Streets and roads Manhattan

the brooklyn bridge in foreground , manhattan bridge beyond it, 2 of 3 bridges connect lower manhattan brooklyn on east river.



eighth avenue, looking northward ( uptown ), in rain; streets , avenues in manhattan s grid plan incorporate one-way traffic configuration



manhattanhenge, seen looking westward @ sunset in june 2005

the commissioners plan of 1811 called twelve numbered avenues running north , south parallel shore of hudson river, each 100 feet (30 m) wide, first avenue on east side , twelfth avenue on west side. there several intermittent avenues east of first avenue, including 4 additional lettered avenues running avenue eastward avenue d in area known alphabet city in manhattan s east village. numbered streets in manhattan run east-west, , 60 feet (18 m) wide, 200 feet (61 m) between each pair of streets. each combined street , block adding 260 feet (79 m), there 20 blocks per mile. typical block in manhattan 250 600 feet (76 183 m).

according original commissioner s plan, there 155 numbered crosstown streets, later grid extended northernmost corner of manhattan, last numbered street 220th street. moreover, numbering system continues in bronx, north of manhattan, despite fact grid plan not regular in borough, last numbered street 263rd street. fifteen crosstown streets designated 100 feet (30 m) wide, including 34th, 42nd, 57th , 125th streets, became of borough s significant transportation , shopping venues. broadway notable of many exceptions grid, starting @ bowling green in lower manhattan , continuing north bronx @ manhattan s northern tip. in of midtown manhattan, broadway runs @ diagonal grid, creating major named intersections @ union square (park avenue south/fourth avenue , 14th street), madison square (fifth avenue , 23rd street), herald square (sixth avenue , 34th street), times square (seventh avenue , 42nd street), , columbus circle (eighth avenue/central park west , 59th street).

crosstown traffic refers vehicular traffic between manhattan s east side , west side. trip notoriously frustrating drivers because of heavy congestion on narrow local streets laid out commissioners plan of 1811, absence of express roads other trans-manhattan expressway @ far north end of manhattan island, , 4 crosstown roads travel through central park, between 59th street , 110th street. proposals in mid-1900s build express roads through city s densest neighborhoods, namely mid-manhattan expressway , lower manhattan expressway, did not go forward. congestion makes manhattan s crosstown buses perennial winners of pokey awards slowest service in new york city.

another consequence of strict grid plan of of manhattan, , grid s skew of approximately 28.9 degrees, phenomenon referred manhattanhenge (by analogy stonehenge). on separate occasions in late may , july, sunset aligned street grid lines, result sun visible @ or near western horizon street level. similar phenomenon occurs sunrise in january , december.

the fdr drive , harlem river drive, both designed controversial new york master planner robert moses, comprise single, long limited-access parkway skirting east side of manhattan along east river , harlem river south of dyckman street. henry hudson parkway corresponding parkway on west side north of 57th street.