Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevards
{{short description|Boulevard in Queens, New York}}
{{redirect|Woodhaven Boulevard}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox road
| name = Woodhaven and
Cross Bay Boulevards
| state = NY
| route =
| alternate_name = Jamaica Bay Boulevard (former)
| marker_image =
| map = {{maplink-road}}
| map_custom = yes
| map_notes = Map of Queens with Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevards highlighted in red
| image = CrossBay163Av.jpg
| image_width = 300px
| image_alt = Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach, Queens
| image_notes = Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach, Queens
| maint = NYCDOT NYSDOT & MTAB&T
| length_mi = 11.1
| length_round = 1
| established =
| restrictions = No drivers with learner's permits on Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge
| direction_a = South
| terminus_a = Shore Front Parkway in Rockaway Beach
| junction = {{jct|state=NY|Parkway|Belt}} in Howard Beach
{{jct|state=NY|NY|27}} in Howard Beach
| direction_b = North
| terminus_b = {{jct|state=NY|I|495|NY|25}} in Elmhurst
| counties = Queens
}}
Woodhaven Boulevard and Cross Bay Boulevard (formerly Jamaica Bay Boulevard{{cite web|title=CROSS BAY VIADUCT BIDS CALLED FOR: Jamaica Bay Boulevard Will Create Direct Route From Rockaways to New York.|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1921/10/09/107028626.pdf|website=The New York Times|access-date=July 6, 2015|date=October 9, 1921}}) are two parts of a major boulevard in the New York City borough of Queens. Woodhaven Boulevard runs roughly north–south in the central portion of Queens. South of Liberty Avenue, it is known as Cross Bay Boulevard, which is the main north–south road in Howard Beach. Cross Bay Boulevard is locally known as simply "Cross Bay", and Woodhaven Boulevard, "Woodhaven". The completion of the boulevard in 1923, together with the construction of the associated bridges over Jamaica Bay, created the first direct roadway connection to the burgeoning Atlantic Ocean beachfront communities of the Rockaway Peninsula from Brooklyn and most of Queens.
The road is part of the New York City Arterial System, having formerly been given the unsigned reference route designation of New York State Route 908V (NY 908V). However, the reference route has not been listed in NYSDOT documