Would this still be a good NYC to Boston Route?
 

We will be moving our daughter from Brooklyn to Cambridge, MA next Thursday in the late morning. Many years ago, we were given this route for the same drive, and really enjoyed the route. We're not in any hurry, so the extra time to avoid 95N is not an issue

I haven't seen QC post in years, but can anyone else tell me if these roads are still a good scenic way to go? We'll be driving one of U-Haul's tiny moving trucks, but the U-haul people said the parkways allow small trucks, just not the big ones.
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QC on Feb 27, 06 at 12:40pm

A good, fast route from NYC to Boston is:

1. Take the West Side Hwy (Rte. 9A) northbound. You will cross the Henry Hudson Bridge (toll).

2. Continue north on 9A. It will change names and become the Saw Mill Parkway.

3. Switch to the Cross County Parkway going East.

4. Then follow signs for the Hutchinson River Parkway North.

5. Continue on the Hutchinson (Hutch).

6. The Hutch will become Rte. 15, the Merritt Parkway.

7. Continue on the Merritt across Connecticut.

8. The Merritt will change names one last time, to the Wilbur Cross Parkway.

9. Take the Wilbur Cross to the very end, where it intersects with I-91.

10. Take I-91 North to Hartford, CT.

11. At Hartford, switch to I-84 East.

12. Take I-84 all the way, until it ends and intersects with I-90, the Mass Pike (toll road).

13. Take I-90 east until you hit Boston.

Should take about three to 3.5 hours.

Oh, we'll be leaving from the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, not the UWS this time, so Google says this is the way to get to the Hutch Pky:

1. Head east on Metropolitan Av toward Woodward Ave

2. Slight left onto Flushing Ave

3. Continue onto Grand Ave

4. Slight right onto Queens Midtown Expy

5. Slight left onto I-495 E/L I Expy ramp to Eastern LI

6. Keep left at the fork, follow signs for Interstate 495 E/Eastern Long Is/Riverhead and merge onto I-495 E

7. Take exit 22A-E toward Interstate 678/Grand Central Parkway/Van Wyck Expwy

8. Keep left at the fork, follow signs for I-495 E/Long Island/Van Wyck Expy

9. Continue toward I-678 N/Van Wyck Expy

10. Keep right at the fork, follow signs for I-678 N/Van Wyck Expy/Whitestone Bridge and merge onto I-678 N/Van Wyck Expy
Continue to follow I-678 N

11. Continue onto Hutchinson River Pkwy N

Living in Hawaii means we don't get a lot of practice on big expressways and find them pretty intimidating!

It is still a good way, at least the parts with which I am familiar, which is everything north of the GW Bridge.

But if you are driving a truck, there are truck restrictions on the parkways and on Storrow Drive and Memorial Drive in Boston-Cambridge when you get off the MassPike. One of the classic Boston news stories is the U-Haul stuck under the bridge.

Otherwise, just watch the weather. The Connecticut parkways don't get much sun, so the surface may be icier than on I-95 or 91 after bad weather.

Boston traffic information is on 1030 AM on the 3's.

Do measure the height of the truck you are given and be sure not to put anything on the roof. Part of the reason the parkways have truck restrictions is that the bridges are much lower than on the interstates and at least a couple of times a year, someone gets stuck when they can't go through, causing massive traffic jams and fines.

These are the rules for CT

The following are prohibited from entry upon and use of the highway right-of-way of those limited access state highways designated as parkways:

(a) commercial motor vehicles;

(b) trailers; of any kind

(c) all towed vehicles except as provided in Section 14-298-240;

(d) buses;

(e) hearses when part of a procession or cortege;

(f) vehicles bearing other than passenger, camper, taxicab, vanpool or hearse registrations and those vehicles bearing combination registrations which have a gross weight in excess of seventy-five hundred pounds;

(g) vehicles whose dimensions, including any load, exceed one of the following:

length – twenty-four feet
width - seven feet, six inches
height – eight feet

Permits may be requested by writing to: Executive Director, Office of the State Traffic Administration at 2800 Berlin Turnpike, P.O. Drawer 317546, Newington, CT 06131-7546.

