Yonkers, N.Y. Hudson River Bridge/Northern Metro Regional Bypass

 

The George Washington Bridge NEEDS alternative routes- the NYC Metro Area must have additional trans Hudson River crossings.  Northwards to the Tappan Zee Bridge, Yonkers is the best, for connecting with the existing east-west Cross County Parkway- a freeway reconstructed during the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s that excludes trucks.

Yonkers, NY authorities appear to suggest the preferred site, marked by the naming of "Bridge Street" at the east west axis of Ludlow Streets, where it would land, with its approach eastwards into a hill by Route 9, where the highway would continue within tunnel, with connections to and from the north to the Cross County Parkway.

 

Extend that Yonkers, Ludlow Street axis to New Jersey, where it would land.  It would have connections with the Palisades Parkway.  And it must have a minimum of 6 lane mainline continuing west, as simply linking to the Palisades Parkway is problematic given the lack of a continuous traffic light free link to I-95.  Years ago, 1940s-1950s, the Yonkers, N.Y. - Alpine, New Jersey bridge was proposed to have an all new freeway continuing west, which was not built.  Instead, have a tunnel that arcs southward to follow the Northern RR, to connect with I-95/I-80.  

The I-80/I-95 to bridge link would be via tunnel, cut and cover along the Northern Line., and then curved towards facing Yonkers, with portal by the Palisades Parkway.  Curved portion would be bored to avoid surface disruption, emerging just past Montammy Golf Club, at the Palisades Parkway, to the bridge to Yonkers, N.Y., along Ludlow Street.  A minimum 6 travel lane facility could be either a single tunnel with two levels, or a pair of single or two level tunnels.  Existing 57 foot diameter TBMs require a pair of tunnels, each with a single 3 lane roadway, with only about 6 feet of shoulder space, or a double level 2 lane roadway with the 6 foot shoulder space.  Larger tunnels, 62, 67, 72 feet diameter would be preferable, particularly for line of sight within tunnels that are curved.

 

In Yonkers, this moled land approach tunnel might be a short segment, that emerges to cross atop the Saw Mill River Parkway, elevated over the valley, before entering a second tunnel further east as the topography rises, that extends further east to cross I-87, the Raceway Park parking lot, and the Bronx River into the City of Mt. Vernon, transitioning to cut and cover tunnel along 2nd Street.

 

Or instead it could be continuous with the west Yonkers segment descending to pass beneath Saw Mill River.

 

In Mt. Vernon, this cut and cover tunnel follows 2nd Street before turning south along the old N.Y., Westchester & Boston RR corridor, and continuing in the Bronx alongside that same RR's currently extant Dyre Avenue IRT line, to connect to and from the south with I-95 via an augmented 222nd Street exit, extending to the Throggs Neck Bridge Expressway, and providing a valuable new traffic corridor for handling potential emergency situation evacuation traffic.

 

 

New Hope For Cross Sound Link

New engineering report released.

Western: I-287/I-95 interchange to Route 135
Hybrid: I-287/I-95 interchange to Sunken Meadow/Sagtikos Parkway
Central: I-95 near Route 8 to Sunken Meadow/Sagtikos Parkway
Eastern: I-95 near I-91 to William Floyd Parkway

In recent months, NY Gov Andrew Cuomo pleasantly surprised countless people by publicly endorsing the addition of a fixed road crossing of Long Island Sound, to finally provide such somewhere to the northeast of the Throggs Neck Bridge.

This is the first major initiative for such a crossing since the 2007 "Cross Sound Link" proposal by developer Vincent Polimeni, for a highway tunnel connecting the eastern end of I-287 in Westchester County at the Rye/Port Chester line, to the existing stub of Route 135 in Nassau County..   As mitigating, the cut and cover transition to 135 would have expedited the construction of the lid with new park facilities in place before the completion of the underground highway underneath. According to the multi-million dollar engineering study that Polimeni organized, the project was estimated to cost $16 billion, and would have had a $25 toll.

2007 Vincent Polimeni Cross Link Tunnel

This Cross Sound Link would consist of a trio of drilled tunnel tubes, with 3 lanes in each of the 55' diameter outboard tubes, flanking a middle 38' diameter tube for a service-way. 

55' outer tubes each with single deck with 3 lanes flanking 38' center tube

It would have flanking connections with I-287 to the west of the I-287/I-95 interchange, perhaps with portals in the vicinity of South Ridge Road.

I-287/I-95 interchange with Cross Sound Tunnel connections

It would have passed under Grace Church Road and the shoreline, and the Port Chester Harbor south of Byram Point and north of Manursing Island and beneath the Sound roughly paralleling the New York-Connecticut line, before turning more easterly to veer entirely east of Cove Neck to land at Laurel Hollow, turning southwesterly and continue about 1 1/2 miles to connect with existing Route 135.

