Major Deegan Expressway - History

History

The origins of the Major Deegan Expressway date back to 1936 when the Regional Plan Association concluded that in order to relieve New York City's traffic problems, a limited-access, truck-accessible expressway should be built on the west side of the Bronx. This route would connect the brand-new Triborough Bridge to the proposed New York State Thruway in Westchester County. A 1.5 miles (2.4 km) section of the expressway from the bridge to the Grand Concourse was completed in April 1939. The highway was adorned with Whitestone-style light posts placed every 75 feet (23 m) of the 6-lane highway, each of which were 12 feet (3.7 m) in width. The expressway was designated as New York State Route 1B (NY 1B) c. 1941; however, the designation was removed by 1947.

In 1945, public works planner Robert Moses proposed extending the highway to the proposed Thruway. The plan began to come along in 1950, as the lower part of Tibbets Brook—located alongside the New York and Putnam Railroad—was put underground to make room for the new highway. The present alignment was opened in 1956 and became part of I-87 when that highway was assigned as part of the creation of the Interstate Highway System in August 1957.

In the wake of former New York Yankees player Joe DiMaggio's death on March 8, 1999, Governor George Pataki proposed renaming the Deegan Expressway to the "Joe DiMaggio Highway". However, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani favored renaming the West Side Highway for DiMaggio instead. Pataki agreed to Giuliani's proposal one week later.