West Side Highway

The West Side Highway

The West Side Highway is a busy road in New York City. It runs along the Hudson River in Manhattan. People also call it the Joe DiMaggio Highway. It stretches for about 5 miles from West 72nd Street down to the southern tip of the city.

The highway follows the river very closely. It has six to eight lanes for cars. Big trucks and buses can only use the lower part of the road. The road changes names along the way. From Battery Park to Tenth Avenue, it is called West Street. From Tenth Avenue to 22nd Street, it is known as Eleventh Avenue. From 22nd Street to 72nd Street, it is called Twelfth Avenue.

At 59th Street, the road becomes higher up, like a bridge. At 72nd Street, it changes into the Henry Hudson Parkway. The West Side Highway is part of New York State Route 9A. It passes many interesting places, such as the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and the Javits Center.

The old part of the highway, called the West Side Elevated Highway, was built a long time ago but had to be removed because it was not taken care of well. The new highway was finished in 2001 and uses the same streets that were there before. Today, the West Side Highway is a very important road for people traveling in New York City.