Long Island Motor Parkway

Written By Dino DiPietro

The Long Island Motor Parkway—also known as the Vanderbilt Parkway—was one of the world’s first limited-access highways, built solely for automobiles. Below is its comprehensive history:

🚗 Origins & Purpose

  • Built by William Kissam Vanderbilt II, an avid automobile racer and heir to the Vanderbilt fortune

  • Designed to host the Vanderbilt Cup Races, which began in 1904 on public roads; after a fatal spectator accident in 1906, Vanderbilt decided a dedicated route was needed

📐 Construction & Innovation

  • Construction began in June 1908, a year after Bronx River Parkway

  • Officially opened on October 10, 1908, with an initial 10-mile section stretching to Bethpage

  • Pioneering features included:

    • Reinforced concrete surface;

    • Banked curves and engineered guardrails;

    • About 60–65 overpasses and bridges to eliminate intersections;

    • 12 toll houses (six designed by noted architect John Russell Pope)

🏁 Race Era (1908–1910)

  • Hosted the Vanderbilt Cup races in 1908, 1909, and 1910

  • After a tragic crash in 1910 that killed multiple spectators, racing was discontinued; New York law subsequently prohibited races on public roads

🛣 Transition to Public Toll Road

  • Fully opened as a private toll road in 1912—covering approximately 45 miles from eastern Queens to Lake Ronkonkoma

  • Initially charged $2 per use, later reduced to $1, then $0.40 to stay competitive

  • Popular among New York elites and known for its “police-free” experience

🍾 Roaring Twenties & Prohibition

  • Nicknamed “Rumrunners’ Road” during Prohibition (1920s), used by bootleggers transporting liquor

🛤 Decline & Closure

  • Emergence of Northern State Parkway (late 1920s) and other free highways reduced its viability

  • Financial losses led to shutdown in 1938, and the roadway was sold to New York State in lieu of back taxes

  • Robert Moses repurposed Queens segment as a bicycle path within months

🔍 Legacy & Modern Remnants

  • Approximately 45 miles originally built; cost roughly $6 million

  • Pioneer of modern highway design: first fully car-dedicated, reinforced concrete freeway with grade separation

  • Sections still visible in:

    • County roads;

    • Bike trails in Cunningham and Alley Pond Parks (Queens);

    • Historic remnants like bridges and tollhouses (some tollhouses repurposed, e.g., Garden City Chamber of Commerce)

  • Listed on the National Register of Historic Places—Queen’s historic district spans about 10 acres in Alley Pond–Cunningham Park

🏞 Significance

The Parkway served as a groundbreaking prototype for later parkways and interstate highways by showcasing grade separation, controlled access, and automobile-centric design. Its evolution from racing circuit to toll road, and eventual transformation into recreational trail, underscores its lasting impact on Long Island’s infrastructure and heritage—still visible beneath the surface of modern suburbs.

Dino DiPietro