- Interstate 78 in New York
infobox road
state=NY
type=I
route=78
maint=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
length_mi=1
length_ref= [Google Maps [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=3419391683421154724,40.727540,-74.021240%3B17516932161413290976,40.725740,-74.011040&time=&date=&ttype=&saddr=Holland+Tunnel+%4040.727540,+-74.021240&daddr=40.72177,-74.006449&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=17&sll=40.723136,-74.007447&sspn=0.005684,0.011287&ie=UTF8&ll=40.722193,-74.00823&spn=0.005684,0.011287&z=17&om=0 driving directions] , accessed October 2007]
length_round=0
direction_a=West
terminus_a=jct|state=NJ|I|78 atNew Jersey state line
direction_b=East
terminus_b=Canal Street inLower Manhattan
previous_type=NY
previous_route=77
next_type=NY
next_route=78In theU.S. state ofNew York ,Interstate 78 is only about one mile (2 km) long, crossing theHudson River fromNew Jersey via theHolland Tunnel and ending at the tunnel plaza inLower Manhattan . Therefore the entire route is maintained by thePort Authority of New York and New Jersey . However, a much longer route was once planned, heading east via theWilliamsburg Bridge to theJohn F. Kennedy International Airport and then north over theThrogs Neck Bridge to I-95 inthe Bronx . The parts of this that were built are nowInterstate 878 and Interstate 295.Route description
The
Holland Tunnel consists of two one-way two-lane tunnels. The entrance plaza to the westbound tunnel is a rectangular block bounded by Broome, Varick, Watts, and Hudson Streets, with four entrances feeding into the tunnel from all directions, including one fromCanal Street . The westbound portal is to the north, just south of Dominick Street. The exit plaza is in the square double block that originally housed theNew York Central Railroad 'sSt. John's Park Terminal , bounded by Laight, Varick, Beach, and Hudson Streets. Traffic leaves the tunnel at a portal at the southeast corner of Canal and Hudson Streets, and heads southeast along the south line of Canal Street and south along the west line of Warick Street to the northeast corner of the plaza. Five exits, numbered 1 to 5, can be taken from the almost-circular roadway, one to each corner and one to the middle of the east side (Varick Street). Apedestrian overpass crosses the entrance to the plaza and exit 5 at the northeast corner, since the entrance from the tunnel cuts Laight Street.Google Maps street maps andUSGS topographic map s, accessed via [http://mapper.acme.com/ ACME Mapper] ]Auxiliary Routes
There are four auxiliary routes of I-78, all entering New York, and none connecting with I-78 (due to unbuilt parts of I-78, I-278, and I-478).
Interstate 278 begins inLinden, New Jersey and passes through all five boroughs to end at theBruckner Interchange inthe Bronx ; it was proposed to continue west to I-78 in Springfield. The original alignment of I-278 was to end at I-95 in the northeastern Bronx, and is now partially I-895.Interstate 478 is currently theBrooklyn Battery Tunnel and approaches, connecting I-278 inBrooklyn withthe Battery inManhattan ; it was once planned to continue north along the unbuilt Westway to I-78 at the Holland Tunnel. I-478 was originally assigned to theManhattan Bridge and a branch of theLower Manhattan Expressway , connecting I-78 in Manhattan with I-278 in Brooklyn.Interstate 678 runs from theJohn F. Kennedy International Airport inQueens north to the Bruckner Interchange; its original planned south end was at I-278 in northwestern Queens.Interstate 878 , signed as part of State Route 878, is a short east-west route crossing I-678 at the JFK Airport; it was originally planned to continue west across Brooklyn to I-278 in the southwest part of the borough. The original I-878 is now I-278 east of I-895, and connected I-278 with I-78, I-95, and I-678.History
When the Interstate numbering was finalized in the late 1950s, the Harrisburg-
