Cross Island Parkway

Design

The Cross Island Parkway was first proposed in 1930 by Robert Moses, President of the New York State Council of Parks, as part of a $20 million (1930 USD) plan to construct several parks and parkways throughout New York City. This proposal also included proposals for the Richmond Parkway and the corridor of the Grand Central Parkway. The proposal was held at the Hotel Commodore in Manhattan during the Park Association of New York City annual dinner, which had an attendance of 500 civic leaders. While the group accepted the idea, there were certain complaints about costs of the new projects, which were centered between Queens and Staten Island. The city had about $400 million in borrowing capacity, and that most of these projects should wait and be dealt with one at a time for funding by their importance.^[5]

The project for the Cross Island soon became the northernmost part of the 33-mile (53 km) "Circumferential Parkway", a new roadway that would start at Owl's Head Park and run along the southern shores of Brooklyn and Queens.^[6][7] The Cross Island Parkway piece would begin at the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge (then under construction), cross through the neighborhoods of Whitestone, Bayside and Alley Park and run along the Nassau County border until reaching the Laurelton Parkway, which would connect the Cross Island and the Southern Parkway. In December 1937, Moses, now commissioner of the New York City Parks Department, recommended the Cross Island, along with the other parkways proposed in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and The Bronx would cost about $8,026,182 (1937 USD) to acquire land for and that it would erase numerous bottlenecks throughout the city.^[6]

In June 1938, the Regional Plan Association proposed 27 new parks throughout the city, including three that would serve the purpose of helping construct the Cross Island Parkway. The first, an approach to the Whitestone Bridge, the city had recently gotten control of, the second; a park along Little Bay, a section of the Long Island Sound that would also connect to the Clearview golf course. The final piece was a section near Willets Point that also included Little Bay, Little Neck Bay and connecting to Alley Park. The Regional Plan Association, in coordination with Moses, requested these new park ideas as urgent, and would help improve the parkway system through New York City.^[8]

The Circumferential Parkway, which would cost $28,5 million (1938 USD), was accepted on October 13, 1938; the State of New York and the city provided $16,5 million, while the other $12 million came from the Public Works Administration.^[9][10] The city could not take on any more debt to fund the project, leading the New York City Comptroller to recommend that the parkway be delayed.^[11] To provide funding for the new parkway, money for a new courthouse for the Appellate Division had to be eliminated, along with subway improvements and additional funding from the 1939 capital budget. The borough of Manhattan paid 66% of the cost, while Queens and Brooklyn each paid 17%. The new parkway would help connect other transportation facilities throughout Brooklyn and Queens, and as a result, plans for a connection to South Brooklyn and the West Side and East Side Highways. The city also appropriated $3.327 million for the land acquisition for the new alignment, plus the engineering work. Moses notified the board that he had $5 million worth of contracts to let so that work could start as soon as possible. The board also accepted the $12 million federal contribution for the new project.^[10]

The name of the parkway system was changed in December 1938 from the "Circumferential Parkway" to the Belt Parkway, on request by Mayor of New York City Fiorello LaGuardia, who settled an argument of different names, one of which included using the last three letters of Brooklyn and the first three of Queens to make the Lynque Parkway. However, people felt that name was a bit too absurd and Moses and the city agreed to the new Belt name, and removed the former name due to many people who could not pronounce the former name.^[12] Another proposed name for the new roadway, among others, was suggested by LaGuardia, calling the road the Ringstrasse Parkway.^[13] The Queens section of the Belt Parkway was ultimately named Cross Island Parkway, usurping that name from the parallel Francis Lewis Boulevard.^[14]

Construction

Almost immediately after the parkway was approved by the city, bids were flowing in for new project contracts to construct the new parkways. The Belt system would be constructed via numerous contracts, which involved grading the new parkway, constructing bridges, and paving the new highway. 66 spans of bridges were going to be constructed for the entire system,^[15] with the section of the Cross Island Parkway between Fort Totten and the Whitestone Bridge approach being bid on by December 23, 1938. By this point, already seven contracts totaled at over $5 million (1938 USD). S.J. Grover and Sons, a firm based out of Ridgefield, New Jersey, got the contract for the 3 miles (4.8 km) section.^[16] Just three days prior, the city got bids for grading the new parkway through Springfield, Queens, between Arthur Street and Brookville Boulevard, as well as a vehicular bridge over the Cross Island Parkway at Springfield Boulevard and 225th Street. The project went to Petracca and Banco of St. Albans.^[17]