It was to be drilled deeply beneath the Sound and a portion of its land segments to thus significantly reduce impacts to the surface.

It had the support of then N.Y. Governor Spitzer, who took office, January 1, 2007, who was felled March 17, 2008, in a sex scandal involving his patronage as "Client #9" of a brothel apparently established to service the politically powerful - the "Emperor's Club", though notably no other such clients were publicly exposed, and at least one established news source would speculate openly that this expose was meant to derail the Cross Sound Link project, which I reported here.  Spitzer's successor, David Peterson, who served through 2010 supported it, and there was some talk of expanding it to accommodate adding a rail component, but it nonetheless stalled.

The last major study upon the idea of a new vehicular crossing of Long Island Sound was in 1979, initiated by then N.Y. Governor Hugh Carey.  It was confined to possible links between Long Island and the State of Connecticut, plus one to Rhode Island.

1979

A- Port Jefferson Route 112 to Bridgeport CT I-95 near Route 8
B- Wading River (Shoreham) William Floyd Parkway to East Haven CT I-95
C- Riverhead extension from existing I-495 terminus to Gilford CT
D- Old Saybrook extended I-495 to East Marion I-95 near Route 9
E- Orient Point to Watch Hill, Rhode Island Route 78

The 1979 study neglected consideration of any new link further west; however such had been the focus of the previous planning direction, with the idea of connecting Long Island with Westchester County, with three options enumerated in a 1972 Environmental Impact Statement, and with this planning being truncated with N.Y. Governor Nelson Rockefeller June 1973 cancellation of the option found as having the greatest feasibility and benefit: the link between I-287 and Route 135. 

The two other options so considered were a connection from I-287 southward through Rye to Glen Cove Long Island, and another from New Rochelle to Sands Point, owing to matters of fit and feasibility potential with the existing road network, in other words the placement and importance of the area's higher capacity connecting roads.  All three options would include land approaches to connect with the existing such roads.

All three options would ultimately connect I-95 with I-495, each which extended outwards away from New York City, and connect with such by highways that served as circular routes: the Cross County Parkway and I-287 in Westchester County, and the Meadowbrook State Parkway and/or the Wantagh Parkway in Nassau County.  Of these, I-287 is the most important, and extends closest to the shoreline, with its terminus at its interchange with I-95.

I-287 is a major road that extends west through Westchester and beyond to cross the Hudson River via the Tappan Zee Bridge, multiplexing with I-87 to Suffren where I-287 turns southward into New Jersey and I-87 turns northward , an interstate highway with 6 or more lanes total, with its eastern terminus/interchange with I-95 within 300 feet of the shoreline.

The Cross County, Meadowbrook and Wantagh Parkways are important roads, though more locally regional then trans regional, with each confined within its respective county, and each disallowing commercial traffic, hence not serving trucks.


Both the Meadowbrook and the Wantagh are easily connectable to I-495, with an easement in place for the latter and an actual connection already existing for the former.

However, none are relatively accessible to the shoreline.

The Meadobrook and Wantagh would both require lengthy tunnels for the land approach, about 1.7 miles and  4.3 miles respectively, and another 5.3 to extend under the north south length of Hempstead Bay before reaching the mainline Sound. 

The Cross County meanwhile ends about 2 miles inland with its easternmost terminus at the Hutchinson River Parkway, and would require a drilled tunnel of more than 1 mile to connect with I-95 where there is already some space owing to the existing interchange, and where the route would continue towards the shore turning more southerly to pass through the former Sears site and then under the muddy inlet between the Sutton Manor neighborhood and the park.

Long Island's Route 135 is similarly stranded from the nearest shoreline.  Yet it is a more important road.

It has a terminus about 4 miles from the nearest point with the Oyster Bay shoreline; however it has an already assembled land corridor, which then extended about 3 miles northerly, though curbing northwesterly to require continuing about 2 or 3 miles along the Mill Neck peninsula, with this northwesterly portion of this reserved right of way since sold and thus with this strip cut back to about 1 1/2 miles).

Yet it is a modern 6 lane freeway essentially built to interstate highway specifications with 12 foot wide travel lanes with 10-12' right-hand shoulders and approximately 5 foot left-hand shoulders, and can hence accommodate trucks.  It extends southward connecting with I-495 (the Long Island Expressway), and with Route 27, which becomes a freeway about 3 miles east of its interchange with 135.   Unlike the parkways it does not need the same degree of reconstruction.

Hence, connecting I-287 with Route 135, with the latter likelier to thus be re-designated as I-287, is the best option.

Westchester County (mainland)

I-287/I-95 interchange with I-287 Sound Bridge route options

Nassau County (Long Island)

Sound Bridge approach route options

However this plan ran into serious opposition, particularly in Rye and in Bayville.

As a method of thwarting this link, the Bayville area would be re-designated as a nature preserve.

