How the Path That Became Route 1 Shaped New York
Long before it was called U.S. Route 1, the path that would become the highway was already one of the oldest travel corridors in America.
The route traces its lineage back to colonial post roads that connected Boston to New York and Philadelphia.
In New York, these early roads included Kingsbridge Road in the Bronx and parts of Broadway, forming the spine of movement between Manhattan and New England.
By the 19th century, this corridor had become a key mail and stagecoach route, linking the young nation’s major cities.
When the federal government created the numbered highway system in 1926, this ancient path was formally designated U.S. Route 1, running from Key West, Florida to Fort Kent, Maine.
In New York City Route 1 entered from New Jersey across the George Washington Bridge, which opened in 1931. Then it threaded through the Bronx along Fordham Road and Boston Post Road before heading into Westchester.
This made New York City a critical gateway for interstate travel, reinforcing its role as the nation’s commercial hub.
Route 1’s presence in New York shaped the city in several key ways since before the interstate highway system in the 1950’s and 1960’s, Route 1 was the main north-south artery for trade, trucking and travelers. Goods from the south and New England passed directly through the city, sustained businesses along the corridor.
The Bronx, especially around Fordham and the Grand Concourse, became a vibrant commercial strip thanks to the heavy traffic on Route 1. Gas stations, diners, auto shops and motels sprang up to serve travelers, while remnants of this roadside culture still survive today.
By the 1930s and 40s Route 1’s traffic had overwhelmed local streets. Robert Mose’s parkway projects like the Cross Bronx Expressway were in part a response to the congestion caused by long distance traffic funneling through city neighborhoods.
While today’s long haul truckers mostly use I-95, Route 1 remains alive inside New York City as a local urban route, where historical markers and old businesses recall it’s heyday as America’s “Main Street”.
Route 1 didn’t just pass through New York City, it shaped its neighborhoods, economy and traffic patterns. It carried the life blood of interstate travel before the interstates existed, leaving behind a network of bustling roads that still echo the days when America’s most important highway ran right through the Bronx.
David Garland Mar 30, 2026 Back in Time Highways History
Mar 30, 2026
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