Vanderbilt Cup Races

2011/2012

In June of 2011, a small group of dedicated members of the LI Ford Model A Club and the Long Island Motor Parkway Preservation Society did a wonderful job of cleaning up the Motor Parkway Bridge. Unfortunately, Mother Nature has an incredible way of reclaiming what is hers, and 10 years later, the bridge is back to being buried in nature.

Clean and cleared of trees and brush, the bridge emerged looking incredible after 100 years. A visit in 2011/2012 was real a treat for Motor Parkway enthusiasts.

Looking east at the switchback path over the bridge. When cleared, it became a gravel path led further down and switched back to the right to come back over the bridge.

In June of 2012, the Model A Club celebrated with a happy parade of Fords over the bridge.

September 2021

I personally hadn't been back to the bridge in many years. As soon as things started opening up after the pandemic 2 years ago, Old Bethpage had their county fair in September 2021 and I thought it a good time to go investigate what Mother Nature and time had done with the bridge and its surroundings in 10 years.

I was disheartened to see that not only had the overgrowth taken back its space, but to a point maybe worse than ever before. The bridge, clearly visible and clear in 2011, was in 2021 completely covered and not even an inch of it exposed, even some dumping has returned to the site. It may be even worse now in 2023.

Yes, it's in that brush somewhere.

The 2021 view looking east.

This view should show the path shown being cleared above in the 2011 photos. The path is long gone again.

It may be time again for the members of the Ford Club and Motor Parkway Preservation Society to pay a visit and clean up this Motor Parkway treasure again in the spring of 2024!