And years later, in 1991, so was the area immediately north of the Playland amusement park, where 3 out of 4 of the officially considered route options would have passed through, as the Edith Reed Nature Sanctuary.

In light of this history, the new for 2018 report adopts significant modifications to the land and shoreline area approaches as compared to those from previous studies..



This report explores three basic options from the mainland to Long Island:

"Western Alignment": Rye/Port Chester, Westchester County, NY I-287 to Oyster Bay Nassau County Route 135, which was planned to extend to the Wantagh Parkway which ends at Jones Beach.  Options of Bride, All Tunnel, and Bridge/Tunnel combo.

"Central Alignment": Bridgeport or Devon, Fairfield County CT Route 8 to Kings Park Suffolk County Sunken Meadow (Sagtikos) Parkway, extends south to Robert Moses State Park  Options of Bridge and Bridge/Tunnel combos for Bridgeport, and later for Devon.

"Eastern Alignment": I-91 to William Floyd Parkway (New Haven or Branford CT to Shorham LI).  Options of Bridge or Bridge/Tunnel combo.

It also gives preliminary to a "hybrid" alignment respectively combining the Western and Central Alignments'  mainland and Long Island connections, aka connecting I-287 with the Sagtikos Parkway.

Some key facts:

The Western and Central Alignment would have the highest revenue generation potential: 86,400 and 87,600 vehicles daily versus 55,500 for a New Haven area crossing.

The predicted constructions costs are:

- Western- $8.49 to $55.4b:

$8.49b bridge,
$33.4b tunnel with single 58' tube with 2 lanes upon 2 decks,
$55.4 tunnel with twin 58' tubes with 3 lanes upon a single deck,
$43.5b bridge/tunnel combo with twin 58' tubs each with 3 lanes upon a single deck.

- Central- $13 to $31b: 

$16.5B for a bridge (Bridgeport);
$22.7b for a bridge/tunnel combo (Bridgeport);
$16.5b bridge (Devon);
$31.2b bridge/tunnel combo to Devon;

- Eastern- $15.7b to $32b:

$15.7b bridge to New Haven,
$32b bridge/tunnel combo to New Haven,
$15b bridge to Bradford,
$28b bridge/tunnel combo to Bradford.

The tunnel configurations would all have a 58' bore, either proving 2 lanes in each direction with two levels in a single tube, or 3 per direction each with a pair of tubes.

All of the bridge/tunnel combinations indicated would have a pair of 58' bores each with 3 lanes upon a single deck.

The only scenario given cost figures for a single 58' tube with 2 lanes each upon 2 decks is such an option for the Western alignment (I-287).

No figures are given for an all tunnel option for either the Central or Eastern Alignment.

 All of the alignments, Western, Central and Eastern would connect I-95, which runs paralleling the northern shoreline of the Sound, and essentially the major freeways which have interchanges with I-05 and which extend inland, with the north-south freeways in Long Island, each of which have interchanges with I-495 (the Long Island Expressway).  Of these connections north of the Sound, the interchange with I-287 is the closest to the shoreline.  To the south of Sound, the north south freeways extending closest to the shoreline are the Sagtikos Parkway and the William Floyd Parkway- each as "parkway" thus requiring some degree of reconstruction to accommodate commercial traffic such as large trucks, at least for their segment extending to their respective interchanges with the LIE.  Route 135, the north south freeway on Long Island that the Western Alignment would connect with I-287 is already an interstate specification highway that accommodates such commercial traffic and would be re designated as a part of I-287.  But it only extends north to about 3 miles from the shoreline, thus necessitating a lengthier land extension that is seen as most politically feasible as a tunnel.

Regarding each of the three main alignments, Western, Central and Eastern:

Western:

This is the one that is most widely believed which would receive the greatest traffic use, an estimated 86K vehicles daily with a $20 toll or 113k with a $7.50 toll) connecting the existing I-287 terminus at its interchange with I-95, with Long Island Route 135, which would in turn be re-designated as a continuation of I-287.

-  the basic alignment that I have long advocated for the Westchester County side, that avoids the Playland area and skirts the northern edge of Rye.  In other words, it abandons the previous route options that would turn to the south to go through the area just north of Playland (through what has since been designated the Edith Nature Preserve- showing such only as a stub), which were previous options W1, W2 and W3, but rather confines itself to essentially the route through Port Chester Harbor previously known as option W4.

- However, for the Long Island side, it adopts a new alignment to the east of the previously considered options that went through Bayville, though not as far east as that shown in the 2007 Polemeni tunnel proposal that went beneath Laurel Hollow.  This new alignment which would run roughly parallel to Steamboat Road, would run under Oyster Bay to and past Center Island Peninsula and then Turtle Cove before entering the Sound.  This routing would thus clip a corner of the Sound portion of Connecticut, but would be ideally located to permit adding a rail connection from the LIRR rail terminus near the Oyster Bay Marine Center.


