How to Travel New York's Bronx River Parkway

Travel in Bronx County.

In Bronx County, the highway begins its route from Soundview Park's northern section (access northbound lanes off Metcalf Ave, and end southbound access onto Story Ave) and crosses paths with several highways going almost north to just beyond I-95 where it's pulled northeast until it reaches the Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Gardens when it sends motorists northwest through the greenery, through the Bronx River Forest, then pulls itself northeast past the Woodlawn Cemetery, before crossing the Bronx River as a stream, and exits the county near the Woodlawn station (Metro-North Harlem Line), all while being called the unsigned New York State Route 907H. In Bronx County, expect exits for Soundview (1, 2), West Farms (3, 4, 5), Bronx Park (6, 7, 8), Williamsbridge (9), and Woodlawn (10). Immediately after reaching the Soundview exit at Soundview Park, expect the largest entrance onto the highway from I-278 (exit 2), and the beginning of the six-lane freeway, where sports courts and fields on the side of the highway within the park, and the road leads northwest. Inside West Farms, there are exits for E 174th St and the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95), and E 177th St to NY-895 (Sheridan Blvd and Triborough Bridge), as it approaches Amtrak's Northeast Corridor line, which it crosses. At E 180th St, the park ends, as the highway elevates itself to cross E 180th St Yard-New York City Subway's IRT White Plains Rd Line, 2 and 5 and the former New York, Westchester, and Boston Railway, as it follows neighborhoods near the Bronx Zoo, Bronx Park and Bronx River. Quickly as it enters Bronx Park, expect an unnumbered northbound exit to local streets via Birchall Ave for commuters to and from NYC Parks Department. Just past that exit, expect access to Boston Rd (US-1) (northbound only) then Pelham Parkway, and Fordham Rd (US-1 served southbound), New York Botanical Garden, Mosholu Parkway&Allerton Ave. At exit 9 you'll find access to the Williamsbridge Metro-North Harlem Line train station to the west of the parkway, and the road continues straight north along Woodlawn Cemetery. At exit 10 expect access to the Woodlawn station. near the E 233rd St exit at the cemetery's northeast corner. The highway will bend one way and then bend the other, crossing the river and railroad near the Train Line split (Harlem and New Haven Lines), as it heads into McLean Ave/Nereid Ave in Westchester Co.

Travel in Westchester County.

In Westchester County, two types of roadways exist. Although it begins as a highway-freeway, it much later has roadway portions where most interchanges have traffic lights on the roadway, but exits are numbered. It curves back around the Bronx River and follows it to its west, then the curvy route following the stations on Metro-North's Harlem Line, passing the New York Presbyterian: Westchester and Bronxville Lake, curving east near Crestwood Park, then traveling mostly due north and passing the Leewood Golf Club, til it passes the Bronx River again (with each direction traveling on each side of the Bronx River) and meeting south of Popham Rd, crossing the Bronx River to the east, passing Bronx River Park, all the way past Hartsdale and through the Woodland Place Viaduct meeting near White Plain's Main St and heading northwest until it reaches near Westchester County Center and splits, heading under I-287 up until it reaches it's last Metro North Stop at North White Plains and the Metro-North Community Railroad Work Equipment Shop up into Kensico Circle, where it merges itself with the Taconic State Parkway, yet local lanes can fork to the right and head towards Mt Kisco Rd, if necessary, all while being called the unsigned County Route 9987. In the freeway section, expect exits for Yonkers (including exits for 10C, 10A, 10B, 11, and the Sprain Brook Parkway). Wikipedia lists the first numbers (up to past exit 11 and the Sprain Brook Parkway) as the "freeway section", though it only mentions it becomes the Sprain Brook Parkway and relabels its exits starting from one again, with all vehicles exiting to the right at that point, and according to the Google Maps map, the highway will continue under the same name just past the overpass for Dewitt Ave. Once across the county line, it'll serve Wakefield Ave for the Wakefield train station nearby. (exit 10C, southbound only), but about .75 miles (1.21 km) away it runs into exit 10A and the Mount Vernon West train station at Mount Vernon & Yonkers Aves, and another southbound exit 10B serves Bronx River Rd until it arrives at exit 11 - the Cross County Parkway exit- heading east (space for on-ramps and access to Broad St and Fleetwood train station), Continuing vehicles enter the Sprain Brook Parkway, but thereafter must turn off to return to the highway named "Bronx River Parkway". In the "roadway" section, expect exits for Yonkers (1A, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10), Greenburgh (11), Scarsdale (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18), White Plains (19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26) and North Castle (27, and the two finales inside Kensico Circle (NY-22 and the Taconic State Parkway at Kensico Circle.) Wikipedia's page also lists why this second portion isn't a freeway. In this section, the Bronx River Parkway contains traffic lights, but has interchange numbers for their "exits". However, they also go on to mention that this is more apparent past exit 23 (north of White Plains). You'll arrive at exit 1 in Bronxville (Paxton Ave) which has southbound travelers taking exit 1A onto Desmond Ave, before arriving at the curves at W Pondfield Rd (northbound only) at exit 2 and the Armour Villa neighborhood and beneath the Tuckahoe Rd bridge. About another mile, and you'll reach Tuckahoe's Elm St, as the park parallels the highway, with the first at-grade intersection at exit 4 - Scarsdale Rd before it heads east and northeast. At this exit 8, the parkway gives access to Crestwood and another .75 miles (1.21 km) intersects Leewood Dr and the next at-grade intersection on the northbound side. The highway sees some abandoned gas-station parking lots before the road diverges for the river's run, and the next at-grade intersection at Strathmore & Harney Rds (exit 10), before curving west and returning northeast departing Yonkers, and entering exit 11 - Ardsley Rd in Greenburgh. Curving east, it enters Scarsdale and intersects Crane Rd/East Parkway using a traffic light with no access to the southbound direction, and exits for Ogden and Butler Rds (northbound), Fenimore Rd and Hartsdale train station (northbound) and Greenacres Ave (southbound) before seeing tracks near River and Claremont Rds. It crosses into White Plains and sees the Walworth Ave Crossing exit (19, northbound only), crosses the River, and heads northeast, before reaching Main St (NY-119) west of White Plains train station, before turning north to at-grade intersections with traffic lights with Central Ave at Westchester County Center being the first. For those who want to head over to the Cross Westchester Expressway, those on the Parkway must take NY-119 instead because those two later exit to this expressway. The highway diverges after a half-mile, then converges again reaching Old Tarrytown Rd (23) and traveling north before curving into Fisher Lane-Maryton-Virginia Rd before turning northeast and crossing the River, before reaching its last exit at Washington Ave and the Kensico Dam at Kensico Circle.