Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series #59:Half Hollows Road Motor Parkway Bridge(Colonial Springs)
The 59th bridge in the series documenting the 65 bridges built by the Long Island Motor Parkway is the Half Hollows Road Motor Parkway Bridge in Wheatley Heights. Half Hollows Road was renamed and is currently called Colonial Springs Road.
The "parkway" bridge over Half Hollows Road was built around 1910 and is well documented in surveys, ground images and aerials.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
October 1907 Surveys
16.8 acres of this land for the Long Island Motor Parkway was purchased from Reverend Charles E. McDonnell, Bishop of Brooklyn.
May 1909 Schematic of the Bridge
1928 Motor Parkway Atlas
1928 Aerial
A spectacular aerial showing the Motor Parkway in Wyandanch and Wheatley Heights. Note the circular road of the Pinelawn Cemetery. In 1936 this section became the Long Island National Cemetery.
A closer look shows the bridge.
February 3, 1930 Aerial
1941 Map
Early 1950s
A view of the bridge taken on Colonial Springs Road looking west.
Submitted by Ed Babor:
"This photo was taken with a small box camera. Bridge is over Colonial Springs Road and taken in the very early 1950s. I spent summers at my aunt's in Wyandanch and we rode bicycles on the Motor Parkway from Pinelawn Road to Half Hollow Road. Wide open, very few homes and no Long Island Expressway. The Motor Parkway was then in excellent shape, including these two bridges."
1954 Aerial
From historicaerials.com .
1955 Aerial
Seventeen years after the Motor Parkway closed, this bridge was still standing.
1966 Aerial
By 1966, the bridge had been taken down.
Current Views
The bridge was located west of the VFW building, marked by an overgrowth of trees.
Check out Wayne Consolla's online Motor Parkway map to find the location of the Half Hollows Road Motor Parkway Bridge.
Comments
Thanks, Ed! I can’t help but wonder how many of us “old crocs” drove, rode, or played on the LIMP and never even took a single picture. It was just “there”. Sam, III
great post. Last I checked the eastern abutment was still standing in the woods west of the VFW
From John W.:
- I love viewing these emails. I remember in 1960 driving through there with my Dad and going under the bridge, him then telling me the story of Motor Parkway as we in Deer Park called it. He recalled the toll booth on Commack road and some other details. I always knew of the section which continues to be used starting at Half Hollow Road in Dix Hills. In fact, I remember looking at the gate that prohibited you from continuing into what was once the Baruch estate….Benjamin Baruch, who once owned Bagatelle Nursery through which the parkway once ran. I road those roads as my family was in the nursery business and the General Manager of the nursery was a friend of the family from Holland (my grandfathers friend before both came here).
My mother recalled that gate I mentioned being open as an entrance to the estate as my other grandfather was a farmer who had a cider mill. Benjamin used to have my family press his apples for cider.
By the way, I have not seen it myself but my son tells me there are traces of the road running through the Kaufman Camp in Colonial Springs.
And that, Howard, is about all I can tell you except remembering riding my bike on the old road when I got older, having grown up in Deer park. And I remember getting my butt fired for not telling Mom first where I was going!
One more thing. Ironically, when I was first married we lived in Ronkonkoma, two blocks north of the parkway.
Thanks again for all you do.
JW