The southbound roadway contains two exits: exit 10 at 49th Street, and exit 11 at 53rd Street. A northbound ramp from First Avenue merges onto the northbound roadway. Īt 48th Street, the FDR Drive emerges from the United Nations tunnel. This section is often referred to as the United Nations Tunnel, even though only the westernmost lane of the northbound roadway is under the structure. The southbound roadway is inside a later structure resembling a tunnel while the northbound roadway is located just outside of the tunnel. The headquarters of the United Nations was constructed on a platform above the at-grade FDR Drive from 42nd to 48th Streets. The southbound service road then becomes the eastbound lanes of 42nd Street. The southbound service road continues parallel to the FDR Drive, and the southbound exit 8 splits from the parkway near 41st Street. The FDR Drive dips onto street level and merges with the northbound service road. Exit 9 continues as an elevated ramp until the intersection of 42nd Street and First Avenue, where it becomes the westbound lanes of 42nd Street. Īt 38th Street, the northbound-only exit 9 for 42nd Street, serving Turtle Bay, splits from FDR Drive. Another southbound entrance is located at 34th Street itself, and rises to the viaduct level. The northbound exit, labeled exit 8, serves 34th Street in Murray Hill, which is located four blocks north the FDR Drive service road curves underneath the main highway until 36th Street. There are a southbound entrance and northbound exit at ground level at 28th-30th Streets, where the southbound service road begins again. The southbound lanes ascend to a viaduct at 28th Street, and the southbound lanes ascend at 30th Street. The FDR Drive continues north as an at-grade road, with the Waterside Plaza complex located along the East River to the east of the parkway. Midtown įDR Drive northbound approaching the NY 25 (Queensboro Bridge) interchange At 23rd Street, Avenue C continues as the northbound service road for the FDR Drive, while the southbound lanes split from the main highway at 25th Street. This exit serves the neighborhood of Kips Bay. The elevated viaduct continues until 25th Street to serve the 23rd Street interchange at exit 7. īy 18th Street, the FDR Drive curves north onto an elevated viaduct above Avenue C. The substation is surrounded by ramps for the former exit 6, a southbound exit and entrance which was closed after September 11, 2001. Between 14th and 15th Streets, the FDR Drive passes a large Con Edison substation. The FDR Drive continues north through Lower East Side and Alphabet City, and dips under Houston Street at exit 5, in a three-way interchange. From here, the road is at-grade, with a southbound exit/entrance at Grand Street, exit 4.
The elevated road, also known as the South Street Viaduct, continues until Gouverneur Slip, near the Manhattan Bridge interchange (exit 3), where there are a southbound exit and northbound entrance. The elevated viaduct continues northeast, with an interchange at Brooklyn Bridge at exit 2. It rises from the underground Battery Park Underpass to an elevated viaduct above South Street, with an at-grade connection to South Street at exit 1. įDR Drive approaching the Brooklyn BridgeįDR Drive starts at the southern tip of Manhattan at South and Whitehall Streets in the Financial District. All commercial vehicles (including trucks) are banned from all sections of the FDR Drive, except for a short section just north of the Battery Park Underpass where the northbound lanes temporarily merge with South Street. Buses are not allowed to use the roadway north of 23rd Street because they exceed the road's maximum clearance and weight (although some do, including the MTA's QM7, QM8, QM8 Super Express, QM11 and QM25 express buses). The parkway is mostly three lanes in each direction, except for several small sections.īy law, the current weight limits on the FDR Drive from 23rd Street to the Harlem River Drive in both directions is posted 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg). The FDR Drive features a mix of below-grade, at-grade, and elevated sections, as well as three partially covered tunnels. All of the FDR Drive is designated New York State Route 907L ( NY 907L), an unsigned reference route. Kennedy Bridge / Willis Avenue Bridge interchange, where it becomes the Harlem River Drive. It starts near South and Broad Streets, just north of the Battery Park Underpass, and runs north along the East River to the 125th Street / Robert F. Roosevelt East River Drive, commonly called the FDR Drive for short, is a 9.68-mile (15.58 km) limited-access parkway on the east side of the New York City borough of Manhattan.