Vanderbilt Cup Races

Ellen Rondot and Syd lefkoe in 2020 forwarded an article documenting how New York City Parks and Queens County respect and preserve history. Here are photos forwarded from several LIMPERS providing an update.

Thank you Veterans for your service!

Enjoy,

Howard Kroplick

Oldest road in country to be as good as new

Reconstruction scheduled for VMP

by Katherine Donlevy / Associate Editor

Queens Chronicle

 Updated Sep 17, 2020

The oldest modern paved parkway in the country is about to get some upgrades.

Construction on a 2-mile stretch of the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, now a walking and biking trail, from Winchester Boulevard to Springfield Boulevard, is scheduled to begin Monday, Sept. 21. The project entails milling and replacing the existing asphalt along eight sections of the greenway, as well as implementing wood edging and regrading the sloping in some parts.

“We’re excited to break ground on the first phase of the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway reconstruction project this month,” a spokesperson from the Parks Department told the Chronicle in an email. “Thanks to Council Member [Barry] Grodenchik, this $1.25 million project will enhance the pedestrian and cyclist experience at Motor Parkway with new asphalt pavement and guard rails.”

The project has been in the works since September 2017 and the construction phase is expected to finish by fall 2021. During construction, the 2-mile stretch will not be publicly accessible, though other sections of the pathway will remain undisturbed.

“We’re very excited that it’s finally happening,” Grodenchik (D-Oakland Gardens) told the Chronicle. “It’s a critical recreational spot and many people use it as a transportation link in Eastern Queens.”

The councilmember noted that the old motorway hasn’t been updated in at least two decades, and that, though some sections are in better shape than others, the whole path needs work. The first phase addresses the section that is in need of the most immediate care, he said.

Phase Two of the project will see the trail reconstructed from Springfield Boulevard to 199th Street, north of 67th Avenue, and is still in the procurement phase. While Phase One is being funded by the City Council, Phase Two is funded by the Mayor’s Office and will cost between $3 and $5 million.

The Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, also known as the Long Island Motor Parkway, was originally built in 1908 by William Vanderbilt II to support his passion for motor racing. By 1928, the privately owned parkway stretched 48 miles from Queens to Suffolk County, and in 1938 much of it was transformed into the Queens Bicycle Path by Parks Commissioner Robert Moses. Today, the section here exists as part of the Brooklyn-Queens greenway for joggers, walkers and bicyclists, and in 2002 was put on the state and federal registers of Historic Places.