View source for New York State Route 440

{{Short description|State highway in Staten Island, New York, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox road
|state=NY
|type=NY
|route=440
|map={{maplink-road}}
|map_custom=yes
|map_notes=Map of Staten Island in New York City with NY&nbsp;440 highlighted in red
|maint=[[New York State Department of Transportation|NYSDOT]] and [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey|PANYNJ]]
|length_mi=12.7
|length_ref=<ref name="2008tvr" /><ref name="inv-richmond"/>
|established=1949<ref name=nycroads>{{cite web |first=Steve |last=Anderson |work=NYCRoads |title=State and US Roads in New York City |url=http://www.nycroads.com/roads/state_NYC/ |access-date=November 21, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219081019/http://www.nycroads.com/roads/state_NYC/ |archive-date=February 19, 2014 }}</ref>
|direction_a=South
|terminus_a={{jct|state=NJ|NJ|440}} at the [[New Jersey]] state line
|junction={{jct|state=NY|Parkway|Korean War Veterans}} in [[Charleston, Staten Island|Charleston]]<br>{{jct|state=NY|I|278}} from [[Bloomfield, Staten Island|Bloomfield]] to [[Bulls Head, Staten Island|Bulls Head]]/[[Graniteville, Staten Island|Graniteville]]
|direction_b=North
|terminus_b={{jct|state=NJ|NJ|440}} at the New Jersey state line
|counties=[[Richmond County, New York|Richmond]]
|previous_type=NY
|previous_route=439A
|next_type=NY
|next_route=441
}}
'''New York State Route&nbsp;440''' ('''NY&nbsp;440''') is a [[Controlled-access highway|freeway]] located entirely on [[Staten Island]] in [[New York City]]. The route acts as a connector between the two segments of [[New Jersey Route&nbsp;440]], running from the Staten Island neighborhood of [[Charleston, Staten Island|Charleston]] in the south to [[Port Richmond, Staten Island|Port Richmond]] in the north. NY&nbsp;440 is connected to the two New Jersey segments by the [[Outerbridge Crossing]] to the south and the [[Bayonne Bridge]] to the north. It is one of several signed New York State routes that are not connected to any others in the state, and one of only two New York State routes ([[New York State Route 426|NY&nbsp;426]] being the other) that is the middle section of another state's highway bearing the same number. From the [[Korean War Veterans Parkway]] to [[Interstate&nbsp;278|I-278]], it is known as the '''West Shore Expressway'''. North of I-278, it is named the '''Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway''' (also known as the '''Willowbrook Expressway'''). NY 440 is the southernmost state route in the state of New York.

==Route description==
[[File:West Shore Northbound.jpg|thumb|left|The West Shore Expressway northbound as seen from Meredith Avenue]]
NY&nbsp;440 begins at the [[New York (state)|New York]]–[[New Jersey]] state line, mid-span on the east-west [[Outerbridge Crossing]] over the [[Arthur Kill]] in the [[Charleston, Staten Island|Charleston]] neighborhood of [[Staten Island]]. The four-lane bridge crosses east through Charleston and over [[Arthur Kill Road]].

After entering Staten Island, NY&nbsp;440 passes through a [[Barrier toll system|toll barrier]] for eastbound traffic entering the city. Immediately following the toll barrier is a ramp to Page Avenue, the eastbound exit&nbsp;1.<ref name="bing"/> In the westbound direction, the ramp to Arthur Kill Road is exit&nbsp;1.

After Page Avenue, NY&nbsp;440 enters a [[Partial cloverleaf interchange|partial cloverleaf interchange]] with the [[Korean War Veterans Parkway]] (though often referred to as the Richmond Parkway, its name until 1997) and a nearby [[Park and ride|park and ride]]. At exit&nbsp;2 in Charleston, NY&nbsp;440 exits the right-of-way it entered on, which becomes the Korean War Veterans Parkway, while NY&nbsp;440 proceeds north as the co-signed West Shore Expressway.<ref name="bing">{{bing maps|url=http://binged.it/SIxhyZ|title=overview map of NY 440|accessdate=September 13, 2012}}</ref>

