Meadowbrook State Parkway
| |
---|---|
Length | 12.52 mi[1] (20.15 km) |
Existed | 1934–present |
History | First segment opened October 27, 1934 | ; completed October 13, 1956
Restrictions | No commercial vehicles north of exit M9E |
Major junctions | |
South end | Ocean Parkway / Bay Parkway at Jones Beach |
NY 27 in Freeport Southern State Parkway in North Merrick NY 24 in Uniondale | |
North end | Northern State Parkway in Carle Place |
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | New York |
Counties | Nassau |
Highway system | |
Meadowbrook State Parkway | |
Jones Beach State Park, Causeway and Parkway System | |
NRHP reference No. | 05000358[2] |
Added to NRHP | April 28, 2005 |
The Meadowbrook State Parkway (also known as the Meadowbrook, the Meadowbrook Parkway, Meadowbrook Causeway, or the MSP) is a 12.52-mile (20.15 km)
The Meadowbrook State Parkway was first envisioned in 1924 as part of the
Reconstruction projects in the latter half of the 20th century have caused local protests by entities such as the
The portions of the Meadowbrook Parkway south of the Southern State Parkway are part of a scenic byway and are designated on the
In August 1998, the Meadowbrook was dedicated as the Senator Norman J. Levy Memorial Parkway in honor of
Route description
The Meadowbrook State Parkway begins at a
As the highway heads north from the channels surrounding the west end of South Oyster Bay, it runs along the west side of the Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve and the Merrick Road Park Golf Course, both of which are separated from the Meadowbrook by a small creek. The golf course leads to nearby exit M9, a cloverleaf interchange with
At the northern edge of the park, the Meadowbrook enters exit M6, a
Continuing west, the Meadowbrook State Parkway enters exit M2, a cloverleaf interchange with Zeckendorf Boulevard (unsigned
According to annual average daily traffic counts compiled by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) in 2011, the most-traveled part of the parkway is the section north of the Southern State Parkway. This portion carries an average of 106,800 vehicles daily, with the segment between Zeckendorf Boulevard and Old Country Road serving the most at 139,500 vehicles per day. South of the Southern State Parkway, the Meadowbrook Parkway sees only an average of about 54,000 vehicles daily. The busiest part in this stretch lies between the Babylon Turnpike and the Southern State Parkway, which handles 95,600 vehicles on an average day. The section between the Ocean and Loop parkways is the least-traveled part of the Meadowbrook Parkway, as only 15,400 vehicles use the segment per day on average – although as the gateway to Jones Beach, the segment is heavily traveled during the summer months.[1]
History
Design and construction
The Meadowbrook State Parkway was part of the original design for the Long Island Parkway System, developed by Robert Moses and LISPC in 1924 to alleviate congestion on "unattractive" local roads. The system was designed to connect several parks that were under construction at the time, including Jones Beach State Park, Bethpage State Park and Sunken Meadow State Park. In 1927, the parkway system was linked to parkways in New York City's boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. Jones Beach State Park and the Ocean Parkway opened in 1929, with access to the mainland via the Jones Beach Causeway (now part of the Wantagh State Parkway).[4] The parkway was named after Meadow Brook, the stream that follows its route between East Meadow and Freeport.
Construction of the Meadowbrook Causeway began in May 1933 with a $5,050,000 loan (1933 USD) given from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to the Long Island State Park Commission in April 1933. In order to repay this loan, the Long Island State Park Commission, working with the Jones Beach State Parkway Authority, would institute a 25-cent toll on the Meadowbrook and Jones Beach causeways. The 50-cent parking fee on Jones Beach would be reduced to 25 cents in order to keep the total charged to motorists at 50 cents.[5] It was proposed that the loan would be repaid in 25 years.[6] The Meadowbrook Causeway was designed as a 5-mile (8.0 km) road from the Southern State Parkway in Freeport to Jones Beach with six bridges across channels of South Oyster Bay. Three grade-separating structures would be designed as well by the State of New York Department of Public Works and the LISPC. A trumpet interchange with the Lido Beach Loop Causeway (current-day Loop Parkway) was constructed as well.[5] Designs also included 10.1 million cubic yards of hydraulic fill, and a new water channel for boats.[6] Proposed completion of the project was set for January 1, 1935.[6] The road was constructed by 3,800 people[7] and completed in October 1934, six months ahead of schedule.[8]
On October 27, 1934, the Meadowbrook and Lido Beach Loop causeways were opened to vehicular traffic by LISPC. A motorcade of cars was led across the new roadways by Robert Moses, then a Republican Party candidate for Governor of New York. The event was preceded by parades in Freeport and Rockville Centre. During a speech Moses cited praises to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation for donating the money and letting the LISPC and Jones Beach State Parkway Authority do the work without interference. Other speakers that afternoon praised Moses and the LISPC, and New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia showed up late to give his congratulations.[7] Despite the opening ceremony, two-way traffic was not permitted on the Meadowbrook between the Southern State and Merrick Road until June 1, 1935. Prior to that time, motorists had to use the renamed Wantagh Causeway to access Jones Beach.[9]
Extension to the Northern State Parkway
Moses announced during the opening of the
On October 13, 1956, Governor
Subsequent history
In the early 1970s, the Mitchel Field Interchange was reconfigured to better serve the Nassau Hub area, which was being developed on the site of
In 1947, the LISPC approved $37,000 (1947 USD) to construct a
In August 1998, signs were installed along the Meadowbrook State Parkway dedicating the road in honor of State Senator Norman J. Levy, who died in February 1998 after
The Long Island Transportation Plan 2000, a study of how to handle Long Island traffic issues in 2020, was started in 1997 by engineers from NYSDOT. The preferred alternative in the study would widen several parkways on the island, inserting
In 2005, the portions of the Meadowbrook south of the Southern State Parkway – along with several other Long Island parkways – were listed on the
In October 2008, Nassau County Legislator David Denenberg demonstrated with ten civic leaders in front of the NYSDOT building in East Meadow about the slow progress of construction on the NY 102 (Front Street) overpass. Construction was causing rush hour traffic to back up for miles near the Hempstead Turnpike (NY 24) exit, and evidence showed no work had been done for several months. After residents and commuters started demanding answers, NYSDOT stated that a project that began as just basic bridge repair had become a larger-scale project that required a redesign due to the fact that the bridge had more damage than initially realized.[25]
1980s Westbury Interchange reconstruction concerns
In 1989, during a reconstruction project at the Westbury Interchange, a lawsuit was filed against NYSDOT by the Village of Westbury, regarding environmental impacts; the lawsuit claimed that NYSDOT did not follow proper environmental guidelines while designing the project because their environmental impact report failed to consider the impacts of a nearby future widening project on the Northern State Parkway.[26][27][28]
Construction began in May 1988, and the project was expected to be completed on October 31, 1991.
A settlement was eventually reached between NYSDOT and the Village of Westbury, allowing construction on the interchange to restart in February 1990; the reconstruction project was ultimately completed in 1991.[29][30][31]
Exit list
The entire route is in Nassau County.
Location | mi[1][34] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jones Beach State Park | 0.00 | 0.00 | – | Ocean Parkway east – Captree State Park | Continuation beyond Bay Parkway; west end of Ocean Parkway | |
– | Bay Parkway – Jones Beach Theater, West End Beaches | |||||
0.10– 0.40 | 0.16– 0.64 | Bridge over Jones Bay | ||||
1.30 | 2.09 | Former Jones Beach fee booths (southbound only; closed 2017) | ||||
1.10– 1.50 | 1.77– 2.41 | M10 | Loop Parkway south – Point Lookout, Long Beach | North end of Loop Parkway | ||
Fundy Channel | 1.50– 1.70 | 2.41– 2.74 | Bridge | |||
Freeport Creek | 2.75 | 4.43 | Bridge | |||
Signed as exits M9E (east) and M9W (west); all trucks must use exit M9E | ||||||
4.57 | 7.35 | M8 | New York, Merrick | Signed as exits M8E (east) and M8W (west) | ||
5.10 | 8.21 | M7 | Babylon Turnpike – Roosevelt, North Merrick | Signed as exits M7E (east) and M7W (west) | ||
Eastern Long Island | Signed as exits M6E (east) and M6W (west); exit 22 on Southern Parkway | |||||
Uniondale | 8.99 | 14.47 | M5 | NY 24 east – East Meadow, Farmingdale | ||
9.30 | 14.97 | M4 | NY 24 west / Charles Lindbergh Boulevard – Uniondale, Hempstead, Coliseum, Eisenhower Park | |||
10.50 | 16.90 | M3 | Stewart Avenue ( CR 177 ) / Merchants Concourse | Signed as exits M3E (Merchants) and M3W (Stewart) | ||
11.28 | 18.15 | M2 | Zeckendorf Boulevard ( CR 260) – Shopping Mall | Signed as exits M2E (east) and M2W (west) | ||
Signed as exits M1E (east) and M1W (west) southbound | ||||||
12.52 | 20.15 | – | Eastern Long Island | Exit 31A on Northern Parkway | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
References
- ^ a b c "2011 Traffic Volume Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. September 25, 2012. pp. 257–58. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 12, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Microsoft; Nokia (August 21, 2012). "overview map of the Meadowbrook State Parkway" (Map). Bing Maps. Microsoft. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
- The Museums at Stony Brook. New York State Department of Transportation. 1985. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
- ^ a b "Aerial View of the Meadowbrook Causeway". The New York Times. October 21, 1934. p. XX8.
