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| Re: GW Bridge buses in early years (324119) | |||
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Re: GW Bridge buses in early years |
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Posted by Joe on Tue Jun 13 10:47:45 2017, in response to Re: GW Bridge buses in early years, posted by Spider-Pig on Mon Jun 12 18:00:54 2017. @spider-pig"Did they build direct ramps to the Washington (Heights) Bridge at some point or do those ramps date only to the completion of the Trans-Manhattan Expressway?" --- That's a good question, as it led me to more investigations. Thank you. According to Wikipedia, the Washington Bridge (the 181st Street bridge connecting Manhattan and The Bronx) opened in 1889. The George Washington Bridge (connecting Manhattan and New Jersey) opened in 1931. The Alexander Hamilton Bridge (carrying I-95) opened in 1963. --- Quoting from Wikipedia's article on Washington Bridge: "After completion of the George Washington Bridge in 1931, traffic off the bridge into the Bronx traveled over the Washington Bridge. Starting in the 1940s, ramps were built to connect the western end of the bridge to the 178th Street and 179th Street Tunnels leading to the George Washington Bridge. This allowed traffic to and from New Jersey to bypass the congested local streets of Upper Manhattan." --- On the NYC Map Site, the aerial maps have a few long gaps in chronology. The 1951 aerial clearly shows the westbound curving exit from the Washington Bridge to the 179th Street tunnel. Less clear in the photo is the eastbound route curving up in a swooping S from the 178th Street tunnel to enter the right lane of Washington Bridge. Both those ramps from the 1940's seem to be part of the I-95 westbound entrance and eastbound exit nowadays. --- Answering your question: The ramps predate the 1963 opening of the Trans-Manhattan Expressway by 13 or more years. --- The N.Y. Times of 4.22.1950 reports that the Port Authority is restricting the 178th Street tunnel on Sunday evenings because of the excessive eastbound traffic coming off the George Washington Bridge. The 179th Street tunnel is still under construction. Other than on Sunday evenings, the 178th Street tunnel will handle one lane in each direction. I presume that commercial vehicles are not allowed, but I cannot find proof. Later, there are references to inadequate ventilation in the tunnels. |
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