Hutchinson River Parkway

The Hutchinson River Parkway (also known as The Hutch) is a north–south parkway in southern New York, United States. It extends for 18.78 miles (30.22 km) from the massive Bruckner Interchange in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx to the New York – Connecticut state line at Rye Brook. The parkway continues south from the Bruckner Interchange as the Whitestone Expressway (I-678) and north into Greenwich, Connecticut, as the Merritt Parkway. The roadway is named for English-born American religious leader Anne Hutchinson.

Construction of the parkway began in 1924 and was completed in 1941. The portion of the parkway between Eastern Boulevard (now Bruckner Boulevard) in the Bronx and U.S. Route 1 in Pelham Manor was designated as New York State Route 1X from 1941 to 1946. NY 1A was subsequently realigned to follow the Hutch between Eastern Boulevard and US 1. The NY 1A designation was removed ca. 1962.

Route description

The Hutchinson River Parkway begins at the Bruckner Interchange in the Bronx, where I-95, I-278, I-295, and I-678 all meet. It heads north, partly following Westchester Creek through the eastern Bronx to Pelham Bay Park, where it meets the Bronx and Pelham Parkway and encounters I-95 just north of the point where it changes from the Bruckner Expressway to the New England Thruway. A bikeway parallels the Parkway from Bruckner Interchange to Pelham Parkway. The Hutch continues on, crossing over the Hutchinson River and passing through Pelham Bay Park before following the river's east bank into Westchester County and the border village of Pelham Manor, where an exit leads to U.S. Route 1.

It heads north from US 1, following the river through North Pelham, Mount Vernon, and Eastchester to New Rochelle, where the river ends amongst three reservoirs in Twin Lakes County Park, near the point where the Hutch intersects the Cross County Parkway. The parkway turns eastward, passing through New Rochelle and Scarsdale and entering Saxon Woods Park, where the Hutchinson Parkway joins the Mamaroneck River at an interchange with Mamaroneck Avenue.

Both the Hutch and the river continue northeast, passing through the southernmost portion of White Plains on its way to Harrison. Here, the parkway meets I-287 and connects to I-684 by way of a short spur linking the parkway and I-684. Past I-684, the parkway heads easterly and northerly into the town of Rye and the village of Rye Brook, where it connects to NY 120A and becomes the Merritt Parkway at the Connecticut state line.

The road is designated as NY 908A within the Bronx and NY 907W within Westchester County. Both designations are unsigned reference routes. Like the Bronx River Parkway, the reference route designation of the parkway in Westchester County violates the numbering scheme used by the New York State Department of Transportation. The second digit of a reference route designation typically indicates its region. While other reference routes in the county carry a second digit of "8", as Westchester County is located in region 8, the "0" in 907W is indicative of regions 10 and 11, containing Long Island and New York City, respectively.

History

Construction of the parkway began in 1924 and the first two-mile (3 km) section was completed in December 1927. By October 1928, 11 miles (18 km) of the parkway were open, connecting U.S. Route 1 in Pelham with Westchester Avenue in White Plains. The original roadway was an undivided, limited-access parkway, designed with gently sloping curves, stone arch bridges, and wooden lightposts. The original 11-mile (18 km) section included bridle paths along the right-of-way. There was also a riding academy where the public could rent horses.^[2]

In 1936, Robert Moses decided to build more parkways in the Bronx and Westchester County. A northward extension of the Hutchinson River Parkway from White Plains to King Street (modern NY 120A) in Rye Brook on the Connecticut state line was completed in 1937 and a southward extension from Pelham Manor to Pelham Bay Park opened in December 1937.^[3] The new southerly extension became part of a rerouted NY 1A.^[4][5][6] The final segment of the parkway—a southward extension to the Bronx–Whitestone Bridge—was completed in 1941 and initially designated NY 1X. The NY 1X designation was removed in 1946^[3] and replaced with a realigned NY 1A,^[7] which had previously followed Bruckner Boulevard and Shore Road between what is now the Bruckner Interchange and exit 5 on the Hutch.^[8] The NY 1A designation was completely removed ca. 1962.^[9][10]

Originally, the parkway was built and designated all the way to the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. However, the original parkway designs did not allow for commercial traffic. When the bridge was designated I-678, the section between the Bruckner Interchange and the Bronx Whitestone Bridge had to be converted to Interstate Highway standards. Once that was completed, that section was assigned the I-678 designation and renamed part of the Whitestone Expressway. Modifications in 1984 included straightening of some curves, increased sight distances, removal of the rustic lightposts, and lengthening of acceleration and deceleration lanes.^[2] Originally, there was a 25¢ toll located in Pelham between exits 7 and 8. The toll was removed on October 31, 1994, as part of a major reconstruction project.^[3]

The claim has been made, most notably in Robert Caro's biography, The Power Broker, that Moses deliberately designed the parkways to have low bridges to prevent low-income families from traveling by bus to destinations outside of New York City.^[11]

Exit list

References