- Though including the option of a Sound Crossing via a bridge, this latest study report includes the options of a tunnel as well as a combination bridge - tunnel that would cross the Sound mainly via a bridge, but place the land approaches as well as the shoreline crossing within tunnel, with transition points via newly created off shore islands.

I have long favored the idea of this Westchester approach routing, as well as the idea of a combo bridge-tunnel with the shoreline approach areas within tunnel where the need for mitigation is the greatest.

For the Western alignment, the report recommends against an all bridge option [$8.49b] as politically infeasible, and recommends further study of the options of a bridge/tunnel combo ($43.5b) and and all tunnel ($55.4) options.


Central:

With regards for the Central Alignment connecting Connecticut at Bridgeport or Devon with Long Island's Sagtikos Parkway, which according to this report would receive the greatest traffic demand at 87.6K daily with a $20 toll and 108K with a $7.50 toll).

It gives an option for Bridgeport connecting to I-95, which parallels the shoreline, about a mile from the I-95 interchange with the southern terminus of the nearest freeway that extends inland, Route 8, in order to utilize existing more open space via the right of way of an existing surface road through a largely industrial area, versus a straight-line to Route 8 which would go through the University of Bridgeport and then through Shoreline Park.   This routing would have traffic to and from the bridge with I-95 and provide access to and from Route 8 essentially by adding at least one additional lane to I-95 to the interchange with Route 8.  For this routing the report gives all bridge and bridge/tunnel options.

It gives an option for Devon, immediately to northeast of Bridgeport, with a landing that would transverse a residential area to connect with the existing Devon interchange with I-95, and gives all bridge and bridge/tunnel combination options.

For the Central alignment the report recommends further study of the all bridge ($16.5b) and the bridge/tunnel combo ($22.7b) for Bridgeport and the bridge/tunnel combo ($31.2b) for Devon.
Eastern:

This is the one, which would connect I-95 in Connecticut with the William Floyd Parkway in Long Island.

The connection with I-95 would be in the vicinity of its interchanges with I-91, which extends north, and with Route 34, which points to the west, that was long planned to eventually extend west to the Bear Mountain Bridge and hence the NY Route 17 Quickway (which is being re-designated as I-86), but which has been stymied by a horrifically misguided plan to block its underground extension beneath the Yale area "Air Rights" garage (which had been designed to accommodate this freeway's extension underground) for an ill advised real estate development scheme to further truncate this freeway and channel its traffic loads upon its existing parallel service roads, altogether overlooking the benefits of at least continuing this freeway a few additional blocks beneath any such new buildings in order to better disperse its traffic.

As such, this crossing could serve to extend I-91 to and into Long Island, with the William Floyd Parkway reconstructed as such at least to its interchange with the I-495 Long Island Expressway.
I do not understand the consideration of either the Devon nor Branford options.  Both the Bridgeport and New Haven alignment would each respectively work better with reduced costs.  IMHO either would be fine as bridges.  I would though explore the idea - not mentioned in the report - of an above ground or shallow "tunnel" (enclosed roadway) for the approach om Bridgeport between the bridge and near I-95.  That area is industrial and could conceivably adopt to perhaps even such an enclosed roadway of the existing grade of 113 (Lorship Boulevard) between perhaps from Access to Honeywell Roads, with the adjacent areas built up with landfill and or even new real estate development for what would be a relatively low cost tunnel segment involving no new excavation (or limited excavation with a shallow tunnel).

The report recommends against a Western All bridge option ($8.49b), and all of the Eastern Alignment options ($15.7b and $32b respectively for bridge and bridge/tunnel options with New Haven, and $15b and $28b bridge and bridge/tunnel options with Bradford.

It recommends further study of the Western Alignment options of an all tunnel ($55.4b for a 3x3 tunnel) and bridge/tunnel combo ( $43.5b), and of the Central Alignment with Bridgeport as a Bridge ($16.5b), Bridge/Tunnel combination ($22.7b), and with Devon as a bridge/tunnel combo ($31.2b).

The recommendation are basically sound, though there are clearly outstanding issues that would further this process, as well as provide a direction for further refinement.

Re-Think New York City La Guardia Airport Expansion Into The South Bronx Proposal

An intriguing idea to expand La Guardia Airport with expanded runways achieved by new landfill displacing Rikers Island, with a new set of entryways in the Port Morris area of the South Bronx, accompanied by upgrades to the passenger rail system- all well and good.

http://www.rethinknyc.com/

Would establish new supplemental entryway to La Guardia in the South Bronx, thus traffic from the north would no longer need to cross the Triborough or Whitestone Bridges, with access to the rest of the airport via a dedicated rail loop

 

 Would expand runway capacity via new landfill displacing Rikers Island

 Would connect with all three northern radial Metro North Railroads, thus travellers from the north could arrive by any of the three Metro North railroad lines.   

The train station would include a new stop for Amtrak.