The West Shore Expressway continues north as a four-lane expressway, entering exit&nbsp;3, a ramp to Woodrow Road going northbound. Crossing into the [[Rossville, Staten Island|Rossville]] neighborhood, the expressway enters exit&nbsp;3 southbound, connecting to Bloomingdale Road, and parallels a section of the [[Arthur Kill]]. Crossing north of South Shore Golf Course, the West Shore enters exit&nbsp;4, an interchange with Huguenot Avenue. Continuing northeast, NY&nbsp;440 is routed parallel with the eastern side of the former [[Fresh Kills Landfill]], with exit&nbsp;5 providing access to Arden Avenue. Bending northward once again, the West Shore crosses over [[Fresh Kills]] creek, and passes through a portion of the [[William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge]]. West Shore continues through the [[Chelsea, Staten Island|Chelsea]]-[[Travis, Staten Island|Travis]] neighborhood, accessible at exit&nbsp;7 through a service road interchange with [[Victory Boulevard (Staten Island)|Victory Boulevard]] (itself previously designated as NY 439A, until {{circa|lk=no|1968}}).<ref name="1967map">{{cite map |title=Gousha Road Atlas – New York and vicinity |publisher=[[H.M. Gousha Company]] |year=1967 |url=http://www.broermapsonline.org/members/NorthAmerica/UnitedStates/Midatlantic/NewYork/NewYorkCity/gousha_ra_1967_038.html |access-date=December 5, 2009 |archive-date=July 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725194437/http://www.broermapsonline.org/members/NorthAmerica/UnitedStates/Midatlantic/NewYork/NewYorkCity/gousha_ra_1967_038.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="1968map">{{cite map |title=New York City and Vicinity including Long Island |publisher=[[American Automobile Association]] |year=1968 |edition=1968–69}}</ref>

[[File:2020-10-09 17 27 13 View north along New York State Route 440 (Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Expressway) just north of Interstate 278 (Staten Island Expressway) in Staten Island, New York.jpg|thumb|right|NY&nbsp;440 northbound past I-278 in Staten Island]]
Running along the northern end of Travis, the West Shore Expressway parallels nearby railroad tracks before entering exit&nbsp;8, a ramp to South Avenue and the [[Bloomfield, Staten Island|Bloomfield]] neighborhood. Just a bit further north, the expressway enters exit&nbsp;9 northbound, a single ramp to Glen Street. Just north of Glen Street, the West Shore Expressway enters a [[Interchange (road)#T and Y interchanges|semi-directional T interchange]] with the northwest-southeast Staten Island Expressway portion of I-278. At this interchange, NY&nbsp;440 and I-278 become concurrent for a short distance on the Staten Island Expressway, a four-lane expressway along the northern tier of Staten Island. Along this stretch, NY&nbsp;440 and I-278 meet [[Richmond Avenue]] at exit&nbsp;7. Just to the east, the expressway enters exit&nbsp;9, which serves as a junction with the Dr. [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] Expressway (the Dr. MLK Jr., also known, for its initial portion, as the Willowbrook Expressway).<ref name="bing" />

NY&nbsp;440 turns north off I-278 and continues as the Dr. MLK Jr. Expressway, just north of an interchange with Victory Boulevard. The Dr. MLK Jr. Expressway crosses north through Staten Island, with the neighborhoods of [[Graniteville, Staten Island|Graniteville]] then [[Mariners Harbor, Staten Island|Mariners Harbor]] on the west side, while [[Westerleigh, Staten Island|Westerleigh]] then [[Elm Park, Staten Island|Elm Park]] (technically a portion of the [[Port Richmond, Staten Island|Port Richmond]] neighborhood) are on the east side. Dr. MLK Jr. enters exit&nbsp;12, a junction with Forest Avenue (the portion used by the previously designated, until 1968, [[New York State Route 439|NY 439]]), forming a "four corners" of the neighborhoods just mentioned. Continuing north, Dr. MLK Jr. enters exit&nbsp;13, which connects to Walker Street in Port Richmond. Just north of exit&nbsp;13, NY&nbsp;440 passes through an [[Electronic toll collection|electronic toll collection]] gantry (for traffic crossing from New Jersey over the [[Bergen Point]] Reach to enter onto the northside of Staten Island), then slopes onto the abutments of the [[Bayonne Bridge]], condensing to four lanes. A short distance to the north, NY&nbsp;440 crosses the state line back into New Jersey, continuing north as [[New Jersey Route 440|Route&nbsp;440]] into the city of [[Bayonne, New Jersey|Bayonne]].<ref name="bing" />

