Was there a road built just for cars? Yes there was. It’s the Long Island Motor Parkway. This parkway was the first of its kind in the world. William Kissam Vanderbilt II privately built it. He wanted to eliminate intersections with overpasses and bridges. The Long Island Motor Parkway officially opened October 10 1908.
William Kissam Vanderbilt II was quite the auto-racing enthusiast. He created the Vanderbilt Cup. It was the first major road racing competition in 1904. The races initially occurred on local Nassau County roads. But after a few spectator deaths Vanderbilt decided to build a highway. It would be suitable for racing and free of horse manure dust. The Long Island Motor Parkway was born. It featured banked turns, guard rails, and a reinforced concrete roadbed.
Originally the Long Island Motor Parkway was planned to stretch 70 miles. It would run from New York City to Riverhead. Only 45 miles were constructed. These ran from Queens to Lake Ronkonkoma. Construction began in June 1908. A 10-mile section opened in Bethpage on October 10 1908. The parkway hosted races in 1908, 1909 and 1910. An accident in 1910 killed two riding mechanics. The New York Legislature banned racing except on race tracks.
By 1911, the Long Island Motor Parkway extended to Lake Ronkonkoma. Its western stretch reached Fresh Meadows. It was the first road designed only for cars. It was the first concrete highway in the United States. And it was the first to use overpasses and bridges to eliminate intersections.
The Long Island Motor Parkway had a limited number of access points. These were small toll booths connected to local roads. The toll was initially set at $2. It later reduced to 40 cents in 1938. The first six toll houses were designed by John Russell Pope. He also designed the Jefferson Memorial. These toll houses included living space for the toll collectors. The most prominent toll house sits in Garden City.
Roadway design advanced in the 1920s. This rendered the Long Island Motor Parkway obsolete. Robert Moses planned the Northern State Parkway. He opposed integrating the Long Island Motor Parkway. He called it a white elephant.
The Suffolk County portion was donated in 1937. In July 1938, the rest of the parkway went to Nassau County and the Long Island State Parks Commission.
Today parts of the Long Island Motor Parkway survive. It is used as sections of other roads. It also serves as a bicycle trail in Queens. The Nassau County roadway was redeveloped. A small section remains in Great Neck. The road survives as Vanderbilt Motor Parkway in Suffolk County.
In 2008, the Long Island Motor Parkway celebrated its 100th anniversary. It truly paved the way for the highways we know today.