- ^ a b c "New Causeway to Link Long Island Resort Centres". The New York Times. April 9, 1933. p. RE2.
- ^ a b "Jones Beach Link Opened by Moses". The New York Times. October 28, 1934. p. 3.
- ^ "More Extensions to Queens Parks". The New York Times. August 12, 1934. p. RE2.
- ^ "New Local Roads Soon; Meadowbrook Open for Traffic to Beaches". The New York Times. June 2, 1935. p. XX12.
- ^ "New Highway Across Long Island to Link North and South Shores; Moses Announces Nassau Has Acquired Land for Extension of Meadowbrook Parkway". The New York Times. November 15, 1936. p. N1.
- ^ a b "Harriman Opens L.I. Parkway Link; Cuts Ribbon at Meadowbrook Extension". The New York Times. October 14, 1956. p. 55.
- ^ "Meadowbrook Strip to Be Widened". The New York Times. July 6, 1962. p. 13.
- ^ "Meadowbrook Work Done". The New York Times. November 19, 1964. p. 35.
- ^ a b "Compact NYSDOT Highway Record Plans: Beginning 1900". State of New York. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
- ^ The History of Mitchel Field, The Cradle of Aviation Museum Archived 2008-07-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ USAFHRA Document 00489094
- ^ USAFHRA Organizational Records Branch, 514th Air Mobility Wing Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "L.I. Parkway Work To Cost $9,429,000". The New York Times. May 2, 1947. p. 24.
- ^ Fresco, Robert (June 1, 1986). "Highway Gas Stations Drying Up". Newsday. p. 21 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Nava, Kim (August 3, 1997). "Stop & Go: A Weekly Guide to the Roads & Rails On Long Island". Newsday. p. A40.
- ^ a b Gearty, Robert (August 10, 1998). "Parkway Tribute To Sen. Levy". New York Daily News.
- ^ Lyall, Sarah (January 5, 1990). "Court Detours Effort to Repair an L.I. Parkway Junction". The New York Times. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- ^ Cotsalas, Valerie (July 1, 2001). "A Transportation Vision for 2020: Is It 20/20?". The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
- United States National Park Service. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ Saslow, Linda (October 19, 2008). "Roadwork on Two Parkways Draws Protest". The New York Times. p. LI5. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- ^ Saslow, Linda (February 19, 1989). "Woodbury Suit Threatens Highway Interchange Work". The New York Times. p. LI8. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- ^ "Matter of Village of Westbury v. Dot, 146 A.D.2d 578 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ Fan, Maureen (January 15, 1990). "A View from Westbury, A Roar Heard Over Interchange". Newsday. New York City. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- ^ a b Morris, Tom (February 6, 1990). "Parkway Project Restarts Slowly". Newsday. p. 23. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- ^ a b Fan, Maureen (April 26, 1990). "Parkways Work Back Up to Speed Interchange now termed safer". Newsday. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- ^ a b Annual Report (Report). New York State Department of Transportation. 1991. p. 42.
- ^ Abrams, Arnold (April 25, 1989). "Order Halting Road Project Is Thwarted". Newsday. New York City. p. 30.
- ^ In The Matter of Village of Westbury, Respondent v. Department of Transportation of the State of New York, et. al, Appellants (Report). Court of Appeals for the State of New York. December 19, 1989. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- ^ Google (January 6, 2016). "Meadowbrook State Parkway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
External links
- Meadowbrook State Parkway at Alps Roads
- Interchange of the Week Monday, December 15, 2003 (Empire State Roads)
- Meadowbrook Parkway (Greater New York Roads)