New York Roads - Park Ave., NYC

Park Avenue, Manhattan



Looking west on 24th St., where there's a sky-high (at least 50 feet up) pedestrian bridge and a sky-higher skyscraper.


The southern entrance to the Park Ave. tunnel, which runs from 33rd St. to 40th St. From the right angle, 1/3 of a mile doesn't seem that long.


The northern entrance to the tunnel, now only an exit. The tunnel seems wide enough to have once carried two-way traffic, and the chips off the facade suggest that it's been used in the past for alternating traffic, with overheight vehicles ramming indelicately into both sides of it.


Just out of the tunnel, the center roadway of Park Ave. rises up to circle around Grand Central Station. This seems about the right place to mention that Park Avenue was originally NY 22 when it ended in Manhattan. It makes me wonder what 22 did here - probably went up and around Grand Central like the viaduct does, not around it on wimpy surface streets.


More views of that viaduct, which comes out the other side in the middle of the Helmsley Building. I have to try this out sometime.


Looking west and up at the viaduct from 42nd St.


And finally, click to drive south around Grand Central on the viaduct, starting under the Helmsley Building. I left the wind noise in so that you can feel as cold as my hand did that December night.


The Metro North Railroad emerges above ground on Park Ave. north of Central Park, having been subterranean out of Grand Central Station due to the hilly nature of Manhattan. There are old stone bridges like this one (taken from Madison Ave. one block to the west) until the 120's or so, where newer steel bridges take over.


An example of newer steel bridges from 132nd St. EB.


So because that railroad comes out on Park Ave., the railroad bridge over the Harlem River ends up being called the Park Avenue Bridge, thus earning a spot on this page despite not actually carrying Park Ave.


Looking south from the Park Ave. Bridge at the 3rd Ave. Bridge, with the Triboro Bridge behind it and the next railroad bridge down, the beautiful Hell Gate Bridge, to the far right.

Current NY 22
Over to the Triboro Bridge
Over to Hell Gate Bridge
Into Manhattan
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