Sam Berliner III: A 1970 Walking Tour of the Motor Parkway in Queens
Sam Berliner III continues to restore his amazing Motor Parkway website. A highlight of his restored LIMP History Page is a set of Queens Motor Parkway photos taken by J.J. Conroy of Sea Cliff around1970.
The locations were documented by Motor Parkway expert Robert Miller.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
199th Street to the 73rd Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge
Then: 73rd Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge looking east. Francis Lewis Boulevard can be seen in the background.
Now: 73rd Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge.
East of Francis Lewis Boulevard to the Clearview Expressway
East of Clearview Expressway to Hollis Court Boulevard (now Hollis Hills Terrace).
Note the concrete posts on both sides of the road.
More posts
Now: Hollis Hills Terrance Motor Parkway Bridge.
Springfield Boulevard to the Alley Pond Bridal Bridge
Likely the entrance/exit ramps off Springfield Boulevard
Looking west toward the Springfield Boulevard Motor Parkway Bridge. Entrance/Exit ramps can be seen on left and right of the road. Location for the Rocky Hill Lodge.
Then: Alley Pond Bridepath Bridge (Built by Robert Moses)
Looking west above the bridge.
Today: Sammy at the bridge.
West of Winchester Boulevard
Wheeler Farmway Bridge #2 at Alley Pond was later brick-faced by Robert Moses.
Now
Comments
These images are excellent! More than glad Mr. Conroy offered his research to you, Sam III. He knew this fell in good hands. Note - the ‘today’ comparison image of Wheeler Bridge #2 is LIMP view west to Springfield Blvd.
Thanks for sharing! Always good to get a refresh.
WOW! There were so many more posts back then. Almost all (if not all) were still standing in their original place, 32 years after closing. Fantastic post(s), Howard
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Your carrying forward of the Conroy images omitted my comment (or Bob’s?) that you could still see the old painted center line on some of the pix. Frank, I won’t fence with you - that’s a fantastic pun. Sam, III
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Howard Kroplick
Sam III, thanks for sharing the photos and correcting the copy.
Howard I
Enjoyed these images…Thanks for posting them…
Wow a blast from the past. That’s my old neighborhood (Queens Village). We used to ride our bikes on that network of VMP through Alley Pond and Cunningham parks onto streets over the Clearview Expy. onto VMP onto streets and end up at the Worlds Fair grounds back in the late 60’s (I was like 11-12 years old). I remember the old entrance and exit onto the Grand Central Parkway from Springfield Blvd. and the bridle path when we used to visit my relatives in Brooklyn (oh the Interborough). Thanks guys!!
Many of my missing 2,200 images are LIMP-oriented. Gotta get busy and extract them from old hard drives and JAZ cartridges (*IF* I can). Pray for me. Sam, III
How can I help out with the VMP?
How can I help out with the VMP ?
Hi Alex - We all add our own experiences with the Motor Pkwy here. Look through the blogs, think go back to 2008. Also many images here on the site. Any information that you may have is most welcome.
I see, so the site is meant to offer info on the parkway yes? I thought it might be to help the parkway..building, caring, something. K
There has been cleanups and restoration of abandoned bridges & sections of the parkway in Nassau County, Alex. Also cleanups in Queens where the parkway became a exercise path. Done by volunteers who subscribe or just find out some other way. Howard Kroplick, who manages this website, will advertise here any events concerning cleanups etc.