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Jackie Robinson Parkway

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This article is about the parkway. For the park, see Jackie Robinson Park.
Jackie Robinson Parkway marker
Jackie Robinson Parkway
Map
Jackie Robinson Parkway highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NYSDOT
Length4.95 mi[1] (7.97 km)
Existed1935[2]–present
RestrictionsNo commercial vehicles
Major junctions
West endJamaica Avenue / Pennsylvania Avenue / Bushwick Avenue in East New York
East end I-678 / Grand Central Parkway in Kew Gardens
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountiesKings, Queens
Highway system

The Jackie Robinson Parkway is a 4.95-mile (7.97 km) controlled-access parkway in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The western terminus of the parkway is at Jamaica Avenue in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York. It runs through Highland Park, along the north side of Ridgewood Reservoir, and through Forest Park. The eastern terminus is at the Kew Gardens Interchange in Kew Gardens, Queens, where the Jackie Robinson Parkway meets the Grand Central Parkway and Interstate 678 (I-678, the Van Wyck Expressway). It is designated New York State Route 908B (NY 908B), an unsigned reference route. The parkway was officially named the Interboro Parkway until 1997, when it was renamed for trailblazing Major League Baseball player Jackie Robinson.

Route description

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The Jackie Robinson Parkway starts at an intersection with Jamaica, Pennsylvania, and Bushwick Avenues in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York. The next four exits are located within the Cemetery Belt on the border of Queens and Brooklyn.[3]

Exit 1, Highland Boulevard, is a westbound-only exit. The highway enters Queens and passes Mount Judah Cemetery before exit 2 at Vermont Place and Cypress Avenue, which lead to Highland Park and the Hungarian Cemetery. Exit 3, Cypress Hills Street, leads to Cypress Hills Cemetery, where Jackie Robinson is buried. Here the parkway narrows and makes sharp turns. At exit 4, Forest Park Drive, the parkway enters Forest Park. Exit 5 is Myrtle Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard. At exit 6, Metropolitan Avenue, Union Turnpike straddles the parkway, but there is no access to or from Union Turnpike.[3][4]

The parkway and Union Turnpike then exit the Forest Park neighborhood, and go under Queens Boulevard (NY 25). Union Turnpike shares a diamond interchange with Queens Boulevard, but there is no access from the parkway. Exit 7, an eastbound-only exit, goes to the Van Wyck Expressway (I-678) northbound (no access southbound). Exit 8 (eastbound only) is the Grand Central Parkway, where the Jackie Robinson Parkway ends.[3][4]

History

[edit]
Just east of Queens Boulevard, approaching the eastern terminus. Union Turnpike straddles the road here.

Planning

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Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, who designed Prospect Park, had suggested the construction of Eastern Parkway and Ocean Parkway in 1866; the two parkways extended east and south of Prospect Park, respectively.[5][6] Eastern Parkway was completed in the mid-1870s[7] and originally terminated at Ralph Avenue.[8] In the early 1890s, Brooklyn officials proposed extending the parkway northeast to near Cemetery of the Evergreens, Highland Park, and the Ridgewood Reservoir along Brooklyn and Queens' Cemetery Belt.[9][10] Eastern Parkway itself was extended as far as Bushwick Avenue, and another road called Highland Boulevard continued eastward from Bushwick Avenue to Highland Park.[11] Governor Levi P. Morton signed legislation to authorize the parkway's extension in 1896.[12][13] The Eastern Parkway Extension, along with Highland Boulevard, had been completed by 1897.[14][15]

1890s and 1900s plans

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After the consolidation of the City of Greater New York in 1898, there were proposals to extend Eastern Parkway further east to Forest Park in Queens.[16][17] Brooklyn officials suggested a further extension as far east as Dry Harbor Road and then toward Hoffman Boulevard (now Queens Boulevard). An extension of Eastern Parkway following a similar route was suggested in 1899 by the Queens County Topographical Bureau, the extension running through Cypress Hills Cemetery and Forest Park to Dry Harbor Road.[17] By 1901, Brooklyn surveyor Noyes F. Palmer had proposed extending Eastern Parkway another 2 miles (3.2 km) eastward into Forest Park.[18][19] The same year, state legislators proposed amending the Rural Cemetery Act to allow the construction of a road through the Cemetery Belt.[17][19] Though nearby property owners supported the parkway's extension,[20] the cemeteries' owners opposed it.[21][22] Opponents said the roadway would displace about 300 graves and that it would divide the cemeteries,[21] and the Cypress Hills Cemetery Corporation later claimed that the bodies physically could not be removed.[23] The bill passed both houses of the New York State Legislature, only to be vetoed by mayor Robert Anderson Van Wyck.[24]

