Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive
Encyclopedia
The Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive (commonly referred to as the FDR Drive or simply, The Drive) is a 9.44 miles (15.19 km) freeway-standard parkway on the east side of the New York City
borough of Manhattan
. It starts just north of the Battery Park Underpass
at South and Broad Streets and runs along the entire length of the East River
, from the Battery Park Underpass under Battery Park
– north of which it is the South Street Viaduct – north to 125th Street
/ Robert F. Kennedy Bridge exit, where it becomes the Harlem River Drive
. All of the FDR Drive is designated New York State Route 907L, an unsigned reference route.
The highway is mostly three lanes in each direction, with the exception of a small section underneath the Brooklyn Bridge
where it is two lanes southbound and one lane northbound. A section between the Queensboro Bridge/60/61st Street interchange is also narrowed to two lanes. By law, the current weight limits on the FDR Drive from 23rd Street to the Harlem River Drive in both directions is posted 8000 pounds (3,628.7 kg). Buses are not allowed to use the roadway north of 23rd Street, because of clearance and weight issues. All commercial vehicles (including trucks) are banned from all sections of the FDR Drive. The FDR Drive features a mix of below-grade, at-grade, and elevated sections, as well as three partially covered tunnels.
and Broad Street
s and becomes elevated to a point between Jackson Street and Gouverneur Slip, near the Manhattan Bridge
exit. From there it is at street level, until it passes underneath Houston St overpass, then continues at grade. Once past the 14th St
curve, it becomes elevated briefly, except the northbound roadway is at street level when passing through Waterside Plaza
between 23rd
and 34th
Streets, then realigns with the southbound roadway above ground.
The roadway quickly dips onto street level after passing 42nd St
, the southbound roadway is inside a later structure resembling a tunnel while the northbound roadway appears to be on the outside of the tunnel. This is due to the construction of the United Nations Headquarters
on a platform above the FDR which is at grade. From 51st to 63rd Streets, in this tunnel, the southbound roadway is raised and runs slightly over the northbound roadway, so the Queensboro Bridge
northbound exit can be built. North of 63rd street the roadways become level and run underneath the platforms of the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
, while remaining at grade.
From 79th to 90th Street runs a final enclosed, at-grade portion. The promenade of Carl Schurz Park
was built over the highway, near Gracie Mansion
. Except for a short elevation over the 96th Street
interchange, the remaining portion of the roadway from this tunnel to the 125th St
interchange is at grade.
The Manhattan Waterfront Greenway
runs below, beside or above the motor road, except between 34th and 63d Streets. A plaque dedicating the East River Drive is visible on the southbound roadway before entering the Gracie Mansion tunnel at 90th Street.
. He faced the difficulties of building a parkway/boulevard combination along the East River while minimizing disruptions to residents. The section from 125th Street to 92nd Street is the original 1934 construction, while sections from 92nd Street down to Battery Park (with the exception of a section from 42nd to 49th Streets) were built as a boulevard, an arterial highway running at street level. Future reconstruction designs from 1948 to 1966 converted FDR Drive into the full parkway that is in use today.
The section of highway from 23rd Street to 34th Street was built on wartime rubble
dumped by cargo ships returning from Bristol
, England
, during World War II
. The German Luftwaffe
bombed Bristol heavily. After delivering war supplies to the British, the ships' crews loaded rubble onto the ships for ballast, then sailed back to New York, where construction crews made use of it.
(New York County).
{| class="wikitable"
!scope="col"|Mile
!scope="col"|Exit
!scope="col"|Destinations
!scope="col"|Notes
|-
|0.00
|
|/West Side Highway
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
|
|colspan=3 align="center"|Battery Park Underpass
under Battery Park
|-
|
|1
|Battery Park
, Staten Island Ferry
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
|
|1
|South Street
|Northbound exit only
|-
|1.30
|2
|Brooklyn Bridge
, Manhattan Civic Center
|
|-
|
|3
|South Street
- Manhattan Bridge
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
|
|4
|Grand Street
- Williamsburg Bridge
|Southbound entrance and exit
|-
|3.03
|5
|Houston Street - Holland Tunnel
|
|-
|
|6
|East 15th Street
|Southbound exit and entrance; closed since September 11, 2001
|-
|3.87
|7
|East 20th Street, East 23rd Street
|Northbound exit is East 20th/23rd Streets. Southbound exit is East 25th/23rd Streets
|-
|4.80
|8
|
|
|-
|5.05
|9
|East 42nd Street
|Northbound exit
|-
|
|10
|East 49th Street
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
|
|11
|East 53rd Street
|Southbound exit only
|-
|6.14
|12
|
|
|-
|
|13
|East 71st Street
|Southbound exit and entrance
|-
|
|
|East 79th Street
|Southbound entrance only
|-
|7.94
|14
|East 96th Street
|
|-
|
|15
|East 106th Street
|Southbound exit and entrance
|-
|
|16
|East 116th Street
|Southbound exit and entrance
|-
|9.44
|17
|
|
|-
|9.44
|18
|
|Northbound exit is direct ramp to Willis Ave Bridge, southbound entrance from 1st Ave and East 125th Street
|-
|9.44
|
|
|Continuation beyond I-278 and I-87 connections
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. It starts just north of the Battery Park Underpass
Battery Park Underpass
The Battery Park Underpass was the second section of Manhattan's Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive to be completed, opening to the public in April 1951...
