Bronx River Parkway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bronx River Parkway
Bronx River Parkway highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NYSDOT and Westchester County
Length	19.12 mi (30.77 km)
Existed	1908–present
History	Completed in 1952
Tourist routes	New York State Scenic Byway
Restrictions	No commercial vehicles
Major junctions
South end	Story Avenue in Soundview
	I-278 in Soundview I-95 in West Farms US 1 / Pelham Parkway in Bronx Park Mosholu Parkway / Allerton Avenue in Bronx Park Cross County Parkway / Sprain Brook Parkway in Yonkers NY 100 / NY 119 in White Plains
North end	NY 22 / Taconic State Parkway in Valhalla
Location
Counties:	Bronx, Westchester
Highway system
Numbered highways in New York Interstate • U.S. • N.Y. (former) • Reference • County

The Bronx River Parkway is a special road in New York. It's about 19 miles (31 km) long. This road is named after the Bronx River, which flows right next to it.

The parkway starts in a part of the Bronx called Soundview. It ends in Valhalla, in Westchester County. There, it connects to the Taconic State Parkway. Parts of the parkway are looked after by the New York State Department of Transportation and other parts by Westchester County. Big trucks and commercial vehicles are not allowed on this road.

Exploring the Bronx River Parkway

The Bronx River Parkway is a major route for people driving in and around New York City. It helps drivers get from one place to another quickly. The parkway also runs through beautiful park areas.

Driving Through The Bronx

The southern part of the parkway is in the Bronx. It's a busy road for people going to work or school. It crosses paths with several other big roads. As you drive, you'll see basketball courts and baseball fields next to the road.

Near West Farms, the parkway connects with the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95). Further north, the road goes over train tracks. It also passes by the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden. These are famous places to visit! The Bronx River itself starts to follow the parkway closely here.

Sign for exit 6 in The Bronx on the southbound side.

You'll see exits for places like Pelham Parkway and Mosholu Parkway. The parkway then runs next to the Woodlawn Cemetery, which is a very old and important place. As you keep going north, the parkway crosses into Westchester County.

Bronx River Parkway southbound at exit 10C.

Driving Through Westchester County

Once in Westchester County, the parkway goes through Yonkers. It connects with the Cross County Parkway. This is a big interchange where many cars switch roads.

Further north, near Bronxville, the Sprain Brook Parkway splits off. This helps drivers who want to avoid White Plains. The parkway then becomes more like a park road again. You might see paved bike paths and a pond.

As you get closer to White Plains, the parkway has intersections with traffic lights. This is different from the highway-style exits you saw earlier. White Plains is a big city and the main town in Westchester County. The parkway connects to other important roads here, like NY 100 and NY 119.

The parkway ends at the Kensico Circle in Valhalla. From there, you can get onto the Taconic State Parkway. You can also see the Kensico Dam nearby, which is a huge dam that holds water for New York City.

Did you know? A part of the Bronx River Parkway in Westchester County is closed to cars on some Sundays in May, June, and September. This allows people to ride their bikes or inline skate safely on the road!

History of the Parkway

The Bronx River Parkway is very old and important. Construction started in 1907 in Westchester County. This makes it one of the very first roads built just for cars.

Southern end of original parkway

Plaque at 211th Street

At 213th Street, looking south

At 213th Street, looking north

The Bronx River Parkway was a pioneer in road design. It was the first highway to have a grassy area in the middle, called a median strip, to separate traffic going in opposite directions. It was also the first highway built through a park. Plus, it was the first road where other streets crossed over it on bridges.

The Westchester section of the parkway opened in 1922 and was finished in 1925. Later, in 1951, a new part of the road opened in the Bronx. From 1953 to 1955, a section of the parkway was closed to make it straighter and wider. This helped make driving safer and smoother.

Over the years, some exits and entrances have been changed to improve traffic flow. For example, some old gas stations along the parkway have been closed or changed. The parkway's design has been studied by experts because it was so innovative for its time.