==History==
<mapframe width=200 height=200 text="The Willowbrook Parkway as originally planned" align=left>
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  "type": "ExternalData",
  "service": "page",
  "title": "Willowbrook Parkway Extension.map"
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</mapframe>
[[File:MLK Expressway.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway, southbound, from Walker Street.]]
NY&nbsp;440 was initially designated in 1949, beginning at the [[Outerbridge Crossing]] and ending at the [[Bayonne Bridge]], as it does today; however, the route was originally routed on Drumgoole Boulevard and [[Richmond Avenue]] in between the two bridges.<ref name="1950map">{{cite map |title=New York |publisher=[[Socony-Vacuum Oil Company]] |cartography=[[Rand McNally and Company]] |year=1950}}</ref> In the early 1950s, proposals surfaced for the Willowbrook Parkway, which would extend from Staten Island Marine Park (later [[Great Kills Park]] and now part of the [[Gateway National Recreation Area]]) on the island's [[East Shore, Staten Island|East Shore]] to the Bayonne Bridge via [[Egbertville, Staten Island|Egbertville]] and [[Bulls Head, Staten Island|Bulls Head]].<ref name="1950map" /><ref>{{cite map |title=New York |publisher=[[Sunoco]] |cartography=Rand McNally and Company |year=1952}}</ref> A second highway, the West Shore Expressway, was proposed {{circa|1961}}. As proposed, it would begin at the Outerbridge Crossing and run along the west shore of [[Staten Island]] to meet the [[Interstate 278|Clove Lakes Expressway]] ([[Interstate 278|I-278]]) near the [[Goethals Bridge]].<ref>{{cite map |title=New York and New Jersey Tourgide<!--sic--> Map |publisher=[[Gulf Oil Company]] |cartography=Rand McNally and Company |year=1960}}</ref><ref name="1961map">{{cite map |title=New York and Metropolitan New York |publisher=Sunoco |cartography=[[H.M. Gousha Company]] |year=1961 |edition=1961–62}}</ref>
The first section of the Willowbrook Parkway—from I-278 north to modern exit&nbsp;13—was completed by 1965.<ref name="1965map">{{cite map |title=New York |publisher=[[Mobil]] |cartography=Rand McNally and Company |year=1965}}</ref> A short extension south to [[Victory Boulevard (Staten Island)|Victory Boulevard]] was opened to traffic by 1968. The highway was also renamed the Willowbrook Expressway by this time.<ref name="1968map"/> It was never extended past Victory Boulevard as opposition from both local property owners and environmental activists prevented construction of the rest of the highway. Its original route has never been formally demapped, however.<ref name="willow" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Grady |first1=Jim |title=Neighborhood Report: Staten Island; Greenbelt Fans Want Routes Off the Maps |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/22/nyregion/neighborhood-report-staten-island-up-close-greenbelt-fans-want-routes-off-maps.html |access-date=26 August 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 22, 1998}}</ref> NY&nbsp;440 was realigned to follow the Willowbrook Expressway by 1970.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.greaternyroads.info/pdfs/state70.pdf |title=Official Description of Touring Routes in New York State |date=January 1, 1970 |author=State of New York Department of Transportation |author-link=State of New York Department of Transportation |access-date=January 3, 2010}}</ref>

Drumgoole Boulevard was transformed into a [[Controlled-access highway|freeway]] in the late 1960s and early 1970s<ref name="1968map" /><ref name="1972map">{{cite map |title=New York and New Jersey Tourgide<!--sic--> Map |publisher=Gulf Oil Company |cartography=Rand McNally and Company |year=1972 |edition=1972}}</ref> and renamed the [[Richmond Parkway (Staten Island)|Richmond Parkway]] (now the [[Korean War Veterans Parkway]]) {{circa|lk=no|1973}}; however, NY&nbsp;440 initially continued to follow the parkway. The segment of the West Shore Expressway southwest of Huguenot Avenue was opened {{circa|lk=no|1973}}<ref name="1972map" /><ref name="1973map">{{cite map |title=New York |publisher=[[Shell Oil Company]] |cartography=H.M. Gousha Company |year=1973 |edition=1973}}</ref> and became part of a realigned NY&nbsp;440 on July 1, 1977.<ref name="1977log">{{cite book|author=Herr, Charles|title=Description of Touring Routes in New York State for the Interstate (I), Federal (US) and State (NY) Route Number Systems |publisher=[[New York State Department of Transportation]] |date=August 24, 1977}}</ref> NY&nbsp;440 left the expressway at Huguenot Avenue and followed Arthur Kill Road east to Richmond Avenue, where it continued north on its original alignment. The former alignment of NY&nbsp;440 on the Richmond Parkway was redesignated as Temporary NY&nbsp;440.<ref name="1973map" /><ref>{{cite map |title=New York and New Jersey Tourgide<!--sic--> Map |publisher=Gulf Oil Company |cartography=Rand McNally and Company |year=1974}}</ref> When the West Shore Expressway was completed in 1976,<ref name="nycroads" /> the Temporary NY&nbsp;440 designation was eliminated while NY&nbsp;440 was shifted westward to follow the West Shore and Clove Lakes Expressways between Huguenot Avenue and the Willowbrook Expressway.<ref>{{cite map |title=New York |publisher=[[Exxon]] |year=1977 |edition=1977–78 |cartography=[[General Drafting]]}}</ref>

