I used to drive the original elevated West Side Hwy from the mid 1960's to the early 1970's. If you could drive the entire length down to the Battery in the rain over some of the cobblestone sections AND survive you could consider yourself a DRIVER.

I think it’s great you made this video… I’m not from New York City, but I’m obsessed with its geography and it’s layout and it’s roadways, and I have been most of my life… These type of videos are so informative and really give me a look back at the historyof New York City geography

I own several pieces of cast iron from the highway, back in the mid/late 70s I used to go up there and unbolt the pieces of decorative iron and bring them home. Contrary to thoughts by some, all of the decorative artwork used on the highway's exterior and ramp walls were designed by noted sculptor Rene Chambellan around 1928, I have pictures his grandson sent me showing his grandfather Rene with some of the plaster studio models that were used. I also own a ground breaking ceremony events booklet from 1929 that advertised it was to be held at Canal St. That elevated structure was solidly built, the small iron pieces I have weigh about 70# each, but two pieces I had were 500# each, the city neglected painting and then used lots of rock salt, hard to imagine that after only about 45 years the thing was corroded so bad it was unsafe and then a section fell in. As for why it was designed the way it was, remember- it was designed in the mid 1920s and built, they didn't have the kinds of vehicles or the like that we do now, they still had those "Model T" type cars, and most didn't have safety glass like all do today, they also didnt drive 75 mph- the model T's top speed was 40-45 mph A 1930 construction film might be of interest kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ibJ_iqp_uK7ad5s.html

Interestingly, there's still a small unused stub of the original highway by W72 St. with two of the original cast iron lampposts still intact (one is missing the lamps). I have no idea why they 'saved' this small section when they rebuilt the entire section south of W72 St. in the 1980s... You can see it on Bing Maps Birds Eye view: Any more pics of the old highway?

I remember the Miller Highway and it seemed to be something designed for the skinny lightweight slow vehicles and traffic patterns of the1920s, dangerously obsolete for decades before it was closed. Between the Belgian Block paving, abrupt angular curves and ill-designed left lane entrance/exit ramps, the whole thing should have been replaced in the 60s with a proper expressway as Moses' last useful hurrah.

I remember the Miller Highway and the elevated West Side Highway when I was a kid and teenager. I remember 12th Ave was all cobblestone too. I remeber the Pier concert space right next to the Circle Line too, around '83-84. It is stunning how Manhattan has changed over the years...especially seeing your shots of the roads back in the early 80's.

Heyyy crazy New York driver what’s happening bro! Good to see you’re still around. I’m thinking you moved to Jersey by thumbing through your videos. Funny, I fell in love with my city after living in LA for 3 years. I kissed the ground at JFK when I got back and told the cab driver to turn on 1010 wins. I was back! Before I left I didn’t even care about all the stuff we have in NYC. You know how we are. Then I fell in love with every brick. I never realized that there was no other place in the world like my NY. Years back I watched this video. At the end the WSH was like death race 2000. I’d be praying in the back of the cab. Thanks brother! You’re a good man with a good NY heart.

Used to drive beneath the west side highway too between the 20’s and 30’s streets and further downtown.

This is great! As a cab driver I often drive on “west st” and imagine what the highway must have looked like .

IM FROM CALIFORNIA, THIS IS REALLY COOL 👍🏻

Great clip Crazee, brought back so many memories of riding the W S H, any photos of the Yale truck in the east side of the hiway around mid-twon. At night the wheels would've have sequential lights circling the tires...

Great video man. I never even knew about the elevated west side highway as I was born in 1989.

Another great video. I love the historical updates that you do, Joe. Thanks for posting. Cameo

WOW! that's crazy! man, that is sooo bad how they let the highways go back then. Glad they fixed everything up now. Great pictures & video! :-) -Greg.

Great job, I always had a fascination with NYC highways and roads. As a 70's kid, I remember traveling on the West Side Hwy and always thought the exits and entrances were dangerous, especially at night. But very cool looking to a little kid. Good foresight in taking the pics, awesome car you had on the WSH.

Awesome video! Thanks for making it...I wasn't even alive when the original was condemned so this is a nice trip back in history.

Wow this is pretty cool stuff, it was also right around 1982 that they began tearing down the downtown sections of this highway over West St. that had been closed since many years before. I remember the pink or purplish-painted arch bridge that carried this highway over Canal Street at West St. I used to ask my dad to take me to the rubble piles where the highway was being dismantled so that I could pull out bolts and twisted pieces of rebar as “souvenirs”

3:08 I see railroad tracks on the far left, man, the west side of Manhattan had a LOT of tracks, for a lot of yards, back then.

Smooth as silk no more!

I love your Pontiac shown in the beginning of your video.

Thanks for uploading video.

Back in the late 60s' to early 70s' my mom and I would drive down the Elevated West Side hyway to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to visit friends in Far Rockaway.

