What you should know
- The opening of a new ramp connecting the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge to Harlem River Drive, ends a detour in the streets of East Harlem that has persisted for more than 62 years since the initial segment of Harlem River Drive opened in 1958.
- The MTA projects the ramp will reduce East Harlem’s greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2,500 tons of CO2 emissions per year, helping to ease pressure on the community’s childhood asthma rates, they say in a statement. .
- The new ramp is projected to save about 17,000 drivers an average of more than 3 minutes each day during peak hours of about 150,000 hours per year of total travel.
—
NEW YORK – New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Monday the opening of a new ramp connecting the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge to Harlem River Drive, ending a turnout on East Harlem streets that has persisted for more than 62 years since the initial Harlem River Drive segment opened in 1958.
The construction project, led by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, was originally expected to take 15 months to build, but was completed a month ahead of schedule. The MTA projects the ramp will reduce East Harlem’s greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2,500 tons of CO2 emissions per year, helping to ease pressure on the community’s childhood asthma rates, they say in a statement. .
“It is almost unbelievable that a bridge of this magnitude, one of the busiest crossings in the country, was no longer connected to a major highway like Harlem River Drive,” Governor Cuomo said. “Despite the barriers of COVID-19, New York is building to bring a better future. Not only was this project completed ahead of time, but this new bridge connection will improve safety and traffic flow for commuters as well to provide a higher quality of life in the surrounding community by reducing noise, traffic and air pollution. “
Prior to the ramp opening, drivers on the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge looking to travel north on Harlem River Drive, which leads to the George Washington Bridge, had to exit the bridge between 125th and 126th streets, traveling north down second avenue and then merge onto a ramp next to a community park. The direct southbound parallel connection from Harlem River Drive to the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge has been in place since the southern segment of Harlem River Drive opened in February 1958.
The new route is surrounded by a 1,400-foot-long ramp transporting motorists more than 50 feet above the ground. The route climbs slightly to clear the Willis Avenue Bridge before gently descending until it touches the left lane of Harlem River Drive, geographically just north of the north end of Second Avenue.
The new ramp takes motorists over First Avenue, Harlem River Drive and the Willis Avenue Bridge and is projected to save an average of 17,000 drivers an average of more than 3 minutes each day during peak hours, about 150,000 hours per year. total travel. The project was made possible through close coordination between the MTA and the New York City Department of Transportation.
– .