at South and Broad Streets and runs along the entire length of the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
, from the Battery Park Underpass under Battery Park
Battery Park
Battery Park is a 25-acre public park located at the Battery, the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City, facing New York Harbor. The Battery is named for artillery batteries that were positioned there in the city's early years in order to protect the settlement behind them...
– north of which it is the South Street Viaduct – north to 125th Street
125th Street (Manhattan)
125th Street is a two-way street that runs east-west in the New York City borough of Manhattan, considered the "Main Street" of Harlem; It is also called Martin Luther King, Jr...
/ Robert F. Kennedy Bridge exit, where it becomes the Harlem River Drive
Harlem River Drive
The Harlem River Drive is a north–south parkway in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs along the west bank of the Harlem River from the Triborough Bridge in East Harlem to 10th Avenue in Inwood, where the parkway continues north as Dyckman Street. The portion of the Harlem River Drive...
. All of the FDR Drive is designated New York State Route 907L, an unsigned reference route.
The highway is mostly three lanes in each direction, with the exception of a small section underneath the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
where it is two lanes southbound and one lane northbound. A section between the Queensboro Bridge/60/61st Street interchange is also narrowed to two lanes. By law, the current weight limits on the FDR Drive from 23rd Street to the Harlem River Drive in both directions is posted 8000 pounds (3,628.7 kg). Buses are not allowed to use the roadway north of 23rd Street, because of clearance and weight issues. All commercial vehicles (including trucks) are banned from all sections of the FDR Drive. The FDR Drive features a mix of below-grade, at-grade, and elevated sections, as well as three partially covered tunnels.
Route description
The FDR Drive starts at the southern tip at SouthSouth Street (Manhattan)
South Street is a street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, located immediately adjacent to the East River.It runs from Whitehall Street near the southern tip of Manhattan to Jackson Street near the Williamsburg Bridge. The Franklin D...
and Broad Street
Broad Street (Manhattan)
Broad Street is located in the Financial District in the New York City borough of Manhattan, stretching from South Street to Wall Street.- History :...
s and becomes elevated to a point between Jackson Street and Gouverneur Slip, near the Manhattan Bridge
Manhattan Bridge
The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn . It was the last of the three suspension bridges built across the lower East River, following the Brooklyn and the Williamsburg bridges...
exit. From there it is at street level, until it passes underneath Houston St overpass, then continues at grade. Once past the 14th St
14th Street (Manhattan)
14th Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The street rivals the size of some of the well-known avenues of the city and is an important business location....
curve, it becomes elevated briefly, except the northbound roadway is at street level when passing through Waterside Plaza
Waterside Plaza
Waterside Plaza, formerly a Mitchell-Lama Housing Program-funded rental apartment complex, is located on the East River in the Kips Bay section of Manhattan, New York City.- Overview :...
between 23rd
23rd Street (Manhattan)
23rd Street is a broad thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is one of few two-way streets in the gridiron of the borough. As with Manhattan's other "crosstown" streets, it is divided at Fifth Avenue, in this case at Madison Square Park, into its east and west sections. Since...
and 34th
34th Street (Manhattan)
34th Street is a major cross-town street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, connecting the Lincoln Tunnel and Queens-Midtown Tunnel. Like many of New York City's major crosstown streets, it has its own bus routes and four subway stops serving the trains at Eighth Avenue, the trains at...
Streets, then realigns with the southbound roadway above ground.
The roadway quickly dips onto street level after passing 42nd St
42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district near that intersection...
