Queens’ century-old Vanderbilt Motorway is getting a makeover

A jogger runs along the historic Vanderbilt Motor Parkway. Photo via nyc.gov

By David Brand

The first road in America built specifically for cars is getting a makeover, with construction underway on a fresh surface along the Queens stretch of the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway.

Once used to shuttle wealthy New Yorkers to their Gold Coast getaways, the historic roadway closed to cars in 1938 and reopened as a public bike path. A section linking Cunningham Park with Alley Pond Park has remained a popular recreation spot for generations, but has fallen into disrepair over the past few decades.

The $5 million city-funded renovation will provide better and safer space for the cyclists, skaters and joggers who have taken over the concrete strip, said local Councilmember Barry Grodenchik.

 “This iconic throughway and historic treasure will now get the attention that it needs, and the residents of Eastern Queens are the beneficiaries,” Grodenchik said.

 The project includes a complete repaving and a partial widening of the roadway. The city will also fix drainage issues. The first portion of the plan will focus on the area between Winchester Boulevard to Springfield Boulevard and is expected to take roughly a year to complete. 

The roadway was financed by a race car-driving member of the uber-rich Vanderbilt family to provide an unimpeded path to Suffolk County starting in 1908. For the next 30 years, jalopies traversed the 42 miles between northeast Queens and Riverhead — a key route for Prohibition-era bootleggers — until the state seized the road during a highway boom initiated by Robert Moses. 

 Parts of the old parkway are used for recreational purposes, while other pieces make up contemporary roadways on Long Island.

Joby Jacob, a transit activist and founder of Motor Parkway East, praised the plan to renovate the road, also known as the Long Island Motor Parkway. His organization ultimately hopes to refurbish other parts of the path in Northeast Queens, too. 

“During this pandemic, it has become clear that the Long Island Motor Parkway is an essential corridor for Queens residents,” Jacob said. “We look forward to walking, running, and biking on a rebuilt trail and hope it builds support for our efforts to reconnect the Long Island Motor Parkway with the rest of Long Island.”