City To Start Repaving Vanderbilt Motor Parkway In Eastern Queens

OAKLAND GARDENS, QUEENS — One of the country's first paved roads is getting a new coat of asphalt.

The parks department is slated to start a multimillion-dollar reconstruction Monday of the historic Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, which runs from Cunningham Park to Alley Pond Park in Eastern Queens, according to city officials.

Repaving will start with the section of the parkway between Winchester and Springfield Boulevards. That portion will close to the public until construction is complete, likely in fall 2021, a parks department spokesperson said.

The repaving is the first major capital construction project on the parkway in more than 25 years, according to City Council Member Barry Grodenchik.

“I am so pleased to announce the start of work on the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway,” Grodenchik said. “This iconic throughway and historic treasure will now get the attention that it needs, and the residents of Eastern Queens are the beneficiaries.”

Besides repaving the parkway, the project will also widen the parkway where possible, add guard rails and resolve drainage issues.

The parkway, also called the Long Island Motor Parkway, was built in 1908 by railroad mogul and financier William K. Vanderbilt Jr. as America's first all-elevated road designed exclusively for cars.

It was shut down in 1938 but was soon repurposed as a piece of public parkland used for outdoor recreation.

"The pandemic has highlighted the need for safe outdoor space all across the city, and this resurfacing will ensure that Eastern Queens residents have access to a high-quality open-air recreation venue for decades to come," Grodenchik said.