87 / I-287 / Thruway – New York City, Albany, Montreal
9.50 10 CR 33 (North Middletown Road) – New City, Nanuet
New Hempstead 11.62 11 CR 80 (New Hempstead Road) – New City, New Square
Pomona 13.30 12 NY 45 (Main Street) – Pomona, New Square
Ramapo/Haverstraw
town line		 14.32 13 US 202 (Mount Ivy Road) – Haverstraw, Suffern
Stony Point 16.71 14 CR 98 (Willow Grove Road) – Letchworth Village
17.92 15 CR 106 (Stony Point Road) – Stony Point, Lake Kanawauke Former routing of NY 210; passenger cars only north of this point
19.05 16 Lake Welch Parkway No northbound entrance
Orange Highlands Palisades Interstate Park Commission Visitor Center Left exit; former service area
23.50 17 Anthony Wayne Recreation Area
24.37 18 US 6 west (Long Mountain Parkway) / Seven Lakes Drive west US 6 and Seven Lakes Drive join eastbound and leave westbound
24.57 19 Seven Lakes Drive east to Perkins Memorial Drive Seven Lakes Drive leaves eastbound and joins westbound
26.77 20 US 6 east / US 9W / US 202 – Stony Point, Peekskill, Newburgh Traffic circle; US 6 leaves eastbound and joins westbound

Within the Garden State, the New Jersey Turnpike is the only other highway to use sequential exit numbering; all others are based on mileage.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c NJ Route 445 Straight Line Diagram. Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
  2. ^ a b c NJ Route 445S Straight Line Diagram. Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
  3. ^ a b c NYSDOT Traffic Data Report - Routes 953B to 992P (PDF). NYSDOT (2007-07-16). Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Palisades Interstate Parkway Historic Overview. NYCRoads. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
  5. ^ a b c d Google Maps. Overview Map of Palisades Interstate Parkway [map]. Retrieved on 2007-09-21.
  6. ^ News on the Palisades Parks. The Palisades Park Conservancy. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
  7. ^ George Washington Bridge Historic Overview. NYCRoads. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.

[edit] Further reading

  • Myles, William J., Harriman Trails, A Guide and History, The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, New York, N.Y., 1999.

[edit] External links

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