West Side Highway

The Joe DiMaggio Highway, commonly called the West Side Highway, is a 5.42-mile-long section of New York State Route 9A in Manhattan, New York City. It runs along the Hudson River from West 72nd Street down to the southern tip of the city. This roadway replaced the West Side Elevated Highway, which was built between 1929 and 1951 but shut down in 1973 because it was not well taken care of. The old elevated highway was removed completely by 1989.

The current West Side Highway was finished by 2001. However, it needed to be rebuilt after damage from an event that year. Today, the West Side Highway uses the same surface streets that were there before the elevated highway was built. These include West Street, Eleventh Avenue, and Twelfth Avenue. North of 22nd Street, Eleventh Avenue becomes its own street. The part of the highway between West 42nd Street and Canal Street is also part of the Lincoln Highway.

Route description

The West Side Highway is a busy road in New York City that runs along the Hudson River. It has six to eight lanes and is part of New York State Route 9A. From West 72nd Street to the southern tip of Manhattan, it follows the river closely. Trucks and buses are only allowed on the lower part of the road.

The highway has different names along its path. From Battery Park to Tenth Avenue, it is called West Street. From Tenth Avenue to 22nd Street, it is known as Eleventh Avenue. Finally, from 22nd Street to 72nd Street, it is called Twelfth Avenue. At 59th Street, the road becomes an elevated highway, and at 72nd Street, it turns into the Henry Hudson Parkway.

West Street

West Street starts near Battery Park, close to the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, and also gets traffic from the FDR Drive. It runs by the area where the World Trade Center once stood and passes many piers along the Hudson River until it reaches Gansevoort Street, where it becomes Eleventh Avenue.

Eleventh Avenue

Main article: Eleventh Avenue (Manhattan)

Eleventh Avenue begins just north of Tenth Avenue. The highway shares this name as it goes by the 14th Street Park and the Chelsea Piers, continuing until 22nd Street, where it turns into Twelfth Avenue.

Twelfth Avenue

At 22nd Street, the highway continues as Twelfth Avenue. It passes Chelsea Waterside Park and the Javits Center between 34th and 38th Streets, and goes over the Lincoln Tunnel at 39th Street. The road also goes by the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and a major cruise ship terminal. At 59th Street, the highway becomes an elevated freeway, and at 72nd Street, it changes into the Henry Hudson Parkway.

Another part of 12th Avenue exists in Manhattan between 125th and 138th Streets, with Riverside Drive passing over it via the Manhattan Valley Viaduct.

West Side Elevated Highway

Main article: West Side Elevated Highway

In the 1920s, many ideas came up for building a road along the west side of Manhattan. One idea was to build a road and train tracks together above the ground. This plan was stopped because people worried it would give one train company too much power.

Another idea was to build a very tall building with ten floors. It would have train tracks below, a road in the middle, and places to live and work above. The road would be on top of the buildings.

Finally, a plan was chosen to build an elevated highway, which would later be named after Julius Miller, the borough president of Manhattan. Many people did not like this plan. Some said it would block traffic coming to the waterfront. Others said it would be ugly. But in 1929, building began, and the part between Canal Street and West 72nd Street was finished in 1937. A shorter part going further south was finished in 1951.

Plans for the new highway

Double-decker railroad/highway proposal

In 1925, it was announced that train workers would build a road and train tracks together above the ground. The road would go from 72nd Street down to Canal Street, not all the way to the southern tip of Manhattan. The northern end would be at 72nd Street and Riverside Drive.

The Port of New York Authority did not like this plan. They wanted a better plan for moving goods. The train company and the city thought it was more important to get rid of dangerous places where roads and trains crossed.

Julius Miller said something needed to be done right away.

Miller's elevated single-deck highway

In 1926, Julius Miller sent a plan for a road to the city's leaders. This plan did not include train tracks. The road would connect to a planned road called the Henry Hudson Parkway. The road would be 60 feet wide, with space for six lanes of traffic.

The city's leaders approved the road on June 14, 1926. They said they could add a second level later if needed. On February 17, 1927, the city's leaders agreed on the final plans. The road was split into two parts. Many business groups supported the road because they thought it would help traffic.

Exotic alternatives

One engineer, John Hencken, had a different idea. He wanted to build a long path from the southern tip of Manhattan up to Yonkers. There would be train tracks below ground, roads above ground, and a moving sidewalk in the middle. Above that would be ten floors of homes, offices, and shops.

