The Central Westchester Parkway is a four-lane parkway in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. It runs from exit 7 of the Cross-Westchester Expressway (Interstate 287 or I-287) to the Taconic State Parkway via New York State Route 22 (NY 22). The road has two intermediate exits and is maintained by Westchester County as County Route 150.
The Central Westchester Parkway was first conceived in the 1920s, from a plan by Westchester County to construct a west–east parkway from Elmsford to White Plains. Never constructed to its full length, the parkway was opened on August 13, 1932 from Westchester Avenue to the city of White Plains. The parkway however became part of a new project to connect the New York State Thruway and the New England Thruway, which would entail using the southern piece of the Central Westchester Parkway. The road was closed in 1957 and was not reopened until 1960, when a rebuilt section of the Central Westchester was built as a bypass of White Plains and the Cross-Westchester Expressway opened to traffic.
Route description
The Central Westchester Parkway begins at an interchange (exit 7) with access to and from the eastbound direction of I-287 (the Cross Westchester Expressway) in White Plains. The parkway, four lanes wide, parallels the Cross Westchester for a short distance, crossing under Grant Avenue before reaching exit 7A, a small interchange with Orchard Street, which is connected to Beech Street. After crossing under Orchard Street, the Central Westchester Parkway turns northward through the center of White Plains, bypassing the downtown area and paralleling NY 22 A couple blocks north of Holland Avenue, the Central Westchester Parkway reaches a junction with NY 22 (North Broadway), where the right-of-way for the parkway merges into the northbound lanes. This junction marks the northern terminus of the Central Westchester Parkway, which continues north towards the Taconic State Parkway as NY 22.
History
Construction and opening
The Central Westchester Parkway dates to a proposal for three new west–east parkways designed by the Westchester County Park Commission (established in 1922), which included the Cross County Parkway and the unbuilt O'Dell Parkway. This parkway would connect the village of Elmsford at the Saw Mill River Parkway and the city of White Plains at Westchester Avenue. The parkway would eventually be extended to the Hutchinson River Parkway near Silver Lake Park in White Plains. Construction began in 1930 of the new parkway with an initial section on the eastern edge of White Plains.
The parkway, slated to open around August 1, 1932 would have, contrary to most parkways through Westchester County, truck traffic. Residents of White Plains felt they approved the money for the new parkway to have the same no-truck restriction that the rest of the parkway system would have. Residents began a petition in July 1932 to be sent to the Westchester County Park Commission to continue the ban onto the Central Westchester. This first section of the Central Westchester Parkway opened on August 13, 1932, with a celebration headlined by a ribbon cutting with White Plains mayor Chauncey Griffin. The parkway segment cost $1 million (1932 USD) to construct and the ribbon was placed at the location of George Washington's first defensive line in 1776 during the Battle of White Plains.
Meanwhile, the parkway was not completely finished. By 1935, Westchester County had budgeted more money to extend the parkway to Tarrytown Road in Elmsford, Money from the county totaling $5 million (equivalent to $ in ) would go to extend the parkway. However, this extra segment of the parkway was never constructed.
Conversion to limited-access highway
In the early 1950s, plans developed of a new expressway connecting the new New York State Thruway and the New England Thruway. Approved by then-Governor of New York Thomas Dewey in April 1952, the new parkway would parallel the Central Westchester Parkway to help ease traffic congestion through the area. Local groups were opposed to the project, because of the number of houses being lost in the new project, calling the project "a skunk in the parlor". After approval of the new project by the New York State Legislature, local groups took the argument directly to the advisers of Governor Dewey, who had stated that the route of new expressway would be chosen carefully.