FDR Drive

Template:Infobox NY Reference Route The Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive (commonly referred to as the FDR Drive) is a 9.44-mile (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, 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 for a bit) north to the Triborough Bridge, where it becomes the Harlem River Drive. All of the FDR Drive is designated New York State Reference 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. An additional 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 8,000 lb. South of 23rd Street, buses are allowed to use this section of the FDR but are not allowed north of 23rd Street because of clearance and weight issues. All commercial vehicles (including trucks) are banned from using any section of the FDR Drive. The FDR Drive features a varied mix of below grade, at grade, elevated sections, and three partially covered tunnels, often changing every mile or two to a different mode.

Route description

FDR Drive at night.

The FDR Drive starts at the southern tip at South and Broad Streets and quickly becomes elevated from there to a point between Jackson Street and Gouverneur Slip, by 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 tunnel while the northbound roadway appears to be on the outside of the tunnel. This is due to the construction of the United Nations Plaza above the FDR. Afterwards, there is another tunnel 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. After the roadways become level at 63rd Street, there is another tunnel, underneath the New York-Presbyterian and Cornell Medical Center hospitals, while remaining at grade. From 79th to 90th Street runs a final at-grade but enclosed portion, as the promenade of Carl Schurz Park was built over the highway and Gracie Mansion is nearby. 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.

Looking north from 8th Street

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.

History

The F.D.R. Drive was originally named East River Drive, and is one of the brainchild designs of highway legend Robert Moses. Moses faced the difficult challenges 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 of the FDR Drive from 1948 to 1966 converted into a full parkway that is in use today.

It was originally named East River Drive, and was renamed after Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It is referred to by locals as simply "The FDR". In the 1980s, chunks of the elevated road falling to the ground led to the joke that "FDR" stood for "Falling Down Roadway".

Exit list

The entire route is in Manhattan (New York County).

Mile	#	Destinations	Notes
0.00		To I-278Module:Jct warning: "road" parameter is deprecated	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	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 23rd Street only
4.80	8	To I-495 (Midtown Tunnel)Module:Jct warning: "road" parameter is deprecated
5.05	9	East 42nd Street	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	10	East 49th Street	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	11	East 53rd Street	Southbound exit only
6.14	12	To NY 25 east (Queensboro Bridge)Module:Jct warning: "road" parameter is deprecated
	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	I-278 (Triboro Bridge, Bruckner Expressway, Grand Central Parkway)
9.44	18	I-87 (Deegan Expressway)Module:Jct warning: "road" parameter is deprecated	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
9.44		Harlem River Drive north – George Washington Bridge	Continuation beyond I-278 and I-87 connections

External links

• nycroads.com - FDR Drive
• FDR Drive (Greater New York Roads)