Webster Avenue

History

Webster Avenue was surveyed after the Civil War and lengthened in 1879 and 1882. According to the History in Asphalt book published by The Bronx County Historical Society, it is likely that the street was named after Department of Public Works engineer Albert L. Webster and/or surveyor Joseph O. B. Webster, who were both involved with the project to lengthen the street in the nineteenth century.

Route description

Webster Avenue, which is wide for most of its length, begins as a continuation of Melrose Avenue in Melrose. It begins in a northward direction, parallelling the Metro-North railroad tracks and Brook Avenue. After about 0.2 mi, East 167th Street intersects Webster Avenue and changes from a two-way road to one-way going westward. At Claremont Parkway, the still parallel Brook Avenue comes to an end, and Webster Avenue continues north. At 1.2 mi, the Cross Bronx Expressway passes over Webster Avenue. East Tremont Avenue (East 177th Street) intersects it soon afterward, in the eastern section of Tremont. Most of the southern half of Webster Avenue is concurrent with US 1.

Webster Avenue continues northerly by entering the eastern portion of the Fordham neighborhood. In Fordham, it forms a large intersection at Fordham Plaza with Decatur Avenue, East Fordham Road, and Third Avenue, across the street from Fordham University's Rose Hill campus. Decatur Avenue then parallels Webster Avenue on its west side as both roads continue north. Bedford Park Boulevard (East 200th Street) then intersects Webster Avenue in Bedford Park as it heads further north towards Woodlawn. Soon after the intersection with Bedford Park Boulevard (East 200th Street), Mosholu Parkway crosses over Webster Avenue, and then Gun Hill Road intersects it. Webster Avenue then intersects with East 233rd Street and the Bronx River Parkway in Woodlawn, before becoming Bronx River Road as it enters Westchester County.

Transportation

The Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line has several stations along Webster Avenue: Fordham station at Fordham Road; Botanical Garden station at Bedford Park Boulevard; and Williams Bridge station at Gun Hill Road. Additionally, the New York City Subway’s IRT Jerome Avenue Line (), IND Concourse Line (), and IRT White Plains Road Line (), serve the avenue.

The following New York City Bus routes serve Webster:

• The are the main buses, serving it south of East Gun Hill Road.
• The River Park Towers-bound run from East 180th Street to East 178th Street.
• The runs between East 167th and East 168th Streets.
• The serves the avenue north of East 233rd Street.

Incidents

On March 29, 1936, a trolley on Webster Avenue crashed into a new automobile at 209th Street. The crash hurt 20 people, 12 of whom were rushed to Fordham Hospital.

Major intersections

References

References

1. {{google maps. link
2. McNamara, John. (1991). "History in Asphalt: The Origin of Bronx Street and Place Names". The Bronx County Historical Society.
3. (2007). "IRT Jerome Avenue Line". NYCSubway.org.
4. (2007). "IND Concourse Line". NYCSubway.org.
5. (2007). "IRT White Plains Line". NYCSubway.org.
6. {{Cite NYC bus map. Bx
7. . (March 26, 1936). ["20 Hurt in Crash of Bronx Trolley; Webster Av. Car and an Auto Are Telescoped by Rear-End Collision at 209th St. - 12 Rushed to Hospital - Driver Says He Halted Suddenly in Path of Trolley to Avoid Hitting a Truck"](https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0C14FE3A5F167B93CBAB1788D85F428385F9). *The New York Times*.