Includes the idea of a new convention center replacing Javits Center.

That's an idea that builds upon late 1800s and early 1900s planning proposals to develop this Port Morris area, such as an 1883 proposal for a new convention center, and latter with the idea of continuing the denser development seen in Manhattan further forth, for which the New York, Westchester & Boston railroad, which opened in 1911 had anticipated.

The Re-Think NYC site notes:

The area north of the convention center would be built at an urban scale.  To the west is the Bruckner Expressway, which prevents connection between Port Morris and neighborhoods to the west.  We would bridge this divide through a proposed new "ambassador" building on the west side of the Bruckner at 142nd Street, which would allow people to enter on that side of the expressway, but the building would also serve as a bridge over the Bruckner that would connect to the entire complex.

This proposal needs further work regarding the highway network, particularly as the Bruckner segment along this area is an unsightly elevated freeway- hence placing a building atop it in this configuration would be ungainly.

Should ultimately include a complete replacement-reconstruction of the southern Bruckner Expressway- an unsightly elevated highway.

http://www.archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=5476#.VsE2t_k9-So

What To Do About The Bruckner Expressway:

This elevated freeway, with 3 lanes in each direction is unsightly, locally divisive, lacks shoulders, lacks access ramps to this proposed airport entryway complex, and is under-capacity for accepting traffic from the northbound Willis Avenue Bridge from Manhattan.

It does provide a fantastic view through the windshield for travellers heading south.

To the west it is paralleled by a 4 lane wide southbound surface Bruckner Boulevard.

To its east it is paralleled by a 2 lane wide northbound Bruckner Boulevard with buildings, from its southern end to 142nd Street, where the railroad then meets it to run immediately alongside.  That railroad is at a lower grade.

Ideally there should be a new line of buildings designed to reconnect Port Morris with the neighborhoods to the west in the place now occupied by the elevated freeway structure, which should be torn down, with new parallel freeway roadways, with either both directions within new cut and cover tunnel(s), or with the northbound direction in a new cut and cover tunnel, and the southbound direction elevated as the roof of a new line of buildings.

Because the existing elevated freeway must remain in operation throughout the construction project, the first stage would be constructing a new cut and cover freeway tunnel beneath the surface road to the west.

As the Re-Think NYC proposal envisions demolishing the buildings already along the Bruckner's eastern (northbound) side, it could likewise construct a cut and cover tunnelway there as well.  To the north of 142nd Street, this could be done via the existing railroad right of way with the tracks relocated eastward, and with this rail corridor planned to be decked over.  The historic New York, Westchester & Boston RailRoad Station at the north side of Hunts Point Avenue should not be demolished but rather propped up with new supports and retained either in its exact same location or slightly re-indexed eastwards.

 http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22862

http://dev.forgotten-ny.com/2001/03/abandoned-railroad-stations-of-the-bronx/

Each of these cut and cover tunnels should ideally be at least the of 4 full width lanes plus shoulders.  This might involve some building removal on a brief section of the north side in addition to that one the south side already envisioned by the Re-Think NYC proposal.  This should likewise be designed to tie into the existing 4 lane short tunnel for Bruckner Boulevard traffic beneath the Bruckner Expressway-Deegan Expressway interchange with the approach to the Triborough "RFK" Bridge.  That tunnel should be lengthened both to the south-west to Brown Place, with local street access and a gentler curve displacing the gasoline station there.  And it should be extended to the north-east, with at least one full lane joining into and continuing via an additional lane of the reconstructed Bruckner Expressway.

Once the new cut and cover tunnels are in place, the elevated Bruckner should be demolished, and replaced with a line of new buildings.  Optional would be the idea of an elevated roadway upon its roof; as the purpose of that would be to continue the tradition of the southbound vista through the windshield, this might done only for the southbound direction.  A variation of this would be to have an arial tunnel within one of this structure's upper levels, ala the "Choppway" proposal a few years ago for the replacement of Seattle Washington's elevated double decked Route 99 Freeway.

http://crosscut.com/2008/09/frank-chopps-megaduct-comes-out-hiding/

However, because of the need to retain the existing elevated freeway throughout the reconstruction, this project would have to include at least one cut and cover tunnel on one or both sides of the existing structure- a basic design configuration furthermore favored by the practicalities of establishing on ramp and off ramp access.   Also, the construction could be staged to add an additional cut and cover carriageway between the two new outboard tunnelways once the existing elevated Bruckner is removed.

To the north, the new cut and covers could do wonders for removing the blight of the existing roadways at the mouth of the Bronx River, for both the continuation of the Bruckner and for its connections to the Sheridan.  

Such a cut and cover tunnel Bruckner Expressway reconstruction should extend to Boynton Avenue, thus eliminating the elevated berm segment to the west, meeting the existing Bruckner corridor where the freeway is at ground level, and has the option of transitioning to the service roads to access the Bronx River Parkway.

