Discussion: Staten Island

The Regional Planning Association's Plans for New York City Freeways (Source: NYCRoads, Regional Planning Association)

Staten Island's Highway system was designed with slightly less than the other boroughs, but it still had a lot of incomplete segments. The Staten Island Expressway and the West Shore Expressway were the only ones completed to their original design with the Willowbrook Parkway (Now the MLK Expressway) and Richmond (Korean Veterans Memorial) Parkway being incomplete. 

Richmond (Korean War Veterans) Parkway and Willowbrook Parkway (Martin Luther King Expressway)

Martin Luther King Jr Expressway near Bayonne Bridge (Source: Google)

Richmond (Korean War Veterans) Parkway on NYCRoads

Willowbrook Parkway (Martin Luther King Expressway) on NYCRoads

The Richmond Parkway was designed to connect the Outerbridge Crossing with the Verrazano Bridge providing another link for drivers. Opposition killed the project along with the extended Willowbrook Parkway, which would have connected the Bayonne Bridge with Shore Front Drive.

The Proposal I had thought of would connect the two highways, while no longer a second option for travelers using the Staten Island Expressway, it would serve as a second option to travelers using the West Shore Expressway.

Richmond Parkway near Arden Avenue (Source: Google)

South of the Staten Island Expressway, this hypothetical highway would be a tunneled segment before veering onto Richmond Avenue, where it would become a depressed/cut and covered freeway, with Richmond Avenue reimagined as two lane street, with a bus line and vegetation in the middle. 

The road would then veer off near Drumgoole Road to connect with the Korean Parkway. 

could this be done ? Realistically, No. Richmond Avenue is a well-traveled road and any work done would cripple it, and the Willowbrook Park is apart of the Staten Island Greenway, which would cause environmental problems.

West Shore Expressway/Raritan Bay Crossing 

West Shore Expressway near Exit 4 (Source: Google)

West Shore Expressway on NYCRoads 

Raritan Bay Crossing on NYCRoads

The West Shore Expressway was the last freeway built in New York City (unless you count the JFK Expresway). The Roadway remains a vital freeway connecting the Staten Island Expressway with the Outerbridge Crossing. 

Early on, there were plans to build a crossing connecting Staten Island with Central Jersey along with the Raritan Bay. This Crossing never made it past planning stage and only a stub remained, which became a park and ride, which was built so well, you can't even tell it was a stub (take notes Baltimore).

I looked at plans to build this crossing, and fiddled with a Bridge-Tunnel Proposal. Staten Island Approaches Tunneled with the Bridge connecting with the Garden State Parkway, but determined this was unfeasible, due to community opposition which would kill this project. 

As Part of my I-87 Proposal, the West Shore Expressway would be upgraded to I-187, as I-287 would be extended to the Outerbridge Crossing, with I-187 ending where I-287 starts (toll booth).