In the mid-1960s, officials in New Jersey and New York considered extending the [[Interstate 287|I-287]] designation eastward from its current terminus at the [[New Jersey Turnpike]] ([[Interstate 95 (New Jersey)|I-95]]) to Staten Island via [[New Jersey Route 440|New Jersey Route&nbsp;440]] and the Richmond Parkway. The idea was eventually halted soon afterward. However, it is possible that the [[New York State Department of Transportation]] may reconsider these plans in the future.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nycroads.com/roads/NJ-440S/ |title=NJ 440 Freeway (Middlesex County Section) |first=Steve |last=Anderson |work=NYCRoads |access-date=May 11, 2010}}</ref> In 1990, the Willowbrook Expressway was renamed the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway in honor of [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], the famous [[civil rights]] leader.<ref name="willow">{{cite web |url=http://www.nycroads.com/roads/mlk/ |title=Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway (NY 440) |first=Steve |last=Anderson |work=NYCRoads |access-date=May 11, 2010}}</ref> However, it is sometimes still called the Willowbrook Expressway by many locals today. The West Shore Expressway was ceremonially designated the '''Pearl Harbor Veterans Expressway''' by New York Governor [[George Pataki]] in 1999. However, the expressway's official name did not change.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nycroads.com/roads/west-shore/ |title=West Shore Expressway (NY 440) |first=Steve |last=Anderson |work=NYCRoads |access-date=May 11, 2010}}</ref>

