Earlier this week, I’m driving up the NJTP, when I come
across one of those electronic billboards that relay messages and traffic
info which is occasionally correct. It mentioned road closures using the acronym “HRD”.
I consider
myself a pretty well-seasoned NY driver, but it took me a few minutes to realize that the sign was referring to the Harlem River Drive. Well actually it was
the TME that was shutting HRD, from the GWB.
Sounds like a mouthful, right?
The point is, sometimes even us locals have a hard time deciphering the
dictionary of abbreviations that they use when describing roads. I have
collected a glossary of some of the most common ones in case you get stuck in the NY/NJ area.
- Belt - the Belt Parkway in the boroughs, turns into the SSP in Long Island
- BK Bridge - Brooklyn Bridge
- BQE - Brooklyn Queens Expressway
- Bruckner / 278 - The Bruckner Expressway
- CBE – Cross Bronx Expressway, also known as 95
- CCP - Cross County Parkway
- CIP - Cross Island Parkway
- CVE- Clearview Expressway, AKA I-295, also the best CIP alternative
- FDR - FDR drive spans the east side of Manhattam
- GCP - Grand Central Parkway
- GSP – Garden State Parkway
- GWB (UL and LL) – George Washington Bridge (Upper level and Lower level)
- HHP / Hen Hud Park – Henry Hudson Parkway
- Holl - Holland tunnel
- HRD - Harlem River Drive
- Hutch – the Hutchinson River Parkway
- JFK - JFK Airport
- JRP - Jackie Robinson Parkway
- LGA - Laguardia Airport
- LIE / 495 - the Long Island Expressway
- MDE / Deegan / 87 – Major Deegan Expressway, also know as the Thruway or I-87
- MSP - Meadowbrook State Parkway in Long Island
- MT Tunn - Midtown Tunnel
- NJTP - NJ Turnpike, also known as I-95
- NSP - Northern State Parkway in Long Island - turns into the GCP once you hit queens
- OBC / 440 – OuterBridge Crossing
- OP - Ocean Parkway
- Pal - Palisades Parkway
- QB bridge- Queensborogh Bridge
- RFK - RFK or Triborough Bridge (It’s the same thing)
- RMP – Robert Moses Parkway. You only need this if you are going to the beach
- SAG - Sagtikos Parkway
- SMP / Saw Mill - The Saw Mill River Parkway
- Sprain / SBP - the SprainBrook Parkway
- SSP – Southern State Parkway, turns into the Belt in Queens
- TNB - Throgs Neck Bridge
- TZB /Tapp - The Tappan-Zee Bridge
- VNB – Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
- WSB - Whitestone Bridge
- WSH – West Side Highway spans the east side of Manhattan
- WSP- Wantagh State Parkway
