Jackie Robinson Parkway Explained

State:NY
Type:Parkway
Route:Jackie Robinson
Map Custom:yes
Map Notes:Jackie Robinson Parkway highlighted in red
Length Mi:4.95
Length Round:2
Length Ref:[1]
Established:1935[2]
Maint:NYSDOT
Restrictions:No commercial vehicles
Direction A:West
Direction B:East
Terminus B: in Kew Gardens
Counties:Kings, Queens

The Jackie Robinson Parkway (originally the Interboro Parkway) is a 4.952NaN2 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 Interboro Parkway was first proposed in 1901 as part of an extension of Eastern Parkway. There were multiple attempts to construct the parkway between the 1900s and the 1920s, which failed due to a lack of funding and various disagreements over land acquisition. The parkway's route was finalized in 1930, and work on the central section through Mount Carmel and Cypress Hills cemeteries began in 1931. Construction on the rest of the parkway did not begin until 1933. Most of the parkway opened to traffic in July 1935, but the westernmost section was not completed until that September. Over the years, the Interboro Parkway gained a reputation for being dangerous because of its sharp turns and narrow lanes. The Interboro Parkway was renamed for Major League Baseball player Jackie Robinson in 1997.

Route description

The Jackie Robinson Parkway starts at an intersection with Jamaica, Pennsylvania, and Bushwick avenues in the East New York neighborhood in Brooklyn. The westernmost four exits are located within the Cemetery Belt, near Brooklyn's border with Queens.[3] The parkway runs east from Bushwick Avenue to Highland Park, where it curves around the north side of the Ridgewood Reservoir. Exit 1, Highland Boulevard, is a westbound exit and eastbound entrance. The parkway passes Mount Judah Cemetery before exit 2 at Vermont Place and Cypress Avenue, which lead to Highland Park and the Hungarian Cemetery. The parkway then continues through Mount Carmel Cemetery and Cypress Hills Cemetery, where there are retaining walls on both sides of the highway.[4] Exit 3, Cypress Hills Street, leads to Cypress Hills Cemetery, where Jackie Robinson is buried.

At exit 4, Forest Park Drive, the parkway enters Forest Park in Queens. 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. The parkway and Union Turnpike then exit Forest Park and go under Queens Boulevard (NY 25) and above the New York City Subway's IND Queens Boulevard Line. Union Turnpike shares a diamond interchange with Queens Boulevard, but there is no access from the parkway.[5] Exits 7 and 8, both at the Kew Gardens Interchange at the Jackie Robinson Parkway's eastern end, are both eastbound-only. Exit 7 goes to the Van Wyck Expressway (I-678) northbound (there is no access southbound), while exits 8E and 8W lead to the Grand Central Parkway's eastbound and westbound lanes, respectively.

Safety

The parkway has several sharp curves throughout its route, particularly within the cemeteries.[6] [7] The curves exist because, at the time of the parkway's construction, planners wished to disturb as few graves as possible. As designed, the curves limited the design speed of the Interboro Parkway to .[8] The curves are particularly hazardous; The New York Times wrote in 1997 that the parkway has been nicknamed "Suicide Row", "Slaughter Parkway" and "Death Alley" throughout the years.

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.[9]

Planning

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.[10] [11] Eastern Parkway was completed in the mid-1870s[12] and originally terminated at Ralph Avenue.[13] 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.[14] [15] Eastern Parkway itself was extended as far as Bushwick Avenue, and another road called Highland Boulevard continued eastward from Bushwick Avenue to Highland Park.[16] Governor Levi P. Morton signed legislation to authorize the parkway's extension in 1896.[17] [18] The Eastern Parkway, along with Highland Boulevard, had been completed by 1897.[19] [20] What became Jackie Robinson Parkway originated from plans to extend Eastern Parkway even further.

Early plans

1890s and 1900s proposals

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.[21] 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.[22] By 1901, Brooklyn surveyor Noyes F. Palmer had proposed extending Eastern Parkway another eastward into Forest Park.[23] [24] The same year, state legislators proposed amending the Rural Cemetery Act to allow the construction of a road through the Cemetery Belt; this was the first bill to propose what would become the Interborough Parkway.[25] [26] Though nearby property owners supported the parkway's extension,[27] the cemeteries' owners opposed it.[28] [29] Opponents said the roadway would displace about 300 graves and that it would divide the cemeteries, and the Cypress Hills Cemetery Corporation later claimed that the bodies physically could not be removed.[30] The bill passed both houses of the New York State Legislature, only to be vetoed by mayor Robert Anderson Van Wyck.[31]

The legislation for a road through the Cemetery Belt was reintroduced in the state legislature in 1902 and in every year thereafter, but it failed to pass for most of the 1900s. 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.[32] When the bill was reintroduced in 1903, the Brooklyn Citizen wrote that the lands to be seized for the parkway were nearly empty;[33] at the time, many local politicians, residents, and civic groups favored the bill.[34] 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.[35]

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,[36] but it failed by a two-vote margin.[37] A similar bill was introduced in the State Senate in 1907;[38] it received less opposition than the previous bills for the road had.[39] The legislation for the Cemetery Belt road was finally passed in 1908,[40] [41] permitting the construction of a 150-wideNaN-wide road through the cemeteries. The bill also authorized the Board of Estimate to survey the route's right-of-way. Supporters of the project said that the parkway's construction would not entail disturbing any graves at Cypress Hills Cemetery, since the Eastern Parkway extension would traverse the cemetery on three viaducts.[42] Queens's deputy commissioner of public works, Alfred Denton, proposed extending the road as far east as Hoffman Boulevard without traveling through the Cemetery Belt.[43] The city surveyed the route of the proposed Eastern Parkway extension, but work stopped due to a lack of money for construction.

1910s proposals

Plans to construct a road through the Cemetery Belt were revived in 1911. The New York Times wrote that the proposed road would "open up a most pleasant and easy way of getting to and from Queens by automobile by way of Brooklyn".[44] At the time, very few streets connected southern Brooklyn and Queens. The New York City Board of Estimate failed to allocate the required funds for the extension,[45] though city officials held informal meetings about the roadway. By 1913, the plans called for about of new roadway,[46] and the parkway had been narrowed to . The road would have split from Highland Boulevard, run to the north of Ridgewood Reservoir, then continued eastward to Union Turnpike.[47] The city government discussed the plans with the operators of Cypress Hills and Mount Carmel cemeteries, from which it planned to acquire land.[48] [49] Though Cypress Hills Cemetery's trustees were willing to sell their land for . more than what the city was willing to pay, Mount Carmel Cemetery's trustees were unwilling to sell their land at all.[50] The city government agreed to acquire from the two cemeteries, and the cemeteries' presidents were ready to accept the plans for the parkway by late 1913. Cypress Hills Cemetery's trustees agreed to sell their land for .[51]

By February 1914, the New York City Board of Estimate was ready to consider plans for the parkway. At the time, the road was variously called the Cemetery Road, Interborough Parkway, or Eastern Parkway Extension.[52] The Queens government appointed a committee of three men to determine what was needed for construction to begin,[53] and the Queens Chamber of Commerce endorsed the parkway's construction.[54] The Board of Estimate approved plans for the parkway that July;[55] it also prepared a report on the parkway, which took more than a year to complete.[56] After the parkway's route was approved, Queens's park department began growing 15,000 trees that were to be planted along the parkway,[57] and the Queens Chamber of Commerce appointed a special committee to oversee the parkway's construction.[58] The parkway was to be constructed in three sections: the westernmost portion in Highland Park, the central portion next to Cypress Avenue and the Ridgewood Reservoir, and the eastern section through Cypress Hills and Mount Carmel cemeteries.[59]

The Board of Estimate also asked its Committee on Assessment to determine who should pay for the parkway, but this process had not been finalized by 1917.[60] By then, the parkway's cost was estimated at $500,000.[61] One proposal called for the cost to be divided evenly between the New York City, Brooklyn, and Queens governments.[62] Another proposal called for the city to pay half the cost and the Brooklyn and Queens governments to split the other half; the Committee of Assessments recommended using this cost breakdown. Work still had not started by 1919, when the Queens Chamber of Commerce and the Queens borough president asked the parkway's construction to be expedited.[63] [64] By then, the Cypress Hills Cemetery's trustees were selling burial plots right next to the path of the proposed parkway.

1920s plans

Revised proposal and approval

Little progress on the Interborough Parkway's construction had occurred by 1921, in part because Mount Carmel Cemetery burial-plot owners opposed constructing the parkway through that cemetery.[65] Rabbis also opposed the parkway's construction because it would require moving hundreds of corpses from Mount Carmel and Cypress Hills cemeteries, including the bodies of many Jews, whose disinterment would violate Jewish tradition.[66] As the presence of motor vehicles was increasing, by 1923, local civic associations were pressuring the government to build the road.[67] The associations requested that the city government build the Interborough Parkway all the way east to the New York City border, connecting with another parkway in Nassau County (later the Northern State Parkway).[68] The Board of Estimate proposed to construct the road if local residents financed the construction. Later that year, Board of Estimate chief engineer Arthur S. Tuttle received a revised proposal for the parkway's routing in Brooklyn, which would follow the border between Mount Carmel and Cypress Hills cemeteries. As opposed to the routing approved in 1914, which would have included a gradual curve to the northeast of Cypress Hills Street, this proposal would introduce a sharp curve about east of Cypress Hills Street.[69]

In May 1924, Governor Al Smith signed a bill authorizing the city government to construct the parkway.[70] The legislation required Tuttle to create a report on the parkway within one year.[71] Tuttle recommended that 45% of the cost be covered by New York City, 35% by Brooklyn, 15% by Queens, and 5% by local residents.[72] Amid continued opposition from religious groups, the Board of Estimate approved a revised plan for the parkway in May 1926,[73] which would relocate 432 graves in Mount Carmel and Cypress Hills cemeteries.[74] Tuttle sent the revised plan to Cypress Hills Cemetery's trustees for review that November.[75] The trustees agreed to cede land for the parkway on the condition that work begin before January 1, 1928. Despite the Board of Estimate's claims that the project may delayed because of a lack of local interest,[76] four civic groups asked the Board of Estimate to begin construction as soon as possible.[77] Rabbis continued to oppose the project due to the disinterments,[78] and Brooklyn's borough president James J. Byrne objected to the proposed cost breakdown for the parkway.

The Board of Estimate authorized the parkway's construction in February 1927.[79] The next month, they convened to discuss the cost estimates for the parkway, which was projected to cost $3.5 million. The Board of Estimate voted to adopt the cost breakdown that Tuttle had proposed,[80] and it recommended that land condemnation begin before the end of the year.[81] In July 1927, New York Supreme Court justice James Church Cropsey authorized the city government to begin acquiring land for the Interborough Parkway.[82] Work was delayed further because the city government had to prepare a "damage map", indicating how much compensation each landowner should receive;[83] this map was finished in late 1927.[84] The Board of Estimate approved a routing for the Interborough Parkway in January 1928, though local rabbis continued to object to the parkway's routing through the Cemetery Belt.[85] The last step required before the parkway's construction could start, an agreement over a sewer line near Cypress Hills Cemetery, was approved that April.[86]

Land condemnation and further delays

In June 1928, the damage maps for the parkway were forwarded to the city's corporation counsel, which in turn petitioned the New York Supreme Court for permission to begin acquiring the land.[87] The city government was authorized to condemn the land the next month, and officials published notices about the condemnation proceedings in The City Record.[88] City officials were supposed to have obtained title to the right-of-way no later than September 15,[89] and the city government acquired the land that month.[90] However, the start of work was subsequently delayed to mid-1929 while the city determined how to route the parkway through the cemeteries, as well as miscommunications about the construction of a storm sewer under the parkway.[91] The section between Cypress Hills Street and Forest Park was also delayed while the city government and Cypress Hills Cemetery's trustees resolved some legal issues over the routing.[92] The Board of Estimate approved $774,000 for preliminary work along the parkway's right-of-way in October 1928,[93] and the Queens park commissioner requested $289,000 for the parkway's Forest Park section the following January.[94] A proposed state law, which would have implemented a gas tax to pay for the parkway's construction, was unsuccessful.

The city government approved plans for sewers on the right-of-way in March 1929, and Queens borough president George U. Harvey requested that July that the Board of Estimate authorize the grading of the parkway's right-of-way.[95] At the time, the board was still awaiting a final report from Tuttle. Another public hearing had to be hosted for the parkway after Tuttle determined that the work would cost $89,000 more than originally predicted.[96] An overpass between the cemeteries had also been added to the plans, which required public review as well.[97] In October 1929, the Board of Estimate approved the specifications for the parkway, which called for two 30-wideNaN-wide roadways, separated by a 18-wideNaN-wide median.[98] City officials submitted a revised agreement on the proposed disinterments of bodies to Mount Carmel and Cypress Hills cemeteries' officials the next month.[99]

After cemetery officials agreed to the changes, the Board of Estimate approved final plans in June 1930,[100] and a state judge authorized the disinterment of corpses within the cemeteries. The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce requested that Mayor Jimmy Walker expedite the parkway's construction.[101] Work had still not started by October because the bodies had to be removed from the cemeteries before any work on the parkway could begin.[102] Though the state government tentatively offered to pay for the Interboro Parkway's construction if the right-of-way was increased to, the city government declined the offer, especially since it would have required further land condemnation. As mapped out, the parkway's western end was at Highland Park, while its eastern end was at Union Turnpike; a connection between Eastern and Interboro parkways was made via Bushwick Avenue and Highland Boulevard.[103] City officials anticipated that the parkway would help relieve congestion on Queens Boulevard and Hillside Avenue[104] in conjunction with the Grand Central Parkway, which was to run from the Interboro's eastern end toward Nassau County, New York.[105] [106]

Construction

Central section

In March 1931, Harvey began reviewing bids for the parkway's construction.[107] The Welsh Brothers Construction Company submitted the lowest bid for grading the Interboro Parkway's right-of-way. Work on the parkway itself began April 6, 1931, after 365 corpses had been relocated.[108] The first part of the parkway to be constructed was the central section through Cypress Hills and Mount Carmel cemeteries, which was the hardest to construct. By mid-1931, one of the three overpasses over the parkway's central section had been completed, having been built in one day,[109] and grading of the parkway's central section was half-finished.[110] The Brooklyn borough president's office had also received permission to begin grading the parkway's western section. Other aspects of the project were delayed by rainy weather and unusually muddy soil. Excavation and concrete work for the central section was nearly finished by October.[111] The central section, costing $463,000, was mostly completed that December,[112] five months ahead of schedule. However, the parkway remained closed because it was not paved and because its eastern terminus was a dead end.

A temporary 250feet road was constructed to connect the central section's eastern terminus with Forest Park Drive starting in January 1932.[113] Workers leveled a hill in Forest Park, infilled a hollow, and built the road atop the hollow.[114] The same month, the city government awarded a contract for the construction of a pumping plant on the Interboro Parkway to prevent the road from flooding.[115] By March, the temporary road was nearly complete.[116] In addition, the Queens borough president's office had solicited bids for the construction of concrete barriers along the parkway,[117] and the New York Supreme Court had begun compensating burial-plot owners whose land had been seized for the parkway's construction.[118] The central section was still unpaved by that June,[119] and it remained unopened even in 1933.[120]

Delays

Meanwhile, the Board of Estimate allocated $27,000 for surveys and maps of the parkway's right-of-way in November 1931.[121] The same month, Queens park commissioner Albert C. Benninger requested $288,000 to grade the parkway's eastern section;[122] though Benninger claimed that the city had failed to approve the funding request for several months, Walker said he had not been aware of the request.[123] There were also plans to widen and pave part of Union Turnpike to provide a direct connection between Interboro and Grand Central parkways,[124] and the city was acquiring a 140feet strip of land from Queens Boulevard to Austin Street for that purpose.[125] The connector included an underpass carrying the parkway under Queens Boulevard,[126] which measured wide and was built by New York City Subway contractors.[127] The Queens borough president's office was to oversee the construction of the eastern section within Forest Park, which was to cost an estimated $500,000.[128] An overpass and two pedestrian underpasses would be built, and Forest Park's golf course was to be reconfigured. Engineers also wanted to build the western section near Ridgewood Reservoir by December 1931, but they had to wait for the city's water department to relocate water mains.

By May 1932, there were plans to extend the parkway from Highland Boulevard to Bushwick Avenue.[129] One option called for the parkway to extend southwest to Pennsylvania Avenue, while another option would bring the parkway in a more westerly direction toward Eastern Parkway.[130] Plans for the Interboro Parkway and two others in New York state were modified in July 1932 because they had gone over budget.[131] That December, the Board of Estimate's chief engineer published a report estimating that it would cost $2 million to complete the Interboro Parkway,[132] though the board deferred a decision on the report following opposition from Manhattan's and Staten Island's borough presidents.[133] At the time, the plans called for an additional 11 bridges and 5 pedestrian overpasses along the parkway.[134] The project was further delayed by opposition from the city's controller.[135]

When John P. O'Brien was inaugurated as the city's new mayor at the beginning of 1933, civic groups asked him to approve the plans,[136] but he also moved to delay the parkway's completion, citing a lack of money.[137] Work on the Queens Boulevard underpass had also stalled due to a lack of money.[138] That May, the Board of Estimate approved the acquisition of land for the parkway[139] after Long Island State Park Commission (LISPC) chairman Robert Moses asked the board to reconsider the plans.[140] As part of the board's approval, the LISPC agreed to hire only contractors from New York state, and it had to employ laborers from the city.[141] The Board of Estimate also modified the parkway's funding breakdown so that the city government would pay 48% of the cost, Brooklyn would pay 35%, Queens would pay 15%, and Cypress Hills and Mount Carmel cemeteries would pay 1.5% each.[142] The same month, the board approved the New York State Department of Public Works' plans to construct the rest of the parkway.[143] The state and U.S. federal governments promised to allocate $4.7 million for the completion of the Interborough and Laurelton parkways if the city government acquired title to the land.[144]

Resumption of work

After the Board of Estimate approved the parkway's completion through Forest Park, 400 people were hired to clear the right-of-way,[145] and two beer gardens there had to be demolished for the parkway.[146] A 200-year-old homestead at the parkway's eastern end also had to be demolished.[147] In June 1933, the board voted to approve the damage maps for the parkway's eastern section.[148] The board also voted to acquire two strips of land along the parkway's eastern section,[149] as the project could not receive federal and state funding if the city did not take title to the land.[150] In addition, Queens officials asked the city government to repair streets that connected with the parkway,[151] and workers subsequently repaved one of these streets, Cypress Avenue.[152] To prevent congestion on Cypress Avenue, the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation proposed replacing the streetcars on that avenue with buses.[153]

After the city had formally acquired the parkway's route, it formally began soliciting bids for the construction of bridges on the parkway.[154] The first contract for the eastern section was awarded in August 1933, when contractors began constructing three bridges to carry local traffic across the Interboro Parkway.[155] This contract had to be completed within two months[156] but was delayed due to inclement weather.[157] The Board of Estimate reviewed and approved contracts for three additional segments of the Interboro Parkway's eastern section, between Woodhaven Boulevard and Metropolitan Avenue, that September.[158] By November, contracts for 11 bridges along the Interboro Parkway's eastern section were being awarded;[159] further contracts for bridges along the parkway were awarded the next month.[160] In addition to the construction of bridges, the project required relocating utilities, rerouting Union Turnpike's eastbound lanes, and constructing a water-pumping station.[161] Several houses along the right-of-way had to be cut back or even demolished entirely.[162]

During the parkway's construction, several landowners claimed that workers were damaging their lawns.[163] Residents and merchants in central Queens also complained that the project was disrupting businesses and causing hazardous conditions for pedestrians, prompting construction contractors to expedite the parkway's completion.[164] Work on the eastern section was delayed in late 1933 and early 1934 due to snowy weather.[165]

Western extension and completion

Moses announced in December 1933 that the parkway was to be extended further west from Highland Boulevard to Bushwick Avenue.[166] Under this plan, an additional mile of road was to be constructed, requiring the condemnation of in the Cemetery of the Evergreens. Because the parkway would replace an existing roadway,[167] this tract of land did not require disinterments, as had been the case with Cypress Hills and Mount Carmel cemeteries. State engineers rejected a proposal to construct a tunnel under the parkway, which would have avoided the need to disturb the cemetery.[168] The LISPC also received bids for four bridges along the parkway's route in January 1934.[169] The state legislature passed a law the next month, allowing the Cemetery of the Evergreens to transfer ownership of land for the parkway's right-of-way.[170] Though Governor Herbert H. Lehman signed the bill,[171] the Board of Estimate initially failed to approve the acquisition of the land because Manhattan borough president Samuel Levy opposed it.[172] In addition, Moses initially claimed that local streets could adequately handle traffic to and from the parkway.[173] The board finally agreed to buy the land in March 1934, over Levy's continued objections.

During the Interboro Parkway's construction, temporary roadways were built to carry Vermont Avenue, Cypress Hills Street, Woodhaven Boulevard, Myrtle Avenue, and Metropolitan Avenue across the parkway.[174] The LISPC began receiving bids for the construction of a bridge above the parkway at Myrtle Avenue, as well as the replacement of a superintendent's house at Ridgewood Reservoir, in March 1934.[175] Shortly afterward, State Supreme Court justice Charles C. Lockwood ruled that the city government was to give $1,756,599 in compensation to 170 landowners whose land had been seized for the parkway. This was less than half the $4 million that the landowners had originally requested.[176] The city government also issued corporate stock to pay for the acquisition of land for the Interboro Parkway.[177] Progress on the rest of the parkway was stalled by inclement weather, but several contracts for the eastern section were being completed by mid-1934, including bridges at Metropolitan Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard.[178] Moses presented plans for an entrance plaza at the intersection of Bushwick, Pennsylvania, and Jamaica avenues, where the parkway's western terminus was to be located, in June 1934.[179] The Board of Estimate approved plans for the parkway's westward extension that month.[180]

Cypress Hills Cemetery gave the Long Island State Park Commission an easement in mid-1934, allowing the commission to remove retaining walls and landscape the land next to the parkway.[181] That September, the state's Department of Public Works solicited bids for the paving of the parkway from Metropolitan Avenue to Queens Boulevard, as well as the removal of the Cypress Hills Cemetery retaining walls.[182] In addition, the department awarded contracts for bridge-construction and land grading west of Vermont Avenue, and the construction of the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance plaza, that December.[183] At the time, there were plans to open the section east of Metropolitan Avenue to traffic by early 1935.[184]

Operation

1930s to 1950s

The Interboro Parkway was scheduled to open to traffic on November 1, 1934. The Interboro Parkway opened to traffic in July 1935.[185] However, it remained unfinished until the completion of the Highland Boulevard-Bushwick Avenue extension in September 1935. A formal dedication ceremony for the parkway took place on November 12, 1935, at the Highland Boulevard overpass;[186] a special exhibit about the parkway was displayed at the Brooklyn Automobile Show to celebrate the opening.[187]

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.[188] However, the proposed Cross Brooklyn Express Highway was never constructed as it was canceled by mayor John Lindsay in 1969.[189]

1960s and 1970s

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.

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 3700feet-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.[190]

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. This legislation was proposed and signed into law by Governor Malcolm Wilson in May 1973.[191]

On November 4, 1974, the parkway was closed as work began on reconstruction of a 4100feet 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.

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

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. The project cost $43.1 million and took place between 1989 and 1991.[192]

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.[193] 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.[194] State assemblyman Jeffrion L. Aubry sponsored legislation to rename the parkway,[195] and Giuliani and governor George Pataki signed the legislation later that month.[196] However, some street maps, such as the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission's official map, bore the older name for several years.[197]

In early 2018, the New York City Department of Transportation installed new black-on-white route designation signs on the Jackie Robinson Parkway as part of a program to replace route-designation signs across New York City's parkways. The signs contain an image of Robinson at bat, wearing a jersey with the number 42.[198] [199] Twenty-five signs were installed, replacing the old white-on-green signs.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2007 Traffic Data Report for New York State . https://web.archive.org/web/20120612094059/https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/Traffic%20Data%20Report%202007.pdf . dead . June 12, 2012 . July 25, 2008 . New York State Department of Transportation . July 17, 2009 .
  2. Web site: Jackie Robinson Pkwy (Interboro Pkwy) . John . Roleke . About.com . August 29, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080410152416/http://queens.about.com/cs/transportation/g/jackie_robinson.htm . April 10, 2008 . dead.
  3. Web site: NYCityMap . live . https://archive.today/20150524114059/http://maps.nyc.gov/ . May 24, 2015 . July 8, 2024 . NYC.gov . New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications.
  4. Web site: Steutel . Thomas Roger . June 28, 1931 . The $3,500,000 Parkway . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 65 . en-US.
  5. Web site: 1932-06-27 . Parkways Grade Separations to Be the 'Pretzel' Type . 2024-11-24 . Brooklyn Eagle . 11 . en-US.
  6. Web site: Walsh . Kevin . April 21, 2015 . How the Jackie Robinson Parkway Got Its Name . November 21, 2024 . Brownstoner.
  7. Web site: Gingold . Alfred . May 18, 1997 . Exit the Interborough . November 21, 2024 . The New York Times.
  8. Web site: April 9, 1947 . Jackie Robinson Parkway Highlights : NYC Parks . November 24, 2024 . New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.
  9. News: Montefinise . Angela . February 24, 2008 . Tragic Toll of Qns. Roadway . New York Post.
  10. Web site: August 22, 1978 . Eastern Parkway . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210516210221/https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0998.pdf . May 16, 2021 . July 26, 2019 . New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission . 2.
  11. Web site: Eastern Parkway Highlights . July 26, 2019 . New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
  12. News: November 16, 1874 . Eastern Parkway . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220828141310/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/34287824/eastern-parkway/ . August 28, 2022 . July 26, 2019 . Brooklyn Daily Eagle . 3.
  13. News: December 13, 1896 . Brooklyn's Chain of Parkways . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240717235235/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-brooklyns-chai/151531891/ . July 17, 2024 . July 17, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Eagle . 22.
  14. News: May 10, 1891 . The Eastern Parkway . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240722141943/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-the-eastern-par/151754975/ . July 22, 2024 . July 21, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Eagle . 19.
  15. News: August 24, 1895 . Frank Squier . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240627020905/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-standard-union-frank-squier/80388483/ . June 27, 2024 . June 27, 2024 . The Standard Union . 5.
  16. News: July 28, 1895 . To Connect the Parks . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240722141935/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-to-connect-the/151763135/ . July 22, 2024 . July 21, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Eagle . 14.
  17. News: May 1, 1896 . Work on the New Cycle Path . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240627022403/https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-work-on-the-new-cycle-path/150142865/ . June 27, 2024 . June 27, 2024 . Times Union . 1.
  18. News: April 9, 1896 . Morton Signs Brooklyn Bills . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240723005732/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-morton-signs-br/151769186/ . July 23, 2024 . July 21, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Eagle . 1.
  19. News: September 18, 1897 . Wheelmen on Parade . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240723010240/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-wheelmen-on-par/151539804/ . July 23, 2024 . July 18, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Eagle . 1.
  20. News: September 9, 1897 . Splendid System of Parkways . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240723010240/https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-splendid-system-of-parkways/151538068/ . July 23, 2024 . July 18, 2024 . Times Union . 8.
  21. News: April 17, 1901 . Bicycle Roads Being Improved . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240717022108/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-citizen-bicycle-roads-being/151480205/ . July 17, 2024 . July 17, 2024 . The Brooklyn Citizen . 5.
  22. News: December 28, 2001. Back When The Jackie Robinson Parkway Was Just A Dirt Road. Times Newsweekly. July 29, 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160412092132/http://www.timesnewsweekly.com/sites/www.timesnewsweekly.com/files/archives/Archives2001/122801/NewFiles/OURNEIGH.html. April 12, 2016.
  23. Web site: February 3, 1901 . Plan for Extension of Eastern Parkway . November 13, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 37 . en-US.
  24. Web site: February 26, 1901 . Bill to Cut a Road Through Cypress Hills Cemetery . November 13, 2024 . Times Union . 8 . en-US . none.
    Web site: February 26, 1901 . No Saloon Side Door If This Bill Passes . November 13, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 2 . en-US.
  25. Web site: July 15, 1923 . Want 4 New Roads for Long Island; Civic Organizations Say Routes From Brooklyn and Queens Are Urgently Needed . November 21, 2024 . The New York Times.
  26. Web site: July 15, 1923 . Civics Offer Plan to Ease Auto Jam . November 21, 2024 . Times Union . 16 . en-US . none.
    Web site: July 15, 1923 . Civics Suggest Four New Auto Outlets From the City Eastward . November 21, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 6 . en-US.
  27. Web site: March 3, 1901 . Wagner's Parkway Bill . November 13, 2024 . Times Union . 4 . en-US.
  28. Web site: March 20, 1901 . Eastern Parkway Extension Bill Up Before Committee . November 13, 2024 . Times Union . 3 . en-US.
  29. Web site: April 27, 1901 . Cemetery Owners Object to Roadway . November 13, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 2 . en-US.
  30. Web site: February 21, 1903 . Bodies in the Road? . November 14, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 4 . en-US.
  31. Web site: February 19, 1902 . Fighting Hard to Lift Eastern Parkway Bill . November 14, 2024 . Times Union . 12 . en-US . none.
    Web site: February 19, 1902 . Cypress Hills Drive . November 14, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 12 . en-US.
  32. News: March 26, 1902 . Wagner Wants Inquiry Into Cemetery Affairs . July 26, 2019 . Brooklyn Daily Eagle . 1.
  33. Web site: February 25, 1903 . Committee to Consider Eastern Parkway Bill . November 14, 2024 . The Brooklyn Citizen . 4 . en-US.
  34. Web site: February 27, 1903 . Eastern Parkway Measure Urged by Commissioner Young . November 14, 2024 . Times Union . 12 . en-US . none.
    Web site: February 19, 1902 . Cypress Hills Drive . November 14, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 12 . en-US.
  35. Web site: April 9, 1904 . No Driveway Through Cemetery Is Likely . November 14, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 2 . en-US . none.
    Web site: April 16, 1904 . Highland Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue Improvements . November 14, 2024 . The Chat . 12 . en-US.
  36. Web site: February 24, 1906 . Driveway Through Cypress Hills Cemetery . November 14, 2024 . The Chat . 1 . en-US . none.
    Web site: February 16, 1906 . Prohibitory Demands for New York's Water Supply . November 14, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 5 . en-US.
  37. Web site: June 9, 1906 . Cypress Hills Owners Sharply Criticized . November 14, 2024 . The Chat . 1 . en-US.
  38. Web site: March 1, 1907 . Judge Wilkin Has Bill to Aid Young Criminals . November 14, 2024 . The Brooklyn Citizen . 7 . en-US.
  39. Web site: May 21, 1907 . Indications Point to Passage of DeGroot Bill . November 14, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 23 . en-US.
  40. News: October 1, 1911 . Road to Queens Needed: Plan of Extending Highland Boulevard to Forest Park Revived . New-York Tribune . B3 . 1941-0646 . . none.
    Web site: October 7, 1911. Highland Boulevard. November 20, 2024. The Chat. 14. en-US.
  41. Web site: July 19, 1914 . Interborough Parkway; Proposed Roadway to Connect Brooklyn and Queens. . November 20, 2024 . The New York Times.
  42. Web site: January 23, 1908 . Citizens Inspect Cemetery Road Route . November 14, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 22 . en-US.
  43. Web site: February 7, 1908 . No Cemeteries Touched by Com. Denton's Route . November 20, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 10 . en-US . none.
    Web site: February 22, 1908 . Glendale Civic Association . November 20, 2024 . The Chat . 6 . en-US.
  44. Web site: September 4, 1910 . Outlet for Autos; Proposed Extension of Highland Boulevard. . November 20, 2024 . The New York Times.
  45. Web site: June 15, 1912 . Homestead Civic Ass'n After an Ananias . November 20, 2024 . The Chat . 26 . en-US.
  46. Web site: May 11, 1913 . Forest Park Road Meets Objections . November 20, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 71 . en-US.
  47. Web site: March 15, 1913 . Parkway System a Fine Feature . November 21, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 38 . en-US . none.
    Web site: September 14, 1913 . Autoists to Urge Parkway Extension . November 20, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 78 . en-US.
  48. Web site: September 19, 1913 . Cemetery Road Best, Says Lewis . November 21, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 20 . en-US.
  49. October 1, 1913 . Park News: Competitive Park Plans Wanted . Park and Cemetery and Landscape Gardening . 161 . 23 . 8 . .
  50. Web site: July 9, 1913 . The Real Estate Field . November 21, 2024 . The New York Times . 14 . en-US . 0362-4331 . none.
    Web site: July 6, 1913 . Nearing Agreement on New Boulevard . November 21, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 33 . en-US.
  51. Web site: November 4, 1913 . Price for Cemetery Road Agreed Upon . November 21, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 16 . en-US.
  52. Web site: February 19, 1914 . The Board of Estimate Ready to Consider Proposed Interborough Parkway . November 21, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 19 . en-US.
  53. Web site: April 18, 1914 . Subway Route No. 41 Will Be Constructed . November 20, 2024 . The Chat . 12 . en-US.
  54. Web site: July 5, 1914 . Hope for a New City Boulevard; Plans for Parkway Between Brooklyn and Queens Are Reaching a Head. . November 21, 2024 . The New York Times . none.
    Web site: June 22, 1914 . Plan Parkway Joining Brooklyn and Queens . November 21, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 13 . en-US . none. ; Web site: June 22, 1914 . Queens to Fight for Inter-Borough Road . November 21, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 4 . en-US.
  55. Web site: July 31, 1914 . Brooklyn-Queens Road Approved . November 21, 2024 . Times Union . 3 . en-US . none.
    Web site: July 31, 1914 . Interborough Road Is Now on City Map . November 21, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 14 . en-US.
  56. Web site: August 14, 1915 . Auto Road to Queens . November 21, 2024 . The Chat . 9 . en-US . none.
    Web site: August 6, 1915 . To Build Auto Road to Queens . November 21, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 1 . en-US.
  57. Web site: April 24, 1915 . Tree Planting in Queens a Profitable Business . November 21, 2024 . The Chat . 1 . en-US.
  58. Web site: April 19, 1916 . Urge Action on New Parkway . November 21, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 14 . en-US . none.
    Web site: April 23, 1916 . Will Push Action on Interboro Parkway . November 20, 2024 . New-York Tribune . 28 . en-US.
  59. Web site: December 7, 1917 . Queens Street Changes Made . November 21, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 5 . en-US.
  60. Web site: February 24, 1917 . Reviving Interest in Interborough Parkway . November 21, 2024 . The Chat . 12 . en-US.
  61. Web site: July 3, 1916 . Queens Would Pay Less for Highway . November 21, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 4 . en-US.
  62. Web site: August 8, 1917 . Interborough Parkway . November 21, 2024 . The Brooklyn Citizen . 12 . en-US.
  63. Web site: April 30, 1919 . Streets and Sewers Listed for Borough . November 21, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 4 . en-US.
  64. News: April 23, 1916 . Will Push Action on Interboro Parkway: Queens Chamber of Commerce Urges Haste in Making Road . New-York Tribune . B6 . 1941-0646 . .
  65. Web site: July 9, 1922 . Asks Improvement of Queens Roads . November 21, 2024 . Times Union . 10 . en-US.
  66. Web site: March 14, 1924 . Rabbis in Protest on Cemeteries Cut . November 21, 2024 . Times Union . 22 . en-US.
  67. News: July 29, 1923 . Ask for More Roads Through Long Island . The New York Times . RE1 . 0362-4331 . . none.
    News: July 29, 1923 . Demand Parkway Planned Ten Years Ago Be Built Now: Business arad Civil Interests of Brooklyn and Queens Meet in Campaign for Interborough Highway on Map of City for Years . New-York Tribune . C2 . 1941-0646 . .
  68. News: October 14, 1923 . Long Island Starts Drive For More Boulevards: Wants State to Break Delay in Launching the Building of Roads Already Proposed . New-York Tribune . C2 . 1941-0646 . . none.
    Web site: October 14, 1923 . L. I. Association Seeks to Speed Up Parkway . November 21, 2024 . The Brooklyn Citizen . 3 . en-US.
  69. Web site: December 12, 1923 . Map of Proposed Interboro Parkway to Connect Brooklyn and Queens . November 21, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 3 . en-US.
  70. Web site: May 4, 1924 . Interborough Parkway is Approved . November 21, 2024 . The Brooklyn Citizen . 3 . en-US.
  71. News: November 28, 1926 . Brooklyn Fight For Parkway Up Thursday: Chamber of Commerce and Civic Organizations Will Resist at Board Hearing Interborough Blvd. Delay Work Held Up 25 Years Traffic Lane Held Vital to End Bottle-Neek Congestion on Road to Queens . New York Herald Tribune . 15 . 1941-0646 . .
  72. Web site: January 25, 1927 . Byrne Will Fight Big Brooklyn Levy on Interboro Road . November 21, 2024 . Times Union . 14 . en-US.
  73. Web site: May 22, 1926 . Interboro Parkway Adopted by Estimate Board on Thursday . November 21, 2024 . The Chat . 39 . en-US . none.
    Web site: May 20, 1926 . Salary Grab Voted by Estimate Board Without Discussion . November 21, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 3, 4 . en-US.
  74. Web site: May 14, 1926 . 1,000 Dead to Be Evicted For Interborough Parkway . November 21, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 35 . en-US.
  75. Web site: November 16, 1926 . Interboro Parkway Plan Is Held Up by Indecision of Officials of Cemetery . November 21, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 20 . en-US.
  76. Web site: Falvey . William . 1933-01-29 . No Cash, Says City, Holding Up Interboro Project, but Record Shows Delays Are 'Old Stuff' . 2024-11-24 . Brooklyn Eagle . 47, 48 . en-US.
  77. News: December 3, 1926 . Civic Bodies Favor New Parkway From Brooklyn to Queens: Route Along Highland Boulevard to Forest Hills' Roads Urged on Estimate Board Plan Tabled for 6 Weeks . New York Herald Tribune . 44 . 1941-0646 . . none.
    Web site: December 3, 1926 . Action is Deferred on Parkway Project; Mayor Directs City Engineer to Report on Proposal to Extend Highland Boulevard. . November 21, 2024 . The New York Times.
  78. Web site: January 14, 1927 . Rabbis Protest Parkway; Say Cemeteries Would Be Disturbed By Queens-Brooklyn Project. . November 21, 2024 . The New York Times . none.
    Web site: January 13, 1927 . Jews Fight Plan to Cut Cemetery . November 21, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 70 . en-US.
  79. Web site: Youel . Kenneth . February 4, 1927 . Long Island Aid Strong Factor in Parkway Victory . November 21, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 23 . en-US.
  80. Web site: March 26, 1927 . Interboro Assessment Plan Opposed by Upper Bushwick Civic Ass'n . November 21, 2024 . The Chat . 19 . en-US . none.
    Web site: March 24, 1927 . Board of Estimate Apportions Cost of Interboro Parkway . November 21, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 17 . en-US.
  81. Web site: March 5, 1927 . Condemnation for Interboro Parkway to Start Before Dec. 31 . November 21, 2024 . The Chat . 12 . en-US.
  82. Web site: July 30, 1927 . New Highways Authorized; Court Approves Interborough Parkway and College Point Causeway. . November 21, 2024 . The New York Times.
  83. Web site: June 3, 1927 . City Can't Take Interboro Pkway. Land Until Fall . November 21, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 24 . en-US.
  84. Web site: November 26, 1927 . Legal Steps Next to Start Construction of Interboro Parkway . November 21, 2024 . The Chat . 1 . en-US . none.
    Web site: December 1, 1927 . Interboro Parkway Work Can Start in Spring—Connolly . November 21, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 21 . en-US.
  85. Web site: January 27, 1928 . Interboro Parkway Map Approved, But Cemetery Still Presents Obstacle . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 23, 24 . en-US.
  86. Web site: April 7, 1928 . Interboro Parkway to Be Started in Summer . November 22, 2024 . The Chat . 1 . en-US.
  87. Web site: June 9, 1928 . Rule and Damage Maps Filed in Interboro Pkwy. . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 2 . en-US . none.
    Web site: June 16, 1928 . Interboro Parkway Maps Are Forwarded for Certification . November 22, 2024 . The Chat . 5 . en-US.
  88. Web site: July 28, 1928 . To Take Title to Interboro Parkway Land September 15 . November 22, 2024 . The Chat . 45 . en-US.
  89. News: August 12, 1928 . Obstacles in Way of Interboro Parkway Have Been Removed: Final Word for Highway Connecting Brooklyn and Queens Expected in Fall . New York Herald Tribune . D2 . 1941-0646 . . none.
    Web site: August 19, 1928 . New Queens Highway; Difficulties Adjusted on Route of Interboro Parkway. . November 22, 2024 . The New York Times.
  90. Web site: August 2, 1929 . Expect Report Shortly on Interboro Parkway . November 22, 2024 . The Chat . 9 . en-US.
  91. Web site: September 30, 1928 . Interboro Pkwy. Delay Is Laid to Officials' Mixup . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 14 . en-US.
  92. News: January 4, 2002. Concluding The Story Of The Creation Of The Jackie Robinson Parkway. Times Newsweekly. July 29, 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150912193226/http://www.timesnewsweekly.com/sites/www.timesnewsweekly.com/files/archives/Archives2002/Jan.-Mar.2002/010402/NewFiles/OURNEIGH.html. September 12, 2015.
  93. Web site: October 19, 1928 . $7,600,000 for Queens Subway Provided by Estimate Board . November 22, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 49 . en-US . none.
    Web site: October 19, 1928 . Byrne Hopes City Will Sell Bad Park Site . November 22, 2024 . Times Union . 53 . en-US.
  94. Web site: January 8, 1929 . Queens Requests $39,500,000 for Public Projects . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 3 . en-US.
  95. Web site: July 28, 1929 . Interboro Pkwy. Can Be Started, Yet City Delays . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 9, 15 . en-US.
  96. Web site: October 11, 1929 . Interboro Pkwy. Nears Reality; Hearing Is Set . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 21 . en-US.
  97. Web site: October 4, 1929 . Face Another Delay in Interboro Parkway . November 22, 2024 . The Chat . 1 . en-US.
  98. Web site: October 18, 1929 . Estimate Board Backs Interboro Parkway Plans . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 4 . en-US.
  99. Web site: November 24, 1929 . Grave Relocation Delay Seen Ended by Revised Pact . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 16 . en-US.
  100. Web site: June 26, 1930 . Eagle Victor in Interboro Parkway Fight . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 3 . en-US.
  101. Web site: August 11, 1930 . Traffic Head Urges Action . November 22, 2024 . Times Union . 2 . en-US . none.
    Web site: August 11, 1930 . Boro Chamber Writes Mayor, Seeking Action . November 22, 2024 . The Brooklyn Citizen . 3 . en-US.
  102. Web site: October 28, 1930 . Shift Graves to Make Room for Parkway . November 22, 2024 . Times Union . 2 . en-US . none.
    Web site: October 17, 1930 . Parkway Delayed . November 22, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 47 . en-US.
  103. Web site: April 19, 1931 . Interboro Parkway to Link All Important Highways . November 22, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 41 . en-US.
  104. Web site: July 13, 1930 . Express Road Plan for Brooklyn Filed; Hesterberg Reveals 21,500-Foot Stretch Will Begin at the Grand Army Plaza . November 22, 2024 . The New York Times.
  105. Web site: February 8, 1931 . Interborough Parkway Plan Widens Scope . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 8 . en-US.
  106. News: March 15, 1931 . Plans Assure Express Route For 4 Counties: Final Move Made for Arterial Highway to Tap Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, Suffolk . New York Herald Tribune . C1 . 1941-0646 . .
  107. Web site: March 10, 1931 . Parkway Bids Opened; Grade Work Held Up . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 3.
  108. Web site: April 14, 1931 . Interborough Parkway Started . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 19 . en-US . none.
    Web site: April 6, 1931 . Bodies in Path of Highway Taken from Cemetery . November 22, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 8 . en-US.
  109. Web site: July 17, 1931 . Queens-Brooklyn Link Progressing . November 22, 2024 . Times Union . 20 . en-US . none.
    Web site: July 17, 1931 . First Interboro Parkway Span Almost Ready . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 3 . en-US.
  110. Web site: August 29, 1931 . Interboro P'kway Grading Half In . November 22, 2024 . The Brooklyn Daily Times . 3 . en-US.
  111. Web site: October 12, 1931 . Interborough Parkway Work Rushed . November 22, 2024 . New York Daily News . 466 . en-US . 2692-1251 . none.
    Web site: October 7, 1931 . Parkway Work Sets Record for Building . November 22, 2024 . Times Union . 18 . en-US.
  112. Web site: December 4, 1931 . State Offers Aid to Queens Road Program . November 22, 2024 . Times Union . 3 . en-US.
  113. Web site: January 20, 1932 . Emergency Crew Starts Extension of Interboro Road . November 24, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 2 . en-US.
  114. Web site: March 28, 1932 . Interborough Parkway Link Near Finished . November 24, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 23 . en-US.
  115. Web site: January 13, 1932 . Queens Opens Highway Bids . November 24, 2024 . Times Union . 3 . en-US . none.
    Web site: January 13, 1932 . Receive Queen Bids for New Road Projects . November 24, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 15 . en-US.
  116. Web site: March 14, 1932 . Work on Queens Road Will Aid Jobless . November 23, 2024 . New York Daily News . 421 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  117. Web site: March 22, 1932 . First Contracts for Queens to Be Let Next Tuesday . November 24, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 23 . en-US.
  118. Web site: March 21, 1932 . Open Hearing on Cemetery Land Awards . November 24, 2024 . The Brooklyn Citizen . 1 . en-US.
  119. Web site: June 28, 1932 . Interboro Parkway Paving Speed Urged . November 24, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 2 . en-US.
  120. Web site: 1933-07-14 . Interboro Parkway Is Nearly Ready . 2024-11-25 . Times Union . 12 . en-US.
  121. News: November 29, 1931 . Surveying for The New Routes Through Queens: $12,000,000 Cost Will Be Shared by City and State . New York Herald Tribune . D2 . 1941-0646 . . none.
    Web site: November 7, 1931 . City Pushes Plan for Queens Roads; $27,000 Authorized for First Steps Toward $2,000,000 Parkways and Extensions. . November 22, 2024 . The New York Times.
  122. Web site: November 13, 1931 . $288,000 Wanted to Speed Queens Parkway Work . November 22, 2024 . New York Daily News . 707 . en-US . 2692-1251 . none.
    Web site: November 10, 1931 . Parkway Delay Seen in Tieup of Link Funds . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 1, 3 . en-US.
  123. Web site: November 15, 1931 . Grand Central Parkway Bridge Work Is Resumed . November 22, 2024 . New York Daily News . 159 . en-US . 2692-1251 . none.
    Web site: November 11, 1931 . Mayor in Dark on Appeal for Parkway Fund . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 17 . en-US.
  124. Web site: November 8, 1931 . Two Highways for Borough in State-Aid Plan . November 22, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . en-US.
  125. Web site: August 26, 1931 . Harvey Backs 10-Year Plan Highway Work . November 23, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 17, 19 . en-US.
  126. Web site: February 15, 1932 . Cut Union Turnpike Under Queens Boulevard . November 23, 2024 . New York Daily News . 384 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  127. Web site: March 27, 1932 . State to Help Queens in Highway Works . November 24, 2024 . New York Daily News . 495 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  128. News: September 27, 1931 . Boulevard Plan In Forest Park Is Relief Link: Project To Be Carried Into Queens Boulevard Called Great Aid for Traffic Start of Broad Highway in Big Project on Long Island . New York Herald Tribune . C8 . 1941-0646 . .
  129. Web site: May 7, 1932 . Vast Roadway Plan Outlined by Commission . November 24, 2024 . The Brooklyn Citizen . 3 . en-US.
  130. Web site: November 15, 1933 . Engineers Rush New Plans for Interborough Parkway . November 24, 2024 . New York Daily News . 425 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  131. Web site: July 28, 1932 . Harvey Orders State Parkway Maps Modified . November 24, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 21 . en-US . none.
    Web site: July 28, 1932 . Revamp Parkway Plans to Keep in $5,000,000 Limit . November 24, 2024 . Times Union . 8 . en-US.
  132. Web site: December 9, 1932 . State and City Share Costs in Improvements . November 23, 2024 . The Brooklyn Citizen . 2 . en-US.
  133. Web site: December 9, 1932 . Interboro P'k'y Project Goes Over for Week . November 23, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 2 . en-US . none.
    Web site: December 10, 1932 . City Approval Seen Likely on New Parkways . November 23, 2024 . The Brooklyn Citizen . 1 . en-US.
  134. Web site: December 11, 1932 . 2 Queens and Nassau Parkways to Be Ready for Traffic in April . November 24, 2024 . New York Daily News . 99 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  135. Web site: December 29, 1932 . Estimate Board Shelves Study of Parkways . November 24, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 1 . en-US . none.
    Web site: December 30, 1932 . Board Cold to Parkway Land Buying . November 24, 2024 . New York Daily News . 331 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  136. Web site: 1933-01-01 . Interboro Job Should Go On, Civics Hold . 2024-11-24 . Brooklyn Eagle . 39, 40 . en-US.
  137. Web site: 1933-01-27 . Interboro Road Delay Opposed . 2024-11-24 . Times Union . 2 . en-US . none.
    Web site: 1933-01-27 . O'Brien Plans Parkway Tieup For 3 Months . 2024-11-24 . Brooklyn Eagle . 1, 2 . en-US.
  138. Web site: 1933-03-10 . Harvey to Demand $64,000 for New Underpass Today . 2024-11-24 . New York Daily News . 276 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  139. Web site: 1933-05-05 . City to Extend Two Highways in Queensboro . 2024-11-24 . The Brooklyn Citizen . 1 . en-US . none.
    Web site: May 6, 1933 . Queen Parkways Win City Approval; Board Agrees to Buy the Land Needed for Two Roads to Be Built by State . November 24, 2024 . The New York Times.
  140. Web site: 1933-05-05 . Estimate Board Votes to Buy Parkway Lands . 2024-11-24 . Brooklyn Eagle . 1, 2 . en-US.
  141. Web site: 1933-05-07 . Board of Estimate Approves Maps for Laurelton Parkway . 2024-11-24 . New York Daily News . 117 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  142. Web site: 1933-05-20 . Reduction Voted in Levy for Road . 2024-11-24 . Times Union . 9 . en-US.
  143. Web site: 1933-05-27 . City Approves Parkway Plans . 2024-11-24 . Brooklyn Eagle . 4 . en-US.
  144. News: 20 Aug 1933 . Federal Funds To Assist City Traffic Relief: Number of Projects Which Will Provide Belter Arterial Routes for Travel Several Areas to Benefit Long Island and Westchester to Share in Program . New York Herald Tribune . B8 . 1941-0646 . .
  145. Web site: 1933-05-28 . 400 Men Clearing Route for Road in Forest Park . 2024-11-24 . New York Daily News . 58 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  146. Web site: April 9, 1933 . 2 Famous Landmarks of Queens to Be Razed . November 24, 2024 . New York Daily News . 81 . 2692-1251.
  147. Web site: 1933-09-21 . 200-Year Queens Mansion Raised to Make Room for New Highway . 2024-11-25 . New York Daily News . 239 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  148. News: 17 June 1933 . Board Approves Plans For Queens Approaches . New York Herald Tribune . 12 . 1941-0646 . . none.
    Web site: 1933-06-16 . L.I. Parkways Work Aided by Estimate Board . 2024-11-25 . Brooklyn Eagle . 2 . en-US.
  149. Web site: 1933-06-24 . City to Take Parkway Land Title by July 1 . 2024-11-25 . Brooklyn Eagle . 1, 2 . en-US.
  150. Web site: 1933-06-23 . Moses Demands Park Action to Provide Jobs for 1,650 . 2024-11-25 . New York Daily News . 587 . en-US . 2692-1251 . none.
    Web site: 1933-06-22 . Parkway Funds May Be Delayed . 2024-11-25 . Brooklyn Eagle . 1, 2 . en-US.
  151. Web site: 1933-07-09 . Urge Repair of Streets Leading to Parkway . 2024-11-25 . New York Daily News . 129 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  152. Web site: 1934-01-05 . Emergency Work Plans Include Repaving of Cypress Avenue . 2024-11-25 . New York Daily News . 526 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  153. Web site: 1933-07-25 . Plan Buses to Replace Cypress Ave. Trolleys . 2024-11-25 . New York Daily News . 301 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  154. Web site: 1933-07-04 . $6,500,000 U.S. Loan to Speed Long Island's Highway Program . 2024-11-25 . New York Daily News . 220 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  155. Web site: 1933-08-04 . Begin Building Extension for Interboro Pky. . 2024-11-25 . Brooklyn Eagle . 3 . en-US . none.
    Web site: 1933-08-22 . Rush Work on Bridges of Interborough Link . 2024-11-24 . New York Daily News . 408 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  156. Web site: 1933-08-22 . Rush Work on Bridges of Interborough Link . 2024-11-25 . New York Daily News . 357 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  157. Web site: 1933-09-28 . Interboro Parkway Spans Reported Behind Schedule . 2024-11-25 . New York Daily News . 430 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  158. Web site: 1933-09-25 . Interboro P'kway Plans Go Before City Board Today . 2024-11-25 . Brooklyn Eagle . 10 . en-US . none.
    Web site: 1933-09-26 . 4 Boro Parkway Contracts Win Approval of City . 2024-11-25 . Times Union . 8 . en-US.
  159. Web site: November 6, 1933 . $224,048 Contracts Let for Queens Road Bridges . November 24, 2024 . New York Daily News . 742 . en-US . 2692-1251 . none.
    Web site: November 4, 1933 . Work to Begin on 2 Parkway Grade Bridges . November 24, 2024 . Brooklyn Eagle . 4 . en-US.
  160. Web site: 1933-12-23 . Parkway Plans Approved Despite Levy Objections . 2024-11-25 . Brooklyn Eagle . 3 . en-US.
  161. Web site: Lythgoe . George W. . 1933-10-08 . Interboro Parkway Job Has Contractors on Jump . 2024-11-25 . Times Union . 7 . en-US.
  162. Web site: 1933-12-05 . Mystery of Moving Houses Solved–It's for New Park . 2024-11-25 . New York Daily News . 231 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  163. Web site: 1933-10-22 . Owners Protest Parkway Damage to Their Lawns . 2024-11-25 . New York Daily News . 89 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  164. Web site: 1934-01-16 . He'll Speed Bridges, Contractor's Pledge . 2024-11-25 . New York Daily News . 194 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  165. Web site: 1934-03-19 . Northern State Parkway Link to Open by July 1, Moses Says . 2024-11-27 . New York Daily News . 361 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  166. News: 24 Dec 1933 . Interborough Parkway Extended One Mile West . New York Herald Tribune . 2 . 1941-0646 . . none.
    Web site: 1933-12-24 . Eagle's Fight for Interboro Parkway Won . 2024-11-25 . Brooklyn Eagle . 8 . en-US.
  167. Web site: 1934-03-10 . City Adopts Plan for Terminal of Interboro P'kway . 2024-11-27 . Times Union . 3 . en-US . none.
    Web site: 1934-03-10 . City Approves Parkway Land Purchase Plan . 2024-11-27 . The Brooklyn Citizen . 2 . en-US.
  168. Web site: 1934-02-13 . Board Assures Parkway Critics of Early End of Traffic Jams . 2024-11-25 . New York Daily News . 271 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  169. Web site: 1934-01-12 . Plan to Start Ten Parkways Jobs at Once . 2024-11-25 . Brooklyn Eagle . 3 . en-US . none.
    Web site: 1934-01-13 . Bids on 10 Jobs Called by State . 2024-11-25 . Times Union . 2 . en-US.
  170. News: . Senate Passes 2 Long Island Parkways Bills: Unanimous Vote Is Taken After Dunnigan Attacks Desmond as '2d Macy' 1 Whip Enough for Him Four Measures to Liberalize Liquor Law Introduced . 8 Feb 1934 . 7 . New York Herald Tribune . 1941-0646 . none.
    Web site: 1934-02-08 . Park Measures OK'd . 2024-11-25 . New York Daily News . 423 . en-US . 2692-1251 . none. ; Web site: 1934-02-08 . 2 City Parkway Bills Are Passed by State Senate . 2024-11-25 . Times Union . 9 . en-US.
  171. News: 9 Feb 1934 . Lehman Signs Bills to Extend City Parkways: Measures Enable Moses to Complete Two Projects Under Way in Queens Paternity Tests Favored Wald Proposal Would Authorize Blood Analyses . New York Herald Tribune . 10 . 1941-0646 . . none.
    Web site: February 9, 1934 . 2 Parkway Bills Signed by Lehman; They Permit Steps to Hasten the Interborough and Grand Central Routes in Queens . November 25, 2024 . The New York Times.
  172. Web site: 1934-03-06 . Interboro Land Buy Blocked by Levy's Refusal to Vote . 2024-11-25 . New York Daily News . 307 . en-US . 2692-1251 . none.
    Web site: 1934-02-16 . Aldermen Bar Savings—Mayor . 2024-11-25 . Brooklyn Eagle . 1, 2 . en-US.
  173. Web site: 1934-03-18 . Moses Bans Plan to Build Parkway Across Cemetery . 2024-11-27 . New York Daily News . 180 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  174. News: 23 Sep 1934 . Costs of Queens Road Repair Projects Reduced Through Utilizing Reclaimed Material: Process Established by Late W. P. Dunn, Engineer at Flushing Plant, Converts Waste Asphalt Into New Surface for Reconditioning of the Highways and Easing the Paths of Motorists . New York Herald Tribune . A14 . 1941-0646 . .
  175. Web site: 1934-03-02 . Park Commission to Receive Bids on Paving Today . 2024-11-25 . New York Daily News . 335 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  176. News: 23 Apr 1934 . $1,756,599 Awards Set For Parkway Property: Court Slashes $4,037,272 Price Sought by Owners . New York Herald Tribune . 9 . 1941-0646 . . none.
    Web site: 1934-04-23 . Interboro Pkwy. Awards by Court Total $1,756,599 . 2024-11-25 . Times Union . 1 . en-US . none. ; Web site: April 23, 1934 . $1,756,599 Awards Made for Parkway; Lockwood, After 8 Months of Trials, Asks City to Prepare Decree as of Last July 1 . November 25, 2024 . The New York Times.
  177. News: 18 Apr 1934 . Municipal Loans . The New York Times . 32 . 0362-4331 . .
  178. Web site: 1934-04-08 . Construction Speeded Up on Interboro Parkway . 2024-11-25 . New York Daily News . 93 . en-US . 2692-1251.
  179. Web site: 1934-06-21 . Board to Get Parkway Plea . 2024-11-25 . Brooklyn Eagle . 1 . en-US.
  180. Web site: 1934-06-22 . Brooklyn Link With Interboro Parkway O.K.'d . 2024-11-27 . Times Union . 1 . en-US . none.
    Web site: 1934-06-22 . How Interboro Parkway Extension Is Planned . 2024-11-27 . Brooklyn Eagle . 13 . en-US.
  181. News: 29 July 1934 . Cemetery to Give Aid For Interboro Parkway . New York Herald Tribune . A8 . 1941-0646 . . none.
    News: 1934-08-09 . Landscaping Planned for Interboro Parkway . 2024-12-04 . Daily News . 234.
  182. News: 1934-09-24 . Bids Are In for Section of Interboro Parkway . 2024-12-04 . Daily News . 208.
  183. News: 1934-12-05 . Parkway Bridge Contract Is Let . 2024-12-04 . Times Union . 11 . none.
    News: 1934-12-06 . Opening of Bids Speeds New Interboro Parkway . 2024-12-04 . Daily News . 797.
  184. News: 1934-10-23 . Work Started on Interboro Parkway Links . 2024-12-04 . Daily News . 491.
  185. News: July 12, 1935 . OFFICIALS INSPECT NEW CITY HIGHWAY; Park and Bridge Executives See Interborough Parkway, Soon to Be Ready. . dead . https://archive.today/20180817001017/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/07/12/95083452.pdf . August 17, 2018 . January 11, 2018 . The New York Times . .
  186. News: 10 Nov 1935 . Interborough Parkway Will Open Tuesday: Highland Boulevard Bridge Ceremony to Start Traffic Over Kew Gardens Link . New York Herald Tribune . A7 . 1941-0646 . .
  187. Web site: November 10, 1935 . Brooklyn Show Ready; Safety Booth to Be a Feature -- Ingersoll Will Speak Tomorrow. . November 27, 2024 . The New York Times.
  188. Web site: Jackie Robinson Parkway - Historic Overview . NYCRoads.com . Eastern Roads . July 29, 2016.
  189. News: The Legacy of Westway: Lessons from Its Demise . Sam . Roberts . The New York Times . October 7, 1985 . A1 . July 29, 2016.
  190. News: September 13, 1972 . City to Straighten Out the Interboro . New York Daily News . November 17, 2022.
  191. News: Collins . Thomas . November 4, 1974 . Into Valley of Death Rides the Pave Men . New York Daily News . November 17, 2022.
  192. Web site: Allen . Michael O. . Sorensen . Jon R. . April 10, 1997 . Now call Interboro Jackie's basepath . November 13, 2024 . 639 . en-US.
  193. Web site: April 11, 1997 . Plan to Name Parkway For Jackie Robinson . November 13, 2024 . The New York Times.
  194. Web site: Smith . Claire . April 16, 1997 . A Grand Tribute to Robinson and His Moment . November 13, 2024 . The New York Times.
  195. News: 30 Apr 1997 . Caucus Lauds Renaming Of Interboro Parkway To Jackie Robinson Parkway . New York Voice, Inc. Harlem USA . 7 . .
  196. Web site: Slackman . Michael . April 15, 1997 . Sign of Change . November 13, 2024 . Newsday . 5 . en-US . 2574-5298.
  197. News: Cuza . Bobby . 2 May 2002 . Taxi Maps Get New Look . Newsday . A18 . 2574-5298 . .
  198. Web site: DeJesus . Jaime . April 17, 2018 . DOT honors Jackie Robinson with new signage . November 24, 2024 . The Brooklyn Home Reporter . none.
    Web site: April 12, 2018 . City unveils new signs honoring Jackie Robinson on the Queens-Brooklyn parkway bearing his name – QNS . November 24, 2024 . QNS.
  199. Web site: Barone . Vincent . April 12, 2018 . Jackie Robinson Parkway signs will feature iconic Brooklyn Dodger’s image . November 24, 2024 . amNewYork.

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