North of Exit 23, Harlem River Drive overlays the original Harlem River Speedway, a horse (and later car) racetrack and later a boulevard. That's why there's such a long straightaway at that point. The SB Exit 23 ramps to 155th St. are the southern part of that boulevard.


First photo courtesy Lou Corsaro. Also, click on the second pic for a daytime version, showing the elevated SB lanes, courtesy Doug Kerr. These are all NB.


Harlem River Drive southbound from the top. The pavement quality isn't even as good as on other NYC freeways because hardly anyone comes up this way. The bridges, in order, are the somewhat dirty Hamilton Bridge (I-95), the 1889 Washington Bridge, and the High Bridge. The High Bridge, namesake of the I-95 interchanges on both sides of the river, a Bronx neighborhood, and a Manhattan park, is actually officially known as the Aqueduct Bridge, because it had been part of the original Croton Aqueduct that supplied fresh water from the Croton River to New York City. It is the oldest bridge in the city, dating to 1848, except the steel arch in the center was constructed in the 1920's (originally, the entire bridge had stone masonry arches, but those were deemed a navigation hazard). Since the aqueduct was bypassed in 1917, it has been a pedestrian bridge, but it closed in 1970 due to a mischievous rock thrower. It is set to reopen soon after extensive rehabilitation.


SB to the Macombs Dam Bridge.


All SB; the last one is courtesy Doug Kerr because those signs are gone now.


I don't know where this was, but I don't think it is any more. Courtesy John Krakoff.


SB up to the Triboro Bridge, where Harlem River Drive becomes FDR Drive (they were conceived separately, and FDR/East River Drive came about first). Crack was wack in 1986, especially to Doc Gooden fans. Click on the last photo for a closeup of the button-copy shield.

Southward onto FDR Drive
Exit 24 to I-95, the Cross Bronx and Trans-Manhattan Expwys.
Exit 20 to Park Avenue
Exit 17 to I-278, the Triboro Bridge
Exit 17 to the Grand Central Parkway
Into Manhattan
Harlem River Drive on Steve Anderson's nycroads.com
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