In January 1939, the state government received bids for the construction of the interchange between the Whitestone and Cross Island parkways.^[18] On February 4, 1939, Governor of New York Herbert Lehman gave permission to let the city construct the Cross Island Parkway piece that crossed into Nassau County. Known as the Bennett-Numan Bill, the bill also required the city to maintain and enforce laws on the Nassau County portion of the new roadway.^[19][20] By February 1939, the project was already 26% along, with parts of the $6.1 million (1939 USD) section of the Belt Parkway system being completed, and eleven contracts had been awarded. On February 24, 1939, the city let a contract to National Excavation Corporation for construction of the Cross Island Parkway between Hillside Avenue and 91st Avenue in Queens.^[21]

The thirteenth contract of the project, let on March 10, would pave the Cross Island Parkway from Hempstead Turnpike to Linden Boulevard, a 1 mile (1.6 km) long stretch in Queens, a new separation between 115th Avenue and one at Linden Boulevard. Good Roads Engineering and Contracting Company of Wantagh won the contract with a bid of $597,794.^[22] On March 21, 1939, bids were opened to construct three new bridges along the Cross Island Parkway in Whitestone; the Elmhurst Contracting Company of Corona received the contract.^[23][24] On March 22, the city offered a contract of the grade separation of the Cross Island Parkway over the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line and its spur to Belmont Park, along with separation for nearby Superior Road. The project also included paving of the Cross Island between Jamaica Avenue and Hempstead Avenue. The contract went to the National Excavation Corporation.^[25] The state also received bids for paving the Cross Island between 46th Avenue and the Grand Central Parkway; the low bidder for that contract was Andrew Weston Inc.^[26] By March 31, 1939, the twentieth contract for the system was let, constructing a new bridge for the Grand Central Parkway to cross over Winchester Boulevard and westbound Grand Central traffic over the Cross Island Parkway.^[27]

On June 13, 1939, bids for construction of the new interchange between the Laurelton Parkway, Southern State Parkway and construction of the new parkway between Linden Boulevard and 129th Avenue.^[28] Landscaping of the new parkway began around September, when topsoiling and gardening began between the Creedmore State Hospital and Laurelton Parkway.^[29][30] By December, 92% of the landscaping contracts had been announced, with the recent section between the Grand Central Parkway and Fort Totten.^[31]

Opening

While construction continued on the Belt Parkway system, including the Cross Island Parkway, construction was wrapping up on construction of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, which opened with a ceremony on April 29, 1939. LaGuardia and Moses both praised the construction of the Cross Island Parkway as the important part of the Whitestone side of the new bridge.^[32] By 1940, final bids on the new project were still coming in for the Belt Parkway projects, which included a contract let on April 17, 1940 for new fencing along the three parkways. Ross Galvanizing Works in Brooklyn won the contract for fencing between North Conduit Avenue and the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge along the Southern, Laurelton and Cross Island.^[33] On May 22, 1940, a contract was let to Frank Mascali and Sons, which paved, drained, filled and graded sections of the Cross Island Parkway between the Grand Central and the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge.^[34]

Two hundred construction workers formally toured the parkway on June 8, 1940.^[35] It was announced that the entire Belt Parkway system, 34.9 miles (56.2 km) long, would open to traffic on June 29, 1940, with a ceremonial trip along the entire roadway. With a final total of nearly $30 million (1940 USD), the road was complete except for a portion between Plumb Island and Ocean Parkway near Coney Island. The due date on the Public Works Administration funding, set for June 30, 1940, was met, and the new parkway would have Moses, LaGuardia and the administrator of the PWA, John Carmody. The new parkway was groomed overnight by 1,700 workers to prepare for the opening. The general public was allowed to use the new parkway after the special dignitaries car had passed.^[2][36] The project also included the addition or renovation of several playgrounds and public parks, such as Crocheron Park.^[37]

Later years

In 1952, the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority awarded a $920,000 contract to widen about 11 miles (18 km) of the Cross Island Parkway from four to six lanes. As a result of this project, nearly all of the Belt Parkway system was six lanes wide, except for a four-lane section in Laurelton.^[38][39] The TBTA also installed overhead navigational signs at several interchanges in 1953.^[40]

The state announced a plan to renovate the Long Island Expressway (I-495) in the vicinity of Alley Pond Park and the Cross Island Parkway in 1995.^[41] In 2000, Pataki and New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani announced that the segment of I-495 near Alley Pond Park and the Cross Island Parkway, would be rebuilt at a cost of $112 million.^[42][43][44] Work started in August 2000 and was substantially completed by 2005.^[45] The project included the restoration of 12 acres (4.9 ha) within the park, as well as the construction of new ramps between I-495 and the Cross Island Parkway at exit 30.^[46] As part of the reconstruction, two cloverleaf ramps were replaced with flyovers; the shoulders in each direction were converted into travel lanes; and new collector-distributor ramps were installed on I-495 east of the Cross Island Parkway interchange.^[45][44]