, the southbound roadway is inside a later structure resembling a tunnel while the northbound roadway appears to be on the outside of the tunnel. This is due to the construction of the United Nations Headquarters
United Nations headquarters
The headquarters of the United Nations is a complex in New York City. The complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1952. It is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, on spacious grounds overlooking the East River...
on a platform above the FDR which is at grade. From 51st to 63rd Streets, in this tunnel, the southbound roadway is raised and runs slightly over the northbound roadway, so the Queensboro Bridge
Queensboro Bridge
The Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th Street Bridge – because its Manhattan end is located between 59th and 60th Streets – or simply the Queensboro Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City that was completed in 1909...
northbound exit can be built. North of 63rd street the roadways become level and run underneath the platforms of the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital is a prominent university hospital in New York City affiliated with two Ivy League medical schools: Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons and Cornell University's Weill Medical College. It is composed of two distinct medical centers, Columbia...
, while remaining at grade.
From 79th to 90th Street runs a final enclosed, at-grade portion. The promenade of Carl Schurz Park
Carl Schurz Park
Carl Schurz Park is a 14.9 acre public park on the Upper East Side of New York City, named for German-born Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz in 1910, at the edge of what was then a solidly German-American community of Yorkville....
was built over the highway, near Gracie Mansion
Gracie Mansion
thumb|250px|Western sideGracie Mansion is the official residence of the mayor of the City of New York. Built in 1799, it is located in Carl Schurz Park, at East End Avenue and Eighty-eighth Street in Manhattan...
. Except for a short elevation over the 96th Street
96th Street (Manhattan)
96th Street is a major two-way street in East Harlem and the Upper West Side, which is a part of the New York City borough of Manhattan, running from the East River at the FDR Drive to the Henry Hudson Parkway at the Hudson River...
interchange, the remaining portion of the roadway from this tunnel to the 125th St
125th Street (Manhattan)
125th Street is a two-way street that runs east-west in the New York City borough of Manhattan, considered the "Main Street" of Harlem; It is also called Martin Luther King, Jr...
interchange is at grade.
The Manhattan Waterfront Greenway
Manhattan Waterfront Greenway
The Manhattan Waterfront Greenway is a foreshoreway for walking or cycling, long, around the island of Manhattan. The largest portions are operated by the New York City Department of Parks. It is separated from motor traffic, and many sections also separate pedestrians from cyclists...
runs below, beside or above the motor road, except between 34th and 63d Streets. A plaque dedicating the East River Drive is visible on the southbound roadway before entering the Gracie Mansion tunnel at 90th Street.
History
Originally named East River Drive, FDR Drive was later renamed after Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The roadway was designed by Robert MosesRobert Moses
Robert Moses was the "master builder" of mid-20th century New York City, Long Island, Rockland County, and Westchester County, New York. As the shaper of a modern city, he is sometimes compared to Baron Haussmann of Second Empire Paris, and is one of the most polarizing figures in the history of...
. He faced the difficulties of building a parkway/boulevard combination along the East River while minimizing disruptions to residents. The section from 125th Street to 92nd Street is the original 1934 construction, while sections from 92nd Street down to Battery Park (with the exception of a section from 42nd to 49th Streets) were built as a boulevard, an arterial highway running at street level. Future reconstruction designs from 1948 to 1966 converted FDR Drive into the full parkway that is in use today.
The section of highway from 23rd Street to 34th Street was built on wartime rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
dumped by cargo ships returning from Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The German Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
bombed Bristol heavily. After delivering war supplies to the British, the ships' crews loaded rubble onto the ships for ballast, then sailed back to New York, where construction crews made use of it.
Exit list
The entire route is in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
(New York County).
{| class="wikitable"
!scope="col"|Mile
!scope="col"|Exit
!scope="col"|Destinations
!scope="col"|Notes
|-
|0.00
|
|/West Side Highway
West Side Highway
The West Side Highway is a mostly surface section of New York State Route 9A that runs from West 72nd Street along the Hudson River to the southern tip of Manhattan. It replaced the West Side Elevated Highway, built between 1929 and 1951, which was shut down in 1973 due to neglect and lack of...
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
|
|colspan=3 align="center"|Battery Park Underpass
Battery Park Underpass
The Battery Park Underpass was the second section of Manhattan's Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive to be completed, opening to the public in April 1951...
under Battery Park
Battery Park
Battery Park is a 25-acre public park located at the Battery, the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City, facing New York Harbor. The Battery is named for artillery batteries that were positioned there in the city's early years in order to protect the settlement behind them...
|-
|
|1
|Battery Park
Battery Park
Battery Park is a 25-acre public park located at the Battery, the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City, facing New York Harbor. The Battery is named for artillery batteries that were positioned there in the city's early years in order to protect the settlement behind them...
