First Avenue (Manhattan)

First Avenue

First Avenue at Lenox Hill on the Upper East Side, looking north from the Roosevelt Island Tramway
Owner	City of New York
Maintained by	NYCDOT
Length	6.3 mi (10.1 km)
Location	Manhattan, New York City
South end	Houston / Allen Streets in Lower East Side
Major junctions	FDR Drive / Willis Avenue Bridge in East Harlem
North end	East 126th Street in East Harlem
East	Avenue A (between Houston St and 14th St) FDR Dr (between 14th and 53rd St) Sutton Place (between 53rd and 59th St) York Avenue (59th St to 90th St) Pleasant Avenue (between 114th to 120th St)
West	Second Avenue
Construction
Commissioned	March 1811

Route map: Bing / Google

First Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan, running from Houston Street northbound for over 125 blocks before terminating at the Willis Avenue Bridge into The Bronx at the Harlem River near East 126th Street. South of Houston Street, the roadway continues as Allen Street south to Division Street. Traffic on First Avenue runs northbound (uptown) only.

Like most of Manhattan's major north-south Avenues, First Avenue was proposed as part of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 for Manhattan, which designated 12 broad north-south Avenues running the length of the island. The southern portions of the Avenue were cut and laid out shortly after the plan was adopted. The northern sections of the Avenue would be graded and cut through at various intervals throughout the 19th century as the northward development of the island demanded.

The IRT Second Avenue Line ran above First Avenue from Houston Street to 23rd Street before turning left at 23rd and then right onto Second Avenue. This elevated line was torn down in 1942.

First Avenue has carried one-way traffic since June 4, 1951.

A protected bike lane was established along the left side of the avenue south of 50th Street in 2011.