The U-haul folks are full of BS. Call up the CT and NYS police if you want a real answer. Tiny or not, the uhaul is still a commercial vehicle/truck.

Commercial vehicles/trucks are not permitted on CT or NYS parkways - eg the Merrit or the Hutch.

After you cross the Whitestone Br you'll need to get onto I95.

No Uhauls are allowed on the parkway. Saw a small one backing up with a cop escort last summer.

Yes, the size of the truck is not the issue. You cannot drive a commercial truck (even the smallest U-Haul) on a parkway at all. You must take I-95. There's no other choice.

Besides, going all the way to the west side of Manhattan is actually a terrible idea. With a U-Haul you also cannot go onto the Henry Hudson Parkway or the FDR Drive. If you come through Manhattan, you'll have to go through city streets, which will add a huge amount of time to your trip.

The one thing you must research is whether or not a Uhaul van is even allowed on a parkway (if that's what you are using). When it has a sign, then I think it's considered a commercial vehicle.

A good alternate route, once your on I-95, would be to take Route 8 North in Bridgeport, I think exit 27A. Follow this to I-84 in Waterbury. 84 runs through Hartford and joins the Mass Pike (90).

My numbers may be off ( I've been out of the area awhile now) but 87N to 287 E (White Plains area) to 684 N to 84E (in Danbury), then to Mass pike. Those roads will be clean and cleared first, should there be any snow.

As others have said, no UHauls on parkways, ever.

I think Debit has it right, when you consider the ban on trucks. You'd want to time your trip so that you don't hit the Hartford area at rush hour.

Not that familiar with the Brooklyn/NY area, so I can't help with the best way to get to 87N.

I agree with DebitNM and Vincenzo. I wouldn't like driving a uhaul on the Hutch/Merritt in the winter regardless of the rules. 684 to 84 is a fine alternative. And likely less trafficky than I95.

Don't risk taking any UHaul on the parkways, even if it fits under the bridges you could be fined.

Your google directions to the Whitestone Bridge are correct. Once you are north of the bridge you'll need to avoid the Hutch (as it is a parkway) so get on I-95 but then take I-287 over to I-684 and then take that north to I-84. It's not really any longer than I-95 and a much more pleasant road, yet it's an interstate and not a parkway so no worries about the UHaul.

Allow four hours how ever you go.

Welcome to Cambridge, daughter of lcuy!

U Haul is wrong.

The parkways do NOT allow trucks of any sort - and the fines can be significant. You also cannot have anything in tow - like a fold-up camper or a small boat or ?

If it's a truck - rather than just a large SUV - you need to stay off the parkways and stick with truck routes.

Take DebitNM's route. Parkways are not an option and it will be an easier drive.

When you get to Boston area you can not take a U-Haul of any size (except a van) on either Storrow Drive or Memorial Drive. The top will get chopped off by overpasses - which are quite low - and they are specifically banned. There are daily traffic jams in late summer when students are returning, since every day someone gets their U-Haul in trouble and must be backed off the roadway.

Virtually every mapping program will send you on one or both of these roads to most areas of Cambridge. You will have to do an advanced search to find a route to your specific destination.

Rental truck insurance coverage generally excludes overhead damage.

Can you rent a U-Haul van instead of a small truck?

Even UHaul vans are not allowed on the Parkways as they have Commercial plates. I agree they would work better once in Boston but does not help avoid 95 or 84.

As far as main highway route it will indeed be I-91 and then I-84 and then I-90 into Boston area. But some posters have raised some pertinent questions regarding U-hauls on parkways and driving in Cambridge which is dicey (we live next door in Watertown). You surely will need further study regarding U-Haul vans on parkways.

Sorry, no further study of commercial vans on parkways in NY and CT needed - illegal, plain and simple.