|leftThe western part of the street runs diagonally between the neighborhoods of
Manhattanville and
Morningside Heights from the northwest from the
West Harlem Piers and an interchange with the
Henry Hudson Parkway at
130th Street. East of Morningside Avenue it runs east–west through central Harlem to
Second Avenue, where a ramp connects it to the
Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) Bridge. However, 125th Street continues to
First Avenue, where it connects to the southbound
FDR Drive and the
Willis Avenue Bridge. West of Convent Avenue, 125th Street was rerouted onto what was, prior to 1920, called Manhattan Street. What remains of the original alignment of 125th Street was renamed La Salle Street at that time. The remaining blocks run between
Amsterdam Avenue and
Claremont Avenue.
The New York Times lamented the name changes, noting that the new names had "somewhat doubtful nomenclature", and that the City's "Aldermen like French names" but gave no rationale for the moves otherwise. A block of the original 125th Street in this area was de-mapped to make the super-blocks where the
Grant Houses projects now exist. A proposal to convert the street into a Trans-Harlem Expressway died when funds were diverted from the proposed
125th Street Hudson River bridge at the street's western end. Beginning in the late 1990s, many sections of 125th Street have been
gentrified and developed with such stores as
MAC Cosmetics,
Old Navy,
H&M,
CVS/pharmacy, and
Magic Johnson Theaters. In collaboration with the community, the city has developed a plan for the 125th Street corridor focusing on reinforcing and building upon its strengths as an arts and cultural corridor. ==Fault line==