Another idea came from a teacher at Swarthmore College. He wanted to build an eight-story tall road. The bottom would connect to places along the Hudson River. The next few floors would have trains, a parking garage, and roads for cars going one direction. The top floors would have a road that could change direction depending on when people were going to work or home.

Art Society objections

Some people did not like the plan because they thought it would be ugly and loud. They thought just clearing the existing road might be enough. Others worried that the road would block traffic coming to the waterfront.

There were also worries about letting trucks use a park area called Riverside Park north of 72nd Street.

Robert Moses proposals

When Robert Moses became involved in city projects in 1934, he helped build roads connecting to the West Side Highway. These included the Henry Hudson Parkway, which starts just north of 72nd Street, and the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel, which the highway connects to at the south end.

1973 collapse

The highway was not built well. The lanes were too narrow, and it was not meant for trucks.

On December 15, 1973, a part of the highway fell down when a truck went over it. A car went through the hole too, but no one was badly hurt. The next day, the highway was closed south of 18th Street. This closed the oldest part of the highway and the newer parts south of Canal Street. The farthest north you could get to from the south was 23rd Street.

Westway

In 1971, the Urban Development Corporation wanted to rebuild the highway as Interstate 478. They planned to build it above the water near old piers and add new land for parks and homes. This plan was named “Westway” in 1974.

Some leaders changed their minds and started to support the plan. In 1981, the U.S. government agreed to help build it. But in 1982, a judge stopped the plan because it might harm fish. By 1985, New York City decided to stop the project and use the money for public transportation instead.

Riverside South

Main article: Riverside South, Manhattan

In the 1970s, people talked about what to do with the road from West 72nd Street to 59th Street in Manhattan. Some wanted to build a highway underground, but it was too costly and would change the park, so it wasn’t allowed. The road stayed as it was.

Later, a man named Donald Trump wanted to build many homes near the road. He changed his plans a few times but faced a lot of opposition. Finally, a new plan was made to build homes and move the road underground as part of a project called Riverside South. Construction began in 1992, and in 2006, work started on building a tunnel to move the road.

West Side Highway Replacement Project

After the end of the Westway project, people talked about what to do with the rest of the highway. In September 1986, Vollmer Associates was hired to work on the highway replacement project. There were several ideas, including building an elevated highway in some areas and roads at ground level in others. By November, a commission was formed to talk about these ideas. They decided on a plan that included different types of roads in various parts of the highway. This plan faced criticism.

In January 1987, the commission chose to build the highway as a six-lane urban boulevard with a park-like middle section and special lightposts. They also planned a large park along the side of the highway. However, there were delays because of concerns about the cost and priorities. In the meantime, people were living on the old, unused highway. Construction started in early 1996, and the first part of the project was finished in 1998.

Construction of the West Side Highway Replacement Project was completed between the Battery and 59th Street in August 2001. The time between 1973 and 1985 was busy for drivers, as the old elevated highway was taken down and traffic was moved to temporary roads. The new highway allows trucks, unlike the old one. Together with the northern Henry Hudson Parkway, it creates a nice road along the Hudson River from the northern to the southern tip of Manhattan.

Hudson River Park

Main article: Hudson River Park

In June 1998, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Governor George Pataki agreed to create the Hudson River Park along the west side of the highway from West 59th to the Battery. The park covers 550 acres and is the largest park built in the city since Central Park. One of the first things added was a bicycle path along the highway to Battery Park City. Work continues on improving the piers, with Pier 84 being the largest.

Joe DiMaggio Highway

Even though the highway has had two other official names, people still mostly call it the West Side Highway. It was first named the Miller Highway after a city council president. On March 30, 1999, at the request of Mayor Giuliani, the highway was renamed for famous New York Yankees player Joe DiMaggio, who had passed away three weeks earlier. Signs with the new name were put up on April 25, 1999.

September 11, 2001, and aftermath

The highway, which runs close to the World Trade Center, was important during that time. A famous photo of a flag being raised was taken by the highway. Emergency workers used the highway to get to the area. Most of the debris from that event was moved along the highway to be taken away by boat.

There was a discussion about whether to rebuild the damaged part of the road as a surface street or a tunnel. Originally, plans called for a tunnel, but after concerns, the tunnel plan was canceled. Instead, a boulevard was built and finished by 2014.

Major intersections

The West Side Highway is mostly a normal road with many streets crossing it and traffic lights. Some of these crossings have special numbers called exit numbers.