Namesake | Hudson River |
---|---|
Owner | City of New York |
Maintained by | NYCDOT |
Location | Manhattan, New York City |
South end | 72nd Street in Upper West Side |
North end | 181st Street in Washington Heights Dyckman Street in Inwood (disconnected segment) |
East | West End Avenue (72nd–107th Sts) Broadway (107th–116th, 127–159th Sts) Claremont Avenue (116th–127th Sts (Tiemann Pl)) Fort Washington Avenue (159th–168th Sts) Haven Avenue (168th–181st Sts) |
West | Henry Hudson Parkway |
Construction | |
Commissioned | 1868 |
Construction start | 1872 |
Completion | 1880 (original section), 1928 (final extension) |
Riverside Drive is a north–south avenue in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The road runs on the west side of Upper Manhattan, generally paralleling the Hudson River and Riverside Park between 72nd Street and the vicinity of the George Washington Bridge at 181st Street. North of 96th Street, Riverside Drive is a wide divided roadway. At several locations, a serpentine service road diverges from the main road, providing access to the residential buildings. Several viaducts connect the various segments of Riverside Drive, including the 2,047-foot (624 m) Manhattan Valley Viaduct between Tiemann Place and 135th Street. A disconnected section of Riverside Drive exists in Inwood, Manhattan. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission has designated the original section of Riverside Drive, between 72nd and 125th streets, as part of a scenic landmark that also includes Riverside Park.
Riverside Drive was proposed as part of Riverside Park, which was established by land condemnation in 1872. Originally known as Riverside Avenue, the road opened in 1880 and originally ran between 72nd Street and the current site of Grant's Tomb. The park and avenue were originally designed by architects and horticulturalists such as Calvert Vaux and Samuel Parsons. Riverside Drive was extended north to 155th Street in the 1900s, and a viaduct carrying Riverside Drive West between 155th and 161st streets was built in the 1920s. A southern extension, known as Riverside Boulevard, was built in the 1980s when the Riverside South complex was developed.