Cool stuff you're showing here...appreciate the effort. Old West Side Hwy resembles the Pulaski Skyway today with those odd left lane on/off ramps. While it's nicely landscaped and all, I think they could've done a better job of today's WSH as a decent means of conveyance. The timing of the lights (if you're doing the 35MPH posted speed) stinks even when there's little traffic.

THANKS man and i miss your accent..i grew up in suffern ny but live in North Dakota now...very informative vid

I remember the west side highway the elevated highway stopped at west 57 th street you had to travel under the elevated highway it did back in the day was real good to have a elevated highway you go down the Henry Hudson parkway past the gwb george washington bridge southbound to downtown Manhattan .

Great video. I wasn't driving in the city at that time, old enough but not crazy enough to try. Subway was my method of transportation. I remember when they condemned the West Side Highway Elevated portion and wanted to build Westway but could not get the Army Corps of Engineers to approve it due to some fish breeding grounds they would have upset. I also remember the abandoned elevated portion before they tore it all down. The current West Side Highway south of 59th is a NIGHTMARE to drive. I think it's just due to all the Uber cars on the streets now. Never has there been so much traffic in Manhattan. I could do 70 MPH on my bike in the late 80s from Houston to 23rd. I don't know if they increased the traffic lights or just changed the timing but there's no going over 35 MPH anymore. Broadway was another street I could do 50 MPH from 52nd to 17th St. The lights were actually timed to hit EVERY green light if you did 50 MPH. I'd pick my GF up from work at Roseland and head down to our apt on Rivington...1989-1990.

There are some shots of the Harlem River Drive in there at around 5 mins or so...

oh wow. Memories!

Wow... I sure remember how it use to look back then.

You should definitely upload some of these images to the Wikipedia article on their respective highway, and see if there is any interest from any of the NYC museums on getting copies - even digital ones - of these photos.

Its not a coincidence that this pops up after watching that scene in louie.

The wastside highway took decades to build as it was bult in stages. Its name was The Miller HIghway, the highline was built as its twin. Except for the last section that was completed all the way downtown in 1951, all of the highway obsolete. .

Interestingly, the overloaded dump truck that was blamed for the collapse was from Edenwald Construction, which my Dad worked for as an engineer (though not at the time). Despite being blamed for it, however, they were given a no-bid contract to clean up the collapse, too.

Was the West Side Highway consider the first freeway/parkway in America.. This was like the more antique verson of the FDR.

Hi, i was wondering if you had more pictures of when the highway was being worked on, i mean of machines and backhoes andd stuff? if so could you post them? Thanks either way, love your videos!

I remember all the bumps and potholes.

You know, I wonder something (off-topic to the old West Side Highway) ... the west side was littered with rail yards for a long time, before a lot of them were torn up, and the spaces built over. A long while back, I saw a video where an urban explorer went into the tunnel used by Amtrak, and one part of it you see him interviewing a person living underground, who was sleeping on a piece of track that is not part of the Amtrak west side line, but looked like it could have been one of the old yards. This has me wondering... how much track from the old NY Central rail yards do you suppose is still there, under the buildings, in whatever cavernous areas were created under the buildings built between the 80s and the present day?

Interesting!, but I came here looking for a recording of "West Side Highway" by Stanley Turrentine.

Great vid bro. what car were you driving? is there a story on her.

At 3:24 I believe that’s where in 1983 the Yankees shortstop Andre Roberson flipped over his car I got in a terrible crash and his career was never the same. It’s my guess

They used to build things BETTER. Corny but true. Hey, people should NOT crash into lamp posts. MAKE THEM SOLID! I don't care how well the highways are made today. 1860's roads were works of art.

How about a video on how it looks Today?

Do you have pictures of the card that drive through the buiding on westside highway. Not sure if it was the Pan Am building. Which I remember doing in my teen years in 1960s?

I learned about this because a young goldie hon was almost killed on the west side highway before laugh in fame.

I am uploading your West Side Hwy video on the Facebook page called New York City 1950 to Present !!

Were the exit/enter ramps on the left side only in the south bound lane or in both north and south bound lanes?

Almost forgot the exits fort The West SIde HIghway were on the left in part becasue on the right peirs, docks and railroad tracks., so was the Hudson RIver. THere was no room for exits.

thats a good idea, except the new highway is a boring concrete structure. hey btw, someone marked your comment as spam. i unspammed it :-)

@boo70bearjo hi. its up i posted it as a video response herein

They could've at least have turned half of the abandoned West Side Highway viaduct into a park in the sky and have called The West Side Park like they did with The High Line Railroad which is now called The High Line Park. I hated having the see the rest of the abandoned viaduct being torn down. It was looking a best friend or a family member.

Was there a 'lock down' or something? There is hardly any traffic there.