Such a cut and cover connection for the Sheridan should extend to Westchester Avenue, which is build-able via re-indexing the adjacent railroad to the east.  Further north, portions of the Sheridan should be decked over taking advantage of the topography of the hill to its west to better connect that area with the Bronx River waterfront, such as between E 172 and 173rd Streets.

The new Bruckner Expressway would of course have greater capacity than the existing 3 lane in each direction facility.  The new set of outboard cut and cover tunnels with 4 lanes apiece flanking an inner set with 2 lanes per direction built after the demolition of the elevated structure would provide an upwards of12 lanes, thereby accommodating continuous on lanes for traffic from the northbound Willis Bridge and to and from the new airport access ramps.  Of this, 8 lane would continue to surface at Boynton Street, with a lane apiece to and from the service roads, the remaining 6 lanes with the 6 lane surface Bruckner Expressway, and 4 lanes to the north for the Sheridan.  Providing this extra capacity would allow more traffic to be underground, thus allowing for a more pedestrian friendly Bruckner Boulevard.

With this thought, the project should include such ramp connects into the Hunts Point Market.

Other Ideas:

With the additional of such a significant amount of landfill displacing Rikers Island, another idea comes to mind- what about taking advantage of that to create new roadway crossings between the Bronx and Queens?  

With the Triborough "RFK" Bridge heavily used, even though the "Re-Think NYC" plan would divert some of its traffic by no longer requiring its use from the north to access La Guardia Airport, it would be prudent for long term planning to ultimately seize the opportunity provided by the landfill for the new runway space.

Regarding highways, two ideas come to mind:

- extending the Bronx River Parkway

- extending the Deegan

The logical place would be the area of the Grand Central Parkway-Brooklyn Queens Expressway interchanges.  

Not simply as the junction of these two highways, both of which are heavily used.  

But because that's the location of a rail corridor that has already been studied and proposed as the location of a new interstate highway running roughly north-south between the two roughly parallel highways of the BQE and the Van Wick Expressway.  As planned during the 1960s it was to be known as the Interboro Expressway, and would connect directly with  the contemporaneously planned Cross Brooklyn Expressway.

For a good historic overview of the previous planing for the Interboro Expressway, see the account by NYC Roads Steve Anderson:

http://www.nycroads.com/roads/queens-interboro/

Accordingly it was canceled by 1973.  As planned during the late 1960s-early 1970s it would have included reconstructing a portion of the existing elevated IRT as a subway with the below ground level freeway.  As I have not seen any detailed plans, I don't know if any of the latter planning included any segments as coverways (cut and cover tunnels), rather than simply as an open depressed freeway.

A revival of the Interboro Expressway has been proposed by Peter Samuel's via his publication TollRoads.

As it is a relatively narrow railroad corridor that is generally below grand level, passing through residential area, it would have to be constructed primarily within a tunnel box, and covered with new linear parkland.

Connecting with a Cross Brooklyn Expressway likewise built primarily by tunnelways, this Interboro Route would provide a valuable link into Brooklyn and towards Staten Island and Long Island.

A could be connected to the Bronx by a curved tunnel contained beneath the Re-Think NYC La Guardia Port Morris facility, directly into the Deegan.  Optionally that could include ramp connects to and from the new Bruckner and the Hunts Point Market.

A tunneled extension of the Bronx River Parkway could connect with the BQE-Interboro-Grand Central Parkway, though its logical connection with the latter as a parkway would be best done in conjunction with a demolition-reconstruction of the western portion of the existing La Guardia complex, owing to the geometry.

Such a connection would thus establish a seem-less link between the southern end of New York's longest Parkway -- the Bronx River - Sprain Brook - Taconic which are all really one freeway from the South Bronx towards Albany -- and the Grand Central - Cross Island - Northern State Parkways.

None of these projects would have to be all built at once or together.

Rather they could be built in stages, starting with the incorporation of their initial segments within the "Re-Think NYC" La Guardia expansion project, and within the reconstruction of the adjoining Bruckner.

Including the tunnel box within the new clearing and landfill would be comparably easy compared to failing to plan them and adding later.  As these would be additions between the existing 8 lane Triborough/"RFK" and 6 lane Whitestone Bridges, they could suffice with a minimum of 2 lanes in each direction apiece.

The Deegan-Interboro Connection would provide a valuable bypass of the Triborough "RFK" Bridge and its antiquated Queens approach.  Of course the Deegan should be rebuilt to full 8 lane specifications, as I have previously written about, and its east west segment from Willis Avenue to at least towards Brown Street, should be decked over.  Serious consideration should be given to reconstructing this freeway further to the east at a lower elevation to be likewise decked over as far as practical for connecting with the Triborough"RFK" Bridge, with new parkland atop, more consistent with the spirit of the 1883 Port Morris planning.

Because of their use of the footprint of the La Guardia expansion project, most of this new tunnel crossing construction would not disturb existing neighborhoods nor traffic.
 

