Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series: #8 Alley Road Bridge (Winchester Boulevard) in Queens
When the 48 miles of the Motor Parkway were completed in 1926, a total of 65 bridges were built by William K. Vanderbilt Jr. and his associates over and under the parkway. Twelve of the bridges were built in Queens. Going west to east, the eighth bridge carried the Motor Parkway over Alley Road , now Winchester Boulevard. As seen in aerials and ground photos , it is one of the best documented bridges:
1924 Aerial- Oakland Gardens, Queens
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This aerial shows the section of the Motor Parkway from Alley Road (Winchester Boulevard) (far right) to Rocky Hill Road (Springfield Boulevard) (far left).
Close-up of the Alley Road Bridge.
1928 Image of Winchester Boulevard (Courtesy of Queens Borough President's Collection)
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As seen on page 71 of the book The Long Island Motor Parkway, the bridge over the renamed Winchester Boulevard was built in 1912 and used railroad-type trestle construction as required by New York City.
1928 Motor Parkway Atlas- Oakland Gardens, Queens
The Atlas shows the location of the bridge on the right.
1930
In 1930, New York City decided to widen Union Turnpike to make it a major east-west road through Queens. However, the Motor Parkway in the area of Winchester Boulevard was in the path of the expansion. By an agreement among the city, the owners of the Motor Parkway and nearby State Hospital at Creedmoor, New York City planned to move a section of the Motor Parkway further north of the original location. This agreement was described in a New York Times article on June 22, 1930. The project was awarded to contractor Kennedy & Smith for $46,000.
March 3, 1932 Photo (Courtesy of Queens Borough President's Collection)
For a period of time in 1931 and 1932, there were two Motor Parkway bridges over Winchester Boulevard, the railroad-type original built in 1912 and the new concrete bridge further north as seen in this photo. This bridge used the exact same design as the three concrete bridges built over 73rd Avenue, Hollis Hills Terrace and Springfield Boulevard.
The view from atop the 1912 Motor Parkway Bridge. Note all the concrete posts.
March 9, 1932 Photo (Courtesy of Queens Borough President's Collection)
This photo shows pre-expansion Union Turnpike looking east on March 3, 1932. The buildings and chimney stacks of Creedmoor State Hospital are straight ahead and the Long Island Motor Parkway is to the left with the two bridges over Winchester Boulevard further east.
June 24, 1938 Aerial
By 1938, the original bridge had been removed and the expanded Union Turnpike was still under construction. This aerial confirms that a small section of the original Motor Parkway lies under Union Turnpike.
Current Views-2011
Although both bridges have long been removed, the northern embankment still stands over 20 feet above Winchester Boulevard. Moreover, over 20 concrete posts still guard the right-of-way in this section of the Brooklyn -Queens Greenway.
Links to related posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com and the Internet:
Archives: Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series
The Seven Intact Motor Parkway Bridges
Google Maps: Winchester Boulevard
The 1928 Long Island Motor Parkway Atlas
Brooklyn-Queens Greenway Guide (page 61).
Archives: Long Island Motor Parkway- Bridges
Archives: Long Island Motor Parkway Bridges- Queens
Index: Archives on VanderbiltCupRaces.com
Comments
In the 1938 photo, I’m guessing the original limp is the path that veers to the right into Union Tpke in the top of the photo? And then follows Union Tpke west until it merges (so to speak) into the Limp?
Hi Brian:
I believe you are correct.
Howard
From Roy W:
“Thanks so much for letting me enjoy my youth again with the articles on Queens. I grew up in Fresh Meadaows. When I got my first English racer in 1959, the first thing I did was to take it on the Parkway to the end; i.e., what’s shown in your Winchester photos today. The downhill grade was fantastic on the last stretch. What speed. But the road was rough.”
The Alley Road Bridge (Winchester Blvd.) was demolished as a WPA project in 1940. Demolition took 2 1/2 months including “grading and beautifying the embankment, removal of the one and half story toll house”. Was there a toll house there?
This last paragraph in this article tends to answer yes. Taken from the “The Brooklyn Citizen” of Oct. 28, 1940.
After reading through the article, they realized this was the 2nd parkway bridge built over Winchester ( the reference to the original stone bridge built in 1889 ) We all know the original bridge wasn’t built in 1889. Feel like the removal of toll house was the bungalow type lodge with living quarters at Rocky Hill Rd. Wonder if it became a residence somewhere nearby?
Art, there are several errors in the Brooklyn Citizen article dated Oct. 28, 1940.
Can’t believe everything you read, once again, Al. Care to elaborate in your next comment to set the record straight?
Art, Starting with the headline, ....Vanderbilt did not build the bridge, New York City did. plus it was built the other way round, of stone not steel, If there was a stone bridge there in 1899 somebody else built it….. Parallel the LIRR for more than 50 miles ? How come nobody told me about the rail line along the Commack Spur ? ....... The bridge was not acquired in 1937, NYC already owned it…. The Parkway ROW thru Queens was not transferred to the Parks Dept. but acquired directly by Moses as the City Parks Commissioner. (he wasn’t going to let anyone else have a say in the future of Queens section of the Long Island Motor Parkway ROW.).... The Motor Parkway never had a toll lodge at Winchester Blvd. BUT… what the Parkway did have at that location….was a temporary entrance ! When the Parkway was extended west of Rocky Hill Rd. construction was from east to west. This way the Parkway was opened in the sections completed. There were at least 2 temporary entrances for east bound motorists during the construction phase, one at Winchester and the other at Commonwealth. There probably were others. What’s disappointing about this whole scenario, is that the article was copied verbatim by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on Nov. 4th.
Thanks for the corrections, Al. I’ll send them to the editor!
A new source I’ve found to research are the archives of The NY Daily News. Here are some articles related to the Alley Road (Winchester Blvd.) Motor Parkway Bridge. Starting from the Feb. 18, 1931 issue.
From Art Kleiner:
And from 1933, 1934 and 1940.
Art, The Daily News photo caption speaks of the new overpass “reducing the crossing collision toll”. ???? Any idea what the News is referring to.
Good question, Al - more research to do on that!