==Exit list==
{{NYinttop|exit|nyc=yes|borough=Staten Island|length_ref=<ref name="2008tvr">{{cite web |url=https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/Traffic%20Volume%20Report%202008.pdf |title=2008 Traffic Volume Report for New York State |date=June 16, 2009 |page=235 |publisher=[[New York State Department of Transportation]] |access-date=May 11, 2010}}</ref><ref name="inv-richmond">{{cite web |url=https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/HighwayInventory-RichmondCounty-2016.zip |title=Richmond County Inventory Listing |date=August 7, 2016 |publisher=New York State Department of Transportation |format=CSV |access-date=September 5, 2017 }}</ref>|nocty=yes}}
{{Jctint|exit
|location_special=[[Arthur Kill]]
|lspan=2
|mile=0.0
|mspan=2
|road={{jct|state=NJ|NJ|440|GSP|dir1=south|to2=to|location1=[[New Jersey]]}}
|notes=Continuation into [[New Jersey]]
}}
{{Jctbridge|exit
|mile=none
|type=etc
|bridge=[[Outerbridge Crossing]] (northbound toll; [[E-ZPass]] or [[Video tolling|pay-by-plate]])
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|location=Charleston
|borough=Staten Island
|lspan=5
|mile=0.6
|mspan=2
|exit=1
|espan=2
|road=[[Arthur Kill Road|Arthur Kill Rd]]
|type=incomplete
|notes=Southbound exit and entrance; access via Veterans Road West
}}
{{NYCint
|mile=none
|road=Page Ave TO [[Hylan Boulevard|Hylan Blvd]]<br>{{jct|state=NY|Parkway|Korean War Veterans|dir1=begins}}
|notes=Northbound exit and entrance; access via Boscombe Avenue; southern terminus of Korean War Veterans Parkway
|type=concur
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|mile=1.1
|exit=2
|type=concur
|road={{jct|state=NY|Parkway|Korean War Veterans|dir1=north|road|[[Richmond Avenue|Richmond Ave]]|to2=yes|location1=[[Park and ride|Park & Ride]]}}
|notes=Northern end of the concurrency with Korean War Veterans Parkway; former routing of NY 440
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|mile=2.0
|mspan=2
|exit=3A
|type=incomplete
|road=Englewood Ave
|notes=Southbound exit and northbound entrance; opened September 30, 2014;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/09302014West-Shore-Expressway |title=Governor Cuomo Announces Opening of Two West Shore Expressway Ramps |date=September 30, 2014 |publisher=[[Governor of New York]] |access-date=October 5, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006125430/http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/09302014West-Shore-Expressway |archive-date=October 6, 2014}}</ref> serves [[Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve|Clay Pit Ponds State Park]]
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|mile=none
|exit=3
|type=incomplete
|road=To Woodrow Rd
|notes=Northbound exit only; access via Clay Pit Road
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|location1=Charleston
|location2=Rossville
|borough=Staten Island
|mile=
|exit=3B
|type=incomplete
|road=Bloomingdale Rd
|notes=No northbound exit
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|location=Rossville
|borough=Staten Island
|mile=3.7
|exit=4 (SB) 6 (NB)
|road=[[Arthur Kill Road|Arthur Kill Rd]]&nbsp;/ Huguenot Ave
|notes=
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|location=Greenridge
|borough=Staten Island
|mile=5.0
|exit=5
|type=incomplete
|road=Muldoon Ave / Arden Ave
|notes=Southbound exit only
}}
{{jctbridge|exit
|location_special=[[Fresh Kills]]
|mile=5.4
|bridge=Bridge
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|location=Travis
|borough=Staten Island
|mile=6.2
|exit=7
|road=[[Victory Boulevard (Staten Island)|Victory Blvd]]
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|location=Chelsea
|borough=Staten Island
|mile=7.1
|exit=8
|road=South Ave
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|location=Bloomfield
|borough=Staten Island
|lspan=3
|mile=7.8
|exit=9
|type=incomplete
|road=Glen St
|notes=Northbound exit only; opened in 2001<ref>{{cite news |title=Freeways of a different sort |url=http://www.silive.com/westshore/index.ssf/2010/07/freeways_of_a_different_sort.html |work=[[Staten Island Advance]] |access-date=January 27, 2013 |first=Mark D. |last=Stein |date=July 15, 2010}}</ref>
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|mile=9.2
|exit=10
|type=concur
|road={{jct|state=NY|I|278|dir1=west|location1=[[Goethals Bridge|Goethals Br]]|location2=[[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark Airport]]|extra=airport}}
|notes=Southern end of the concurrency with I-278; exit number not signed northbound; serves [[Howland Hook Marine Terminal]]
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|mile=9.22
|exit=6
|type=incomplete
|road=South Ave
|notes=Southbound exit only
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|location2=Graniteville
|location1=Bulls Head
|borough=Staten Island
|lspan=3
|mile=9.5
|exit=7
|road=[[Richmond Avenue|Richmond Ave]]
|notes=
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|mile=10.1
|mile2=10.3
|mspan=2
|exit=8 (NB)<hr>11 (SB)
|road=[[Victory Boulevard (Staten Island)|Victory Blvd]]
|notes=Former [[Victory Boulevard (Staten Island)|NY 439A]]
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|mile=none
|mspan=2
|exit=10E 
|type=concur
|road={{jct|state=NY|I|278|dir1=east|location1=[[Verrazano-Narrows Bridge|Verrazzano Br]]|location2=[[Brooklyn]]}}
|notes=Northern end of the concurrency with I-278
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|location1=Mariners Harbor
|location2=Port Richmond
|borough=Staten Island
|lspan=2
|mile=11.3
|exit=12
|road=Forest Ave
|notes=Former [[New York State Route 439|NY&nbsp;439]]
}}
{{NYCint|exit
|mile=12.0
|exit=13
|road=Richmond Ter (NB)<hr>Morningstar Rd / Richmond Ter (SB)
|notes=Morningstar Road not signed northbound
}}
{{Jctbridge|exit
|location_special=[[Kill Van Kull]]
|lspan=2
|mile=12.7
|mspan=2
|type=etc
|bridge=[[Bayonne Bridge]] (southbound toll; E-ZPass or pay-by-plate)
}}
{{Jctint|exit
|mile=none
|road={{jct|state=NJ|NJ|440|dir1=north|city1=Jersey City}}
|notes=Continuation into [[New Jersey]]
}}
{{jctbtm|keys=concur,incomplete,etc}}

==See also==
* {{Portal-inline|U.S. roads}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Attached KML}}
{{Commons category|New York State Route 440}}
{{NYSR external links|type=N|nyroutes=yes|termini=yes|route=440|alps=yes}}
* [http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/outerbridge/ Outerbridge Crossing @ NYCROADS.com]
* [http://www.nycroads.com/roads/west-shore/ West Shore Expressway(NY 440) @ NYCROADS.com]
* [http://www.nycroads.com/roads/mlk/ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway(NY 440) @ NYCROADS.com]
* [http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/bayonne/ Bayonne Bridge @ NYCROADS.com]
* [https://www.eastcoastroads.com/states/ny/state/ny440 NY 440 (East Coast Roads)]

[[Category:Expressways in New York City]]
[[Category:Interstate 87 (New York)]]
[[Category:State highways in New York (state)|440]]
[[Category:Transportation in Staten Island]]
[[Category:Robert Moses projects]]