New York City route, I-78, was assigned to several proposed roads in New York City. It would leave theHolland Tunnel onto theLower Manhattan Expressway , crossing theEast River on theWilliamsburg Bridge and following theBushwick Expressway acrossBrooklyn to near theJohn F. Kennedy International Airport . There it would follow theNassau Expressway along the north boundary of the airport and turn north along theClearview Expressway throughQueens , crossing the East River again on theThrogs Neck Bridge intothe Bronx . Finally, I-78 would split into two branches, one heading west along theCross-Bronx Expressway to theBruckner Interchange and the other heading northwest along theThrogs Neck Expressway to theBruckner Expressway near the south end of theNew England Thruway . Other Interstates junctioned would beInterstate 478 (Manhattan Bridge ) in Manhattan,Interstate 278 (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway ) in Brooklyn, Interstate 495 (Long Island Expressway ) in Queens, and Interstates 95 (Cross-Bronx andBruckner Expressway s), 678 (Whitestone Bridge ), and 878 (Bruckner Expressway) in the Bronx. [Rand McNally , [http://www.nycroads.com/history/1960_metro-1/ New York City] , 1960: note that I-95 is shown on theHutchinson River Parkway north of theBruckner Interchange , but the , A Report on Airport Requirements and Sites in the Metropolitan New Jersey-New York Region (OCLC 2551801), 1961, p. 73]When the Throgs Neck Bridge and approaches opened in early 1961, it was signed as I-78. The lack of expressway names on the signs, as specified by federal standards, caused confusion among drivers who knew the highways by their names. [Bernard Stengren,
New York Times , New Road's Signs Create a Mystery,February 4 ,1961 , p. 42] [Bernard Stengren,New York Times , Debate Stirred by Highway Signs,June 25 ,1961 , p. 76] The Clearview Expressway was completed to its present extent in mid-1963, [New York Times , First Road Finished for Fair Complex,August 11 ,1963 , p. 57] and a short eastbound-only piece of the Nassau Expressway opened in 1971. [New York Times , 10.6-Mile Nassau Expressway May Be Completed in 10 Years,March 21 ,1971 , p. BQ99] Other than the preexisting Holland Tunnel and Williamsburg Bridge, no other portions of I-78 were built.Although the Lower Manhattan Expressway caused the most controversy, the first to be canceled was the Bushwick Expressway, which would have linked the Williamsburg Bridge to the Nassau Expressway via the
Bushwick Avenue andConduit Boulevard corridor. At the urging of MayorJohn V. Lindsay , theCross Brooklyn Expressway , which would connect to theVerrazano-Narrows Bridge , and not provide a link in I-78, was substituted for the Bushwick Expressway in 1967, in order to reduce traffic into Manhattan. [New York Times , Less Driving Into Manhattan,September 15 ,1966 , p. 42] [James F. Clarity,New York Times , U.S. Aid Is Quietly Pledged For Cross Brooklyn Expressway,April 26 ,1967 , p. 35] While campaigning for re-election in 1969, Mayor Lindsay cancelled plans for the Lower Manhattan and Cross Brooklyn Expressways, citing lack of community support. [Maurice Carroll,New York Times , Mayor Drops Plans For Express Roads Across 2 Boroughs,July 17 ,1969 , p. 1] [Sam Roberts,New York Times , The Legacy of Westway: Lessons from Its Demise,October 7 ,1985 , p. A1] All three unbuilt expressways along the path of I-78 were deleted at the state level by GovernorNelson Rockefeller in March 1971. [Francis X. Clines,New York Times , Lower Manhattan Road Killed Under State Plan,March 25 ,1971 ]Effective
January 1 ,1970 , theNew York State Department of Transportation truncated the east end of I-78 to the east end of the Williamsburg Bridge at I-278 in Brooklyn. The Clearview andThrogs Neck Expressway s, as well as the eastern part of the Cross-Bronx Expressway, became Interstate 295, and theNassau Expressway becameInterstate 878 ,State of New York Department of Transportation , [http://www.greaternyroads.info/pdfs/state70.pdf Description of Touring Routes in New York State for the Interstate (I), Federal (U.S.) and State (N.Y.) Route Number Systems] ,January 1 ,1970 ] though it was still shown as I-78 on maps [Gulf Tourgide, 1977,Rand McNally , LCCN 76-54616] and signs until 1989.Fact|date=October 2007 I-878 was also assigned to theCross Brooklyn Expressway , for a total of 15.6 miles (25.1 km) between theVerrazano-Narrows Bridge and theJohn F. Kennedy International Airport . [Report on the Status of the Federal-Aid Highway Program: Hearing, Ninety-First Congress, Second Session,April 15 ,1970 , pp. 94, 97] [Federal Highway Administration , Interstate System Route Log & Finder List, January 1971]Exit list
"Note: These exits are all eastbound-only, numbered sequentially as traffic heads counterclockwise around the tunnel's exit plaza; the westbound entrance plaza is several blocks to the north, and has direct entrances from Hudson Street, Canal Street,
Watts Street , andVarick Street ."The entire route is in New York City,
Manhattan .References
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