Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series#42:Wantagh Avenue Bridge in Hempstead Plains Updated:6/20/16
The 42nd bridge in the series documenting the 60 Long Island Motor Parkway bridges is the "parkway" bridge over Wantagh Avenue in the Hempstead Plains (now Levittown). One of the original 16 bridges built for the Vanderbilt Cup Races, it was part of the courses for the 1908, 1909 and 1910 races.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
Location
1908 Garden City Sweepstakes
A view looking west on top of the bridge of H. Tuttle driving the #G25 Stoddard-Dayton.
1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race
View looking west towards the bridge.
A rare view looking east from of top of the bridge. The Massapequa Lodge is on the left in the distance.
A classic photo of the eventual winner Old 16 Locomobile with the Wantagh Avenue Bridge in the background and the Massapequa Lodge on the right.
Another view taken by the same photographer.
1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race
The 1909 winner Alco Black Beast taking the turn onto the temporaryy road to the Massapequa-Hicksville Road. The bridge can be seen on the left.
1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race
Ralph Mulford in his Lozier practicing for the race. Note the Motor Parkway sign on the right.
A wonderful photo of the Massapequa Lodge with the bridge in the background.
Three racers were captured in the photo.
1935
A car accident in 1935 documented the bridge.
Update: December 30, 2013
Art K: "I found the article about this accident you showed on the recent blog about the Wantagh Avenue bridge. It was published in The Long Islander newspaper (published out of Huntington) on May 24, 1935. Unfortunately, the driver of the car, James Hart, did not survive. "
May 27, 1947
The Wantagh Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge had been taken down by 1947.
East Embankment-1950s
1973
An embankment of the bridge was seen in this 1973 Newsday article "What Ever Became of the Vanderbilt Parkway?"
Now
The east embankment is now the location of the Nassau County Police Department's 8th Precinct. Check out Wayne Consolla's online Motor Parkway map to find the location of the bridge.
Comments
Hello to all. I hope everyone had a nice holiday. Howard, did you access the 1973 article thru a library? That’s a pretty decent photo.
Hi Brian, somewhere I scanned the photo. I will try to track down the original Newsday article.
From Brian McCarthy:
The photo that’s associated with the 1973 Newsday article must have been taken before 1973, because the precinct was built in 1960. It makes sense that this area would be the E/S of Wantagh Ave (the towerline is to the right or south). Can’t figure out if it’s a road or driveway that I see in the background.. Happy New Year to all!