, Staten Island Ferry
Staten Island Ferry
The Staten Island Ferry is a passenger ferry service operated by the New York City Department of Transportation that runs between the boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island.-Overview:...
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
|
|1
|South Street
South Street (Manhattan)
South Street is a street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, located immediately adjacent to the East River.It runs from Whitehall Street near the southern tip of Manhattan to Jackson Street near the Williamsburg Bridge. The Franklin D...
|Northbound exit only
|-
|1.30
|2
|Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
, Manhattan Civic Center
|
|-
|
|3
|South Street
South Street (Manhattan)
South Street is a street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, located immediately adjacent to the East River.It runs from Whitehall Street near the southern tip of Manhattan to Jackson Street near the Williamsburg Bridge. The Franklin D...
- Manhattan Bridge
Manhattan Bridge
The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn . It was the last of the three suspension bridges built across the lower East River, following the Brooklyn and the Williamsburg bridges...
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
|
|4
|Grand Street
Grand Street (Manhattan)
Grand Street is a street in Manhattan, New York City. It runs east-west parallel to and south of Delancey Street, from SoHo through Chinatown, Little Italy, the Lower East Side to the East River....
- Williamsburg Bridge
Williamsburg Bridge
The Williamsburg Bridge is a suspension bridge in New York City across the East River connecting the Lower East Side of Manhattan at Delancey Street with the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn at Broadway near the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway...
|Southbound entrance and exit
|-
|3.03
|5
|Houston Street - Holland Tunnel
Holland Tunnel
The Holland Tunnel is a highway tunnel under the Hudson River connecting the island of Manhattan in New York City with Jersey City, New Jersey at Interstate 78 on the mainland. Unusual for an American public works project, it is not named for a government official, politician, or local hero or...
|
|-
|
|6
|East 15th Street
|Southbound exit and entrance; closed since September 11, 2001
|-
|3.87
|7
|East 20th Street, East 23rd Street
23rd Street (Manhattan)
23rd Street is a broad thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is one of few two-way streets in the gridiron of the borough. As with Manhattan's other "crosstown" streets, it is divided at Fifth Avenue, in this case at Madison Square Park, into its east and west sections. Since...
|Northbound exit is East 20th/23rd Streets. Southbound exit is East 25th/23rd Streets
|-
|4.80
|8
|
|
|-
|5.05
|9
|East 42nd Street
42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district near that intersection...
|Northbound exit
|-
|
|10
|East 49th Street
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
|
|11
|East 53rd Street
53rd Street (Manhattan)
53rd Street is a midtown cross street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, that contains buildings such as the Citicorp Building. It is 1.83 miles long. The street runs westbound from Sutton Place across most of the island's width, ending at DeWitt Clinton Park at Eleventh Avenue...
|Southbound exit only
|-
|6.14
|12
|
|
|-
|
|13
|East 71st Street
|Southbound exit and entrance
|-
|
|
|East 79th Street
79th Street (Manhattan)
79th Street is a major two-way street in the Upper East Side and Upper West Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan. East 79th Street stretches from East End Avenue to Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side, where it enters Central Park through Miners' Gate...
|Southbound entrance only
|-
|7.94
|14
|East 96th Street
96th Street (Manhattan)
96th Street is a major two-way street in East Harlem and the Upper West Side, which is a part of the New York City borough of Manhattan, running from the East River at the FDR Drive to the Henry Hudson Parkway at the Hudson River...
|
|-
|
|15
|East 106th Street
|Southbound exit and entrance
|-
|
|16
|East 116th Street
116th Street (Manhattan)
116th Street runs from Riverside Drive, overlooking the Hudson River, to the East River, through the New York City borough of Manhattan. It traverses the neighborhoods of Morningside Heights, Harlem, and Spanish Harlem; the street is interrupted between Morningside Heights and Harlem by Morningside...
|Southbound exit and entrance
|-
|9.44
|17
|
|
|-
|9.44
|18
|
|Northbound exit is direct ramp to Willis Ave Bridge, southbound entrance from 1st Ave and East 125th Street
|-
|9.44
|
|
|Continuation beyond I-278 and I-87 connections