Motor Parkway

Cloverdale Blvd. bet. 77 Ave. and Kingsbury Ave. and 210 St. bet. 75 Ave. and Richland Ave.

Queens

Directions via Google Maps

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

What was here before?

Railroad mogul and financier William ‘Willie’ K. Vanderbilt II (1878-1944) began construction on the road on June 6, 1908. It was the first long-distance, reinforced concrete highway, using bridges and overpasses to eliminate cross traffic and curves for safety and speed.

Vanderbilt, great-grandson of the noted railroad developer Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877), became a serious devotee of a brand-new mode of high-velocity transportation: the automobile. Having participated in the Grand Prix cross-country races in Europe, ‘Willie K’ tried to create a similar long-distance road race in Long Island.

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