Interstate 895 (New York)

Interstate 895 (I-895), named the Arthur V. Sheridan Expressway (and locally known as the Sheridan Expressway), is a short freeway in the New York City borough of the Bronx, forming a short connecting link in the Interstate Highway System. Its south end is at a merge with the Bruckner Expressway (I-278) in the Hunts Point neighborhood, and its north end is at the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95), with a short continuation connecting with local West Farms streets. The highway opened to traffic in 1962^[1] and received its current Interstate route designation in 1970. It was named for the Bronx Borough Commissioner of Public Works, who died in a motor car crash in 1952.^[4]

Route description

Interstate 895 begins at exit 49 on Interstate 278, also known as the Bruckner Expressway, in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx. The 6-lane highway heads northward, parallelling the Bronx River and the Amtrak-owned Northeast Corridor railroad tracks. There is a lone interchange, which is for Westchester Avenue, at 0.6 miles (1.0 km) in. A frontage road begins to parallel the roadway until it terminates at a cul-de-sac in East Tremont. The Sheridan crosses over East 174th Street and officially ends at an interchange with the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95) in East Tremont. The roadway continues beyond the Cross Bronx as a short connector to local West Farms streets.^[5]

History

In 1941, the New York City Planning Department proposed a short expressway route to connect the Bronx Crosstown Highway (now the Cross Bronx Expressway) and the Southern Boulevard Express Highway (now the Bruckner Expressway). The purpose was to have a commercial-vehicle friendly alternate to the Bronx River Parkway. Construction began in 1958 and in October 1962, the $9.5 million expressway was opened to traffic.

Over the years, the expressway has received a number of Interstate designations. It was originally designated as I-695 in late 1958. In early 1959, the highway designation was changed to I-895. Later that year, however, I-278 was rerouted to use the Sheridan Expressway. This was the designation of the highway when it opened in 1962. On January 1, 1970, I-278 was realigned to follow the Bruckner Expressway east to the Bruckner Interchange while the Sheridan Expressway was redesignated as I-895.^[2]

The Sheridan Expressway was originally planned to extend northeast to the Bruckner Expressway (I-95) at Co-op City, creating a shortcut toward New England.^[1] This extension was, however, cancelled.^[1] Because of the cancellation of the extension, the Sheridan is locally seen as a useless stub, serving the same movements as the Major Deegan Expressway (I-87) and Bronx River Parkway.^[6][7]

Future

The future of the Sheridan Expressway is uncertain. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) proposed expanding the highway in 1997.^[8] The plan faced opposition rooted in claims of environmental justice from community groups, which proposed an alternative calling for the river-front expressway to be replaced with affordable housing, schools and green space.^[9]

In August 2008 the alternative community plan was under consideration by NYSDOT.^[10] The plan gained momentum in July 2010.^[7] However, the state opposed the plan to demolish the highway, citing a study showing that local traffic would be worsened.^[11] The dispute between the local community and the state DOT has led to a stalemate, what the Daily News called a "crossroads" and "a road to nowhere".^[12]

Exit list

The entire route is in the Bronx. All exits are unnumbered.

References

External links

• New York Routes – Interstate 895
• Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance A proposal to replace the Sheridan Expressway's 28-acre (110,000 m²) footprint with affordable housing, open space, and new economic development opportunities.