Donald Trump Bridge Disconnect

China's bridges: "China, you go there now, roads, bridges, schools, you never saw anything like it. They have bridges that make the George Washington Bridge look like small potatoes." - http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/06/16/the-many-many-things-that-are-great-according-to-donald-trump/

Yet what has Donald Trump ever said about bridges, in say the metropolitan area of his native New York?   Surely would not such a candidate complain or comment about NY not getting a single new crossing since the completion of the Verrazano Narrow Bridge?

In a radio interview, Trump said he’s convinced the cost of the massive bridge will balloon to $10 billion, a cost he said the state can’t afford. The current projected cost for the new bridge is as much as $4.8 billion, which includes both construction and financing costs.

The state Thruway Authority, which owns the bridge, closed on a $1.6 billion loan from the federal government for the bridge replacement project last week. The better option, Trump said, is reinforcing the current span, which stretches across the Hudson River between Westchester and Rockland counties.

“The bridge is a totally fine structure, but it needs renewal,” Trump told host Fred Dicker on Albany’s WGDJ-AM. “And the renewal can be done for a tiny fraction of the — in my opinion — $10 billion bridge that they’re going to build.”

Trump offered no basis for his $10 billion estimate, aside from detailing his expertise in real-estate development.

The Thruway Authority’s contract for the new bridge pushes much of the cost of potential overruns on the team of contractors building the span, though taxpayers are still on the hook in certain instances, such as if builders encounter hazardous materials or the state decides to add features to the bridge.

Why no mention from Trump about where have all of those toll monies gone?  Such as the toll collected on the Tappan Zee Bridge since it first opened in 1955 or so?

Mike Cape on December 24, 2013 9:51 pm

LOL, the bridge can’t handle the traffic it was not designed for 125 to 150,000 cars a day. The bridge was designed for 50,000 cars a day and is of a design that requires a lot of maintenance, which has not been done. However the bridge was made during a steel shortage and is not constructed of a gauge of other NYC bridges, it was designed with a life span of 50 years. It is made of small box steel girder and truss transfer beams. Take a look at in contract to the steel on other NY area bridges. It needs to go and soon. Trump has likely only flown over it recently, no sweat off his back.

Conscience of a Conservative on December 23, 2013 6:56 pm

Trump is very wrong here, but I suspect he doesn’t care and just wants his daily publicity. The Tappan Zee bridge is in dire need of upgrade as it’s the life-blood for those crossing the Hudson. The State did err, but on the side of not including a light rail option.

In judging the fiscal soundness of the project the State should be thinking about the increased productivity of residents on both sides of the Hudson, along with increased tax revenue by making Rockland more desirable http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2013/12/23/donald-trump-tappan-zee-replacement-state-will-never-able-afford/

Actually the State did more than err in not including the light rail, or rather the provisions for such, but more broadly the provisions for rail in general.  After all the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement was long projected to include a heavy rail component of a new Metro North passenger rail line from Suffern to Rye/Port Chester, later truncated to White Plains and than to Tarrytown.

Such was projected to be carried by a lower deck- a feature included in the George Washington and Verrazano Narrows Bridges.  Yet one in-explicitly dropped, even as the EIS left that option out of its cost benefits analysts a logical basis for a law suit that was never brought about.

What happened to all of the liberal-left "progressive" support for expanding rail transit?

Come to think why do we hear so much about Trump, yet so comparatively little about other NY area developers that HAVE proposed new crossings, such as that who proposed the Cross Sound Tunnel?

New York Metro Region Needs An Additional Bridge To Connect Westchester County With New Jersey

Provide Relief to the George Washington Bridge/Trans Manhattan-Cross Bronx Expressway

Upgrade Westchester, N.Y.'s Cross County Parkway & Build A New Trans Hudson Bridge Connecting Yonkers and New Jersey with a northern extension of the New Jersey Turnpike

People have long spoke of the need for additional trans Hudson River crossings in the New York metropolitan region, something north of The George Washington, and south of the Tappan Zee Bridges, with mentions of two options from Westchester County westward to New Jersey: Yonkers, and further north in Hastings on the Hudson.

There is only one east west freeway between the George Washington Bridges I-95 Trans Manhattan-Cross Bronx Expressway and the Tappan Zee's Cross Westchester Expressway, which is the Cross County Parkway, which has its west end in Yonkers, about 1 mile from the Hudson.

The Hastings option would require an all new freeway along the Jackson Avenue corridor at least about 1.5 miles eastward to I-87 and the Sprain Brook Parkway, if not Central Avenue and the Hutchinson River Parkway just to the north of Wilmont Road.

The Yonkers option would require about 1 mile of new approach road construction, plus the option of reconstructing an additional mile or so to a reconstructed improved interchange with I--87 to handle trucks, with an existing Cross County Parkway already connecting to the Bronx River, Sprain and Hutchinson River Parkways the latter which should have its segment to the north reconstructed with at leas one additional lane in each direction.

Both options have the option of connecting in New Jersey to the north-south Palisades Parkway, where there is no east west freeway.  At one time, a western such extension was envisioned.  Steve Anderson's site discusses that - the New Jersey Route 14 Freeway - here.

Because of the lack of such a facility, some have spoke of this as simply a Parkway bridge, merely connecting an extended Cross County Parkway with the Palisades Parkway.

However, even though that latter road could be widened with adding an extra lane in each direction, from 2 to 3 lanes in each  direction, such a crossing would funnel a significant amount of traffic to the Palisades Parkways southern terminus with I-95 right at the I-95 approach to the George Washington Bridge.

And such a plan would do nothing to provide an alternative route for trucks to avoid the heavily used I-95 Trans Manhattan-Cross Bronx Expressway, which is significantly more difficult to add capacity than the parallel routes to the north.

With much of the George Washington Bridge traffic headed either west on I-80 or south on I-95/New Jersey Turnpike, the greater need would be for connecting the new Yonkers-Alpine Bridge to a northern extension from the New Jersey Turnpike.

Thus, it would be best to supplement the Palisades Parkway, with connections to link the new Hudson River Bridge with the New Jersey Turnpike.

Such an idea was once formally proposed, going all the way north to the existing interchange with I-87 in West Nyack near the Tappan Zee Bridge, but was successfully opposed.  Steve Anderson's site discusses both the built New Jersey Turnpike and ts proposed but unbuilt northern extension here.

As such, that facility provides the opportunity for an additional mixed use route that permits trucks, and would thus involve a Westchester County mixed use freeway connection to I-87 whether as an improved western  Cross County Parkway in Yonkers or an all new route further north in Hastings.

The least impactive plan for that would a route taking advantage of the northerly hook of I-95 route, immediately east the northern end of the New Jersey Turnpike, there adding an additional set of carriageways that would flank I-95 for about 1 mile before splitting away to enter a trenchway along the railroad paralleling Nordholf Place.

In order to reduce its local impacts, such should be built largely as a cut and cover tunnel further north along that railroad, coordinated with new development.   About 3 miles to the north of I-95, a drilled tunnel segment would turn easterly towards the Hudson River a bit south of the Tenafly Nature Center where the topography drops, with the roadways there emerging to connect with the new Hudson River Bridge for the Yonkers option, or a bit further north for a Hastings option.  Optionally a cut and cover tunnelway could continue northward to I-287/I-87 at the Nyack Valley Shopping Center.

I have not as of yet seen any old studies upon either a Hastings or a Yonkers Bridge.

However, a Google Earth review of Yonkers, N.Y. shows what appears to be a logical landing area, located immediately inland of the Yonkers Amtrak Station, as marked by a 2 block long north south "Bridge Street" which connects three east-west streets: Knowles Street to the north, Pier Street to the south, and Ludlow Street in the middle.  That very name "Bridge Street" suggests that this is a location where such a bridge has been contemplated.

Such an extension along either side of Ludlow Street would naturally become elevated as the topography drops towards the Hudson River.  Where the topography rises, the freeway could be built either as an open cut or a tunnel for crossing the ridge between downtown Yonkers and the existing Cross County Parkway terminus.

To handle mixed use traffic, thereby allowing a truck bypass of the George Washington Bridge, the western portion of the existing Cross County Parkway would be rebuilt to a newly upgraded interchange with I-87, with such an interchange should be built with fly-under ramps in order to provide superior geometrics with reduced visual and traffic noise impacts.  Such an interchange project would provide the opportunity to permit an additional lane in each direction upon I-87, likewise constructed in stages.  Perhaps such an interchange could be partially covered to provide extra land in the Cross County Parkway Shopping Center area.

The remaining Cross County Parkway meanwhile should be moderately improved bringing it up to at least a continuous minimum 4 lanes in each direction to its split in the Wartburg area of Mt. Vernon.  Likewise, the Hutchinson River Parkway to the north should be brought up to a minimum of 3 lanes in each direction with added stone arch overpasses constructed in northern New Rochelle and Scarsdale. 

A future project could address the Cross County Parkway east of I-87 to upgrade it ultimately to accept mixed use traffic.  Such a project would not only bring its lanes up to a 12 foot wide standard, but also lower the roadbed grade as it passes through central Mount Vernon, and erect a lid atop that trenched segment, and add a tunneled extension to I-95 in New Rochelle just south of the existing toll plaza near New Roch City.

Optionally, this new Hudson River Bridge project could be staged by deferring construction of the New Jersey Turnpike extension, and initially opening it with part of its built capacity.

Another idea would be constructing a spur link in the Riverdale area of the Bronx and south west Yonkers connecting such to the Henry Hudson and Mosholu Parkways.



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