Vanderbilt Parkway:
The Vanderbilt Parkway, the first superhighway in the nation, stretching from Queens to Lake Ronkonkoma, would be celebrating its centennial this year, if in fact it still existed.
The Parkway, built by William Vanderbilt, Jr. around the turn of the 20th century, was originally designed as a raceway for the “Vanderbilt Cup,” a race of his own device. Since it was too dangerous to race cars down the winding, elbow-cornered streets of Queens, the Parkway was built on overpasses and bridges, allowing for banked turns and curve-hugging inclines.
When street racing was prohibited by New York State in 1910 because of numerous spectator injuries, the Parkway shifted full-time to its backup purpose-as a toll road for Long Islanders driving to the City.
With the advent of Robert Moses’ Northern State Parkway, the toll road became obsolete, and fell into disuse. It enjoyed a brief renaissance as a bike and footpath, only to fall again into obscurity.
–Matt Hampton