The legislation for a road through the Cemetery Belt was reintroduced in the state legislature in 1902[24] and in every year thereafter, but it failed to pass for most of the 1900s.[17] Joseph Wagner, who had introduced the bill in the State Senate, proposed investigating the trustees of Cypress Hills Cemetery after the trustees opposed the legislation.[25] When the bill was reintroduced in 1903, the Brooklyn Citizen wrote that the lands to be seized for the parkway were nearly empty;[26] at the time, many local politicians, residents, and civic groups favored the bill.[27] An opposing bill, passed in 1904, prohibited the construction of public roads through any cemetery in New York state unless a supermajority of the cemetery's trustees and lot owners supported the project. This effectively banned any further extension of Eastern Parkway through the Cemetery Belt to Forest Park.[28]

Proponents of Eastern Parkway's extension continued to advocate their case. In 1906, a New York State Assembly member from Queens introduced a bill, which would allow a parkway to be built through Cypress Hills Cemetery with the New York City Board of Aldermen's consent,[29] but it failed by a two-vote margin.[30] A similar bill was introduced in the State Senate in 1907;[31] it received less opposition than the previous bills for the road had.[32] The legislation for the Cemetery Belt road was finally passed in 1908, but no funds were allocated to the project.[17] Supporters of the project said that the parkway's construction would not entail disturbing any graves at Cypress Hills Cemetery, since the parkway would traverse the cemetery on three viaducts.[33]

1910s and 1920s plans

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As the presence of motor vehicles was increasing, by July 1923, local civic associations were pressuring the government to build the road. New York City's Board of Estimate proposed to construct the road if local residents financed the construction, to no avail.[17]

In order to exploit a "condition of approval" with the Cypress Hills Cemetery expiring on January 1, 1928, New York City authorities began expediting plans for the parkway in March 1927. The trustees of the cemetery approved the city's acquisition of land for the parkway on the condition that "physical improvement of the road be started" prior to January 1, 1928. The Board of Estimate convened on March 24, 1927 to discuss the cost estimates for the parkway, including land acquisition and grave removal. Several civic associations from Glendale and Ridgewood suggested the cost of parkway construction be split - 45% of the cost would be covered by New York City, 35% would be covered by Brooklyn, 15% by Queens and finally 5% by residents living south of the parkway. This proposal would have exempted Ridgewood and Glendale, neighborhoods north of the parkway, from paying for the parkway construction. The planned parkway would serve as an extension of Eastern Parkway from its terminus in Brooklyn, running through Highland Park toward the Ridgewood Reservoir. From the Ridgewood Reservoir, the parkway would cross Cypress Hills Street into Cypress Hills Cemetery. The parkway would "pass through the cemetery just south of the boundary" with Mount Carmel Cemetery and enter Forest Park, where the New York City Parks Department would construct a "driveway several hundred feet long from the end of the parkway" to connect with an existing road in Forest Park. The estimated costs for this planned parkway was projected at $3.5 million.[17]

Construction

[edit]

In July 1928, New York City was "granted authority to acquire the land for the roadbed by condemnation" along the eastern section of Highland Park toward Forest Park.[17] However, it was announced in August 1928 that construction commencement on the parkway was delayed "until July or August 1929" due to an issue "routing the road" through the Cypress Hills and Mount Carmel cemeteries while disturbing as few graves as possible. Announced in November 1929, another delay on parkway construction occurred, this time between Cypress Hills Street and Forest Park. The issue surrounding the delay revolved around legal dispute between city authorities and Cypress Hills Cemetery, where New York mayor James J. Walker wanted to "avoid a law suit [sic] over the removal of several hundred bodies" that laid along the path of the projected parkway.[34]

In December 1930, New York State offered to construct the parkway "at their expense" should New York City "agree to acquire a minimum width of 190 feet" for the parkway, rather than the initially planned 150 feet set by the city. The state's offer was ignored due to both its tentative nature and that it would force city officials to reopen "condemnation proceedings" in order to acquire an additional 40 feet of road width along the entire course of the parkway.[34]

On January 2, 1931, city officials announced that the Interboro Parkway would parallel Cypress Avenue to the north, running "along the north side" of the Ridgewood Reservoir to Cypress Hills Street. Cypress Avenue would, as a result, be paved from Cooper Avenue to the Interboro Parkway. Grave exhumation and reburial was required before construction of this section of the highway could begin, and costs were estimated at $675,000.[34]

City officials declared in June 1933 that the Interboro Parkway from Highland Park to Forest Park cost $1.978 million. This cost was split as follows: $959,330 (48%) by New York City, $296,700 (15%) by Brooklyn and Queens each, and $29,670 (1.5%) by the Cypress Hills and Mount Carmel cemeteries.[34]

In the meantime, an extension of the parkway was being constructed from Forest Park toward Metropolitan Avenue and terminating at the Grand Central Parkway, at the present-day Kew Gardens Interchange. The Interboro Parkway was scheduled to open for traffic on November 1, 1934. However, in late December 1933, plans for the parkway were revised; the western terminus of the parkway would be moved to its present-day location at the intersection of Highland Boulevard and Bushwick Avenue. Under this plan, an additional mile of road was to be constructed, requiring the condemnation of 7.5 acres of land from the Cemetery of the Evergreens. This tract of land did not require grave removals as was the case with Cypress Hills and Mount Carmel cemeteries.[34]

Opening

[edit]

The Interboro Parkway opened to traffic in July 1935.[35] However, it remained unfinished until the completion of the Highland Boulevard-Bushwick Avenue extension in September 1935.[34]

Issues with the parkway designed plagued its usefulness, as declared by the New York City Planning Department in 1941. One issue was the presence of "bad curves" at two sections of the parkway. These curves, as viewed by the department, were a "serious hazard" to drivers, but rectifying the problem would prove difficult due to the parkway's location through cemeteries. Furthermore, the department criticized a lack of highway connections at the parkway's western terminus in Brooklyn. The department suggested that the proposed Cross Brooklyn Express Highway would connect to the Interboro Parkway, rectifying this problem.[36] However, the proposed Cross Brooklyn Express Highway was never constructed as it was cancelled by New York City mayor John Lindsay in 1969.[37]

Later history

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1960s and 1970s

[edit]

An extension to Jamaica Bay was proposed in 1963. This extension, proposed by Robert Moses, would run 3.4 miles through southern Brooklyn, specifically East New York, New Lots and Starrett City. Pennsylvania Avenue was presumed to serve as a service road for the extended parkway. Construction cost was estimated at $30 million and scheduled for completion in 1976. However, the extension was cancelled in the late 1960s.[36]

On September 12, 1972, Transportation Administrator Constantine Sidamon-Eristoff announced that the New York City Board of Estimate approved a contract for the design of a $1,472,000 project to improve safety on the dangerous 3,700 feet (1,100 m)-long curved section of the roadway between Cypress Hills Street and Forest Park Drive. Work was expected to begin in summer 1973. The project would realign the roadway where possible to ease S-curves, resurface pavement, install water-filled plastic buffers at accident-prone locations, create spaces along the road for disabled vehicles, and replace 16-inch high barriers in the median of the roadway with three-foot tall concrete barriers. Engineers would also look into the feasibility of widening the roadway, though the retaining walls for cemeteries abutting both sides of the S-curve section posed a challenge to doing so.[38]

The city was also in the process of applying for federal funds for an overall project to modernize the roadway along its entire length, which was expected to cost between $60 million and $75 million. Additional safety hazards on the roadway included many small-radius curves, inadequate median separation barriers, and exits and entrances without acceleration or deceleration lanes. Simon-Eristoff also said that he wanted the roadway to be incorporated into either the federal highway or state arterial systems, which would require state legislation.[38] This legislation was proposed and signed into law by Governor Malcolm Wilson in May 1973.[39]

On November 4, 1974, the parkway was closed as work began on reconstruction of a 4,100 feet (1,200 m) section of the highway between Cypress Hills Street and Forest Park Drive, where at least ten people were killed and many more were injured in this section over the previous five years. The one-year $1.7 million project would install a reinforced center divider, smooth out asphalt, and bank the S-curves of the roadway. Water-filled plastic containers would be placed at the dangerous westbound exit to Cypress Hills Street to lessen the impact of crashes, and four parking spots would be completed along the roadway with police telephones for stranded drivers. State and city officials estimated it would cost over $70 million to make the entire parkway safe.[39]

Part of the original parkway contract included the construction of a pair of service stations just west of exit 6 (Metropolitan Avenue) in Forest Park. The stone-faced gas stations, which were located along the eastbound and westbound lanes of the parkway, were torn down in the late 1970s.

1980s to present

[edit]

The New York State Department of Transportation began reconstructing parts of the parkway in 1987. Ramps along the parkway were rebuilt, converting the junction with Metropolitan Avenue at Exit 6 from a tight cloverleaf interchange to a four-ramp diamond interchange. The road was rebuilt as well, installing a concrete median and new lighting along the route. Speed limits were decreased at the swerving curve at the Cypress Hills Cemetery and at the curve beneath the Queens Boulevard underpass, problem spots noted earlier in the 1941 report by the New York City Planning Department.[36] The project cost $43.1 million and took place between 1989 and 1991.[40]

In April 1997, mayor Rudy Giuliani announced that the parkway would be renamed in honor of the Brooklyn Dodgers player Jackie Robinson, who had broken the baseball color line fifty years prior.[40][41] In addition to playing for the Dodgers, Robinson resided and owned property in the area along the parkway, and his gravesite is located in Cypress Hills Cemetery.[42] Giuliani and governor George Pataki signed legislation later that month to rename the parkway.[42][43]

A junction at the eastern end of the parkway was placed on the list of New York State's most dangerous roads in 2007, based on accident data from 2004–2006.[44]

Exit list

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BoroughLocationmi[1][4][45]kmExitDestinationsNotes
BrooklynEast New York0.000.00–Jamaica Avenue / Pennsylvania Avenue / Bushwick AvenueWestern terminus; at-grade intersection
0.300.481Highland BoulevardWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
QueensHighland Park0.901.452Cypress Avenue / Vermont Place – Highland Park
Glendale1.422.293Cypress Hills StreetNo westbound entrance
2.10–
2.50		3.38–
4.02		4Forest Park Drive
2.804.515Myrtle Avenue / Union TurnpikeNo westbound exit
Forest Hills–Kew Gardens
line		4.026.476Metropolitan Avenue
4.957.977
 I-678 north (Van Wyck Expressway) – Whitestone Bridge		Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; exit 7 on I-678
5.108.218W
 Grand Central Parkway west – RFK Bridge, LaGuardia Airport		Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; exit 14 on Grand Central Parkway
5.408.698E
 Grand Central Parkway east – Eastern Long Island		Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "2007 Traffic Data Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. July 25, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
  2. ^ Roleke, John. "Jackie Robinson Pkwy (Interboro Pkwy)". About.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c "NYCityMap". NYC.gov. New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Jackie Robinson Parkway" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  5. ^ "Eastern Parkway" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. August 22, 1978. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  6. ^ "Eastern Parkway Highlights". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  7. ^ "Eastern Parkway". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. November 16, 1874. p. 3. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  8. ^ "Brooklyn's Chain of Parkways". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 13, 1896. p. 22. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "The Eastern Parkway". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 10, 1891. p. 19. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Frank Squier". The Standard Union. August 24, 1895. p. 5. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "To Connect the Parks". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 28, 1895. p. 14. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Work on the New Cycle Path". Times Union. May 1, 1896. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Morton Signs Brooklyn Bills". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 9, 1896. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Wheelmen on Parade". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 18, 1897. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Splendid System of Parkways". Times Union. September 9, 1897. p. 8. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Bicycle Roads Being Improved". The Brooklyn Citizen. April 17, 1901. p. 5. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h "Back When The Jackie Robinson Parkway Was Just A Dirt Road". Times Newsweekly. December 28, 2001. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  18. ^ "Plan for Extension of Eastern Parkway". Brooklyn Eagle. February 3, 1901. p. 37. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  19. ^ a b "Bill to Cut a Road Through Cypress Hills Cemetery". Times Union. February 26, 1901. p. 8. Retrieved November 13, 2024; "No Saloon Side Door If This Bill Passes". The Brooklyn Daily Times. February 26, 1901. p. 2. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  20. ^ "Wagner's Parkway Bill". Times Union. March 3, 1901. p. 4. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Eastern Parkway Extension Bill Up Before Committee". Times Union. March 20, 1901. p. 3. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  22. ^ "Cemetery Owners Object to Roadway". Brooklyn Eagle. April 27, 1901. p. 2. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  23. ^ "Bodies in the Road?". The Brooklyn Daily Times. February 21, 1903. p. 4. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Fighting Hard to Lift Eastern Parkway Bill". Times Union. February 19, 1902. p. 12. Retrieved November 14, 2024; "Cypress Hills Drive". The Brooklyn Daily Times. February 19, 1902. p. 12. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  25. ^ "Wagner Wants Inquiry Into Cemetery Affairs". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 26, 1902. p. 1. Retrieved July 26, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Committee to Consider Eastern Parkway Bill". The Brooklyn Citizen. February 25, 1903. p. 4. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  27. ^ "Eastern Parkway Measure Urged by Commissioner Young". Times Union. February 27, 1903. p. 12. Retrieved November 14, 2024; "Cypress Hills Drive". The Brooklyn Daily Times. February 19, 1902. p. 12. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  28. ^ "No Driveway Through Cemetery Is Likely". The Brooklyn Daily Times. April 9, 1904. p. 2. Retrieved November 14, 2024; "Highland Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue Improvements". The Chat. April 16, 1904. p. 12. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  29. ^ "Driveway Through Cypress Hills Cemetery". The Chat. February 24, 1906. p. 1. Retrieved November 14, 2024; "Prohibitory Demands for New York's Water Supply". Brooklyn Eagle. February 16, 1906. p. 5. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  30. ^ "Cypress Hills Owners Sharply Criticized". The Chat. June 9, 1906. p. 1. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  31. ^ "Judge Wilkin Has Bill to Aid Young Criminals". The Brooklyn Citizen. March 1, 1907. p. 7. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  32. ^ "Indications Point to Passage of DeGroot Bill". Brooklyn Eagle. May 21, 1907. p. 23. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  33. ^ "Citizens Inspect Cemetery Road Route". Brooklyn Eagle. January 23, 1908. p. 22. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  34. ^ a b c d e f "Concluding The Story Of The Creation Of The Jackie Robinson Parkway". Times Newsweekly. January 4, 2002. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  35. ^ "OFFICIALS INSPECT NEW CITY HIGHWAY; Park and Bridge Executives See Interborough Parkway, Soon to Be Ready" (PDF). The New York Times. July 12, 1935. ProQuest 101413417. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 17, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  36. ^ a b c "Jackie Robinson Parkway - Historic Overview". NYCRoads.com. Eastern Roads. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  37. ^ Roberts, Sam (October 7, 1985). "The Legacy of Westway: Lessons from Its Demise". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  38. ^ a b "City to Straighten Out the Interboro". New York Daily News. September 13, 1972. Retrieved November 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ a b Collins, Thomas (November 4, 1974). "Into Valley of Death Rides the Pave Men". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ a b Allen, Michael O.; Sorensen, Jon R. (April 10, 1997). "Now call Interboro Jackie's basepath". p. 639. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  41. ^ "Plan to Name Parkway For Jackie Robinson". The New York Times. April 11, 1997. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  42. ^ a b Smith, Claire (April 16, 1997). "A Grand Tribute to Robinson and His Moment". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  43. ^ Slackman, Michael (April 15, 1997). "Sign of Change". Newsday. p. 5. ISSN 2574-5298. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  44. ^ Montefinise, Angela (February 24, 2008). "Tragic Toll of Qns. Roadway". New York Post.
  45. ^
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