Exit list

County	Location	Mile	Roads intersected	Notes
The Bronx	Soundview	0.00	0.00	1	Story Avenue – Soundview Park	Southern terminus
		0.2	0.32	2E	I-278 east (Bruckner Expressway) – Throgs Neck Bridge, New Haven, CT	No northbound exit
		0.3	0.48	2W	I-278 west (Bruckner Expressway) / Watson Avenue – RFK Bridge, Manhattan	No southbound access to Watson Avenue
	West Farms	0.5	0.80	3	Westchester Avenue	Southbound exit only
		0.7	1.1	–	East 174th Street	Southbound entrance only
		0.86	1.38	4	I-95 (Cross Bronx Expressway) – Whitestone Bridge, George Washington Bridge
		1.1	1.8	5	East 177th Street to NY 895 south (Sheridan Boulevard) – RFK Bridge	Southbound exit only
	Bronx Park	2.23	3.59	6	Boston Road to US 1 north – Bronx Zoo
		2.40	3.86	7	US 1 south (Fordham Road) / Pelham Parkway east	Signed as exits 7E (Pelham Parkway) and 7W (US 1); west end of Pelham Parkway
		3.07	Mosholu Parkway north / Allerton Avenue	Signed as exits 8E (Allerton) and 8W (Mosholu); south end of Mosholu Parkway
	Williamsbridge	3.92	6.31	9	Gun Hill Road
	Woodlawn	5.14	8.27	10	East 233rd Street	Also serves Woodlawn station
Westchester	Yonkers	5.95	Bronx River Road – Yonkers, Bronx	Southbound exit and entrance
		6.6	Yonkers Avenue – Yonkers, Mount Vernon	Northbound exit and entrance
		7.0	Bronx River Road – Yonkers	Southbound exit and entrance
		7.28	Cross County Parkway – Mount Vernon, Yonkers	Signed as exits 11E (east) and 11W (west)
		8.43	Sprain Brook Parkway north to Taconic State Parkway	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; southern terminus of the Sprain Parkway
		8.5	Desmond Avenue – Yonkers	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		8.7	Paxton Avenue – Bronxville	No southbound exit
		8.9	West Pondfield Road – Bronxville, Yonkers	Northbound exit only
		9.7	Elm Street – Tuckahoe	Northbound exit and entrance
		9.92	Scarsdale Road – Crestwood, Tuckahoe	At-grade intersection
		10.1	Read Avenue – Crestwood	No entrance ramps
		10.4	Thompson Street – Crestwood Station	Northbound exit and entrance
		10.6	Vermont Terrace – Crestwood	Southbound exit and entrance
		11.15	Leewood Drive – Crestwood, Eastchester	At-grade intersection except northbound exit
		11.87	Strathmore Road / Harney Road – Scarsdale, Eastchester	At-grade intersection
	Greenburgh	12.6	Ardsley Road – Greenburgh	Southbound exit and entrance
	Scarsdale	12.88	Crane Road / East Parkway – Scarsdale	At-grade intersection except northbound exit; no southbound entrance
		13.3	Ogden Road – Scarsdale	Northbound exit and entrance
		13.8	Butler Road – Scarsdale	Northbound exit and entrance
		14.2	Fenimore Road / East Hartsdale Avenue – Scarsdale, Hartsdale, Greenburgh	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		14.4	Greenacres Avenue – Scarsdale	Southbound exit only
		15.1	River Road – Scarsdale	Northbound entrance only
		15.2	Claremont Road – Scarsdale	Northbound at-grade intersection
	White Plains	15.46	Walworth Avenue – White Plains	Northbound at-grade intersection
		16.06	NY 119 east (Main Street) – White Plains	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; northbound access to NY 119 is via exit 22; NY 119 not signed
		16.4	NY 119 – White Plains	Southbound at-grade intersection
		16.5	NY 100 / NY 119 – White Plains	At-grade intersection
	Greenburgh	17.2	Old Tarrytown Road – Greenburgh	At-grade intersection
		17.84	Fisher Lane – North White Plains, Greenburgh	At-grade intersection
		18.1	Parkway Homes Road	At-grade intersection
		18.37	Virginia Road – Greenburgh, Mount Pleasant, North Castle	At-grade intersection
	North Castle	18.8	Lafayette Avenue / Washington Avenue – North Castle	Northbound at-grade intersection
	Valhalla	18.94	NY 22 north – North Castle	Southbound access is via Taconic Parkway
		18.94	Taconic State Parkway north – Albany	Continuation beyond Kensico Circle
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi