Kleiner’s Korner: NYC Approval for Three Motor Parkway Bridges in Queens
The Lakeville Holding and Development Company received approval to build three bridges in Queens in July of 1911 from the Board of Estimate and Apportionment of The City of New York. All documentation is from the July edition of the Board of Estimate's Journal of Proceedings except for photos and surveys that are on vanderbiltcupraces.com.
Art Kleiner
Petitioning for Permission
Three single span bridges were to go over and across Alley Road (Winchester Blvd.), Little Neck Road and Clinton Avenue (Commonwealth Blvd.).
Map showing proposed bridge locations. (NYC Board of Estimate and Apportionment, July 6, 1911)
The Motor Parkway in Nassau and Suffolk was personally inspected by Harry P. Nichols, Engineer, Chief of Bureau, who traveled its 40 miles and commented on each counties' approval of bridges over and under. He also noted in some cases (e.g., Nassau) consents were for 50 years.
Alley Road (Winchester Blvd.) Bridge
Three separate petitions to build were signed by the Parkway's Vice-President, William B. Anderson and Chief Engineer, E.G. Williams.
1928 Motor Parkway Survey
1928
Current view
Conditions for Approval
Each approval included requirements including a $100/year fee for the first five years and $105/year for the next five years to be paid to NYC. Different than Nassau, this original approval did not extend past 10 years.
NYC was granted a right of way over and above any structure and the "right to break through or remove all or any portion of the structure" . . ..
A completion date of July 1, 1912 was required.
The agreement required the ceding to NYC of all pieces or parcels of abutting property in the case that Alley Road was to be widened. Approval of the artistic design of the bridge was also required prior to construction.
Clinton Avenue (Commonwealth Blvd.) Bridge
1928 Motor Parkway Survey
1928
Current view
Little Neck Road Bridge
1911 Motor Parkway Survey
1932 (Courtesy of Queensboro President's Collection)
Current view
Comments
The abutments in the 1928 photo brought to mind some railroad bridges in Nassau County. I know the LIMP bridges in Queens were required to be constructed ‘railroad type’. Below is the LIRR bridge towards Oyster Bay. East Abutment is old type, West Abutment obviously new style. The “steps” with the old style came in handy as a way of getting to or away from the tracks.
The photo showing the guardrail barrier across the Motor Pkwy was the “end” for me when I was a kid. My friends and I would take our bikes and go as fast as we could on the downhill slope to the “end.” As kids living in Fresh Meadows, all we knew was that the “Motor Pkwy” that we rode on was a remnant of an old road; we had no idea that it had any significance.
Roy: I grew up (and came back) in Levittown and daily crossed the LIMP ROW until high school to get to school. In fact Pintail Lane school (now gone) was built on the LIMP ROW.
Anyway, we used to call it the “Old Motor Parkway” when we would ride our bikes on it.