Interstate 487 (I-487) was a proposed intrastate Interstate Highway in the

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...

region of New York in the United States. At its greatest extent, the highway, known as the Hudson River Expressway (HRE), was to run for on the east side of the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

from

I-87 Interstate 87 may refer to either of two unconnected Interstate Highways in the United States: * Interstate 87 (New York), a highway running from New York City north to the Canadian border in Champlain, New York. * Interstate 87 (North Carolina) ...

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

to I-84 east of

Beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...

. It was met with opposition from its introduction in 1965, leading the project to be gradually scaled back before it was cancelled completely in 1971. Ultimately, only one section was built, an stretch between Ossining and

Peekskill Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, from New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across fr ...

. This road became known as the Croton Expressway and was designated as part of U.S. Route 9 (US 9).

History

The Hudson River Expressway was an idea dating back to the 1920s. It was originally planned as a parkway extending from

Yonkers Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York (state), New York, after New York City and Buffalo, New York, Buffalo. The popul ...

along the east side of the

; however, the road's $55 million price tag led to its cancellation. In 1936, the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

-based

Regional Plan Association The Regional Plan Association is an independent, not-for-profit regional planning organization, founded in 1922, that focuses on recommendations to improve the quality of life and economic competitiveness of a 31-county New York–New Jersey– ...

introduced plans to build a freeway from

to Albany, paralleling US 9 between the two locations. The proposal was cancelled as a result of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Another proposal surfaced in 1956 when the

New York State Department of Public Works The office of Superintendent of Public Works was created by an 1876 amendment to the New York State Constitution. It abolished the canal commissioners and established that the Department of Public Works execute all laws relating to canal maintenan ...

developed plans for a freeway between

Tarrytown Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hu ...

and

. The road would begin at the junction of

and I-287 in Tarrytown and loosely parallel US 9 before ending at I-84 east of Beacon. It was initially designated as part of I-87, intended to fill a gap in the designation that existed from Tarrytown to Newburgh. This highway was cancelled as well in the early 1960s, and the I-87 designation was shifted eastward onto another proposed highway near the eastern state line. This road was ultimately built as I-684. In May 1965, Governor Nelson Rockefeller introduced the Hudson River Expressway, a freeway connecting the Major Deegan Expressway (I-87) in

to I-84 in Beacon. It was designated I-487, an

auxiliary route In road transportation in the United States, a special route is a road in a numbered highway system that diverts a specific segment of related traffic away from another road. They are featured in many highway systems; most are found in the In ...

of I-87. While previous proposals called for the road to be built slightly inland from the Hudson River, the new plan placed the highway directly on the riverbank. In some locations, the road would be built on fill extending into the river. The proposal was immediately met with opposition, and protests from residents led Rockefeller to cancel the section between the Bronx and Tarrytown in August of the same year. Two years later, the Peekskill–Beacon section was also cancelled. The only part of the HRE that was completed was the Croton Expressway, built in 1967 from Ossining to Peekskill and designated as US 9. The remaining of the HRE between Ossining and Tarrytown, by this point redesignated New York State Route 399 (NY 399), were effectively cancelled on November 20, 1971, when Governor Rockefeller declared the Hudson River Expressway proposal "dead". In 1970, the state of New York petitioned to have the I-487 designation reassigned to a West Dutchess Expressway connecting Tarrytown to

Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie ...

. This proposal was denied by the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program ...

Exit list

This list reflects the final incarnation of the Hudson River Expressway, which would have been located entirely within

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

and extended from the New York State Thruway in Tarrytown to the Croton Expressway in Ossining.

References

{{3di, 87 4 87-4 87-4 87-4 87-4

History

Exit list

See also

References