When it was completed, it stretched from Queens into Suffolk County -- the first reinforced-concrete, high-speed, limited-access highway ever built in the United States.Motor Parkway ready for its 100th anniversary
This month, the Long Island Motor Parkway, a pioneering marvel that was part racecourse, part toll road, part playground for the rich and famous and even part driveway for one of the richest men in the world, celebrates its 100th anniversary.
The parkway was the first automobile toll road in America when it opened on Oct. 10, 1908. It was used for the famed Vanderbilt Cup races -- and served as a winding, high-speed path that allowed William K. Vanderbilt, a daredevil millionaire playboy, the ability to easily access his vacation home in Lake Ronkonkoma.
The parkway was the first automobile toll road in America when it opened on Oct. 10, 1908. It was used for the famed Vanderbilt Cup races -- and served as a winding, high-speed path that allowed William K. Vanderbilt, a daredevil millionaire playboy, the ability to easily access his vacation home in Lake Ronkonkoma.
The road also kicked open the door for other builders -- proving that the future of Long Island was in mechanized transportation: the automobile.
5 comments:
Some portions of this road exist in Queens today,including the overpass at 73 ave.
if crappy was around in 1908 he'd be railing against this as a boondoggle for the rich and over development.
In 1908, quality architecture was being built, and Queens didn't look like a third world shithole. So no, I wouldn't be.
We can honor the memory of Motor Parkway by having an annual race for speed demons on the LIE from Riverhead to the Midtown Tunnel.
To avoid tying up traffic, it could be held on Christmas or New Years morning.
A race on this famous highway to the most famous city on the planet could be an economic boost for the region, which still lacks its own NASCAR track.
panzer65 said...
Some portions of this road exist in Queens today,including the overpass at 73 ave.
...As well as the bridges at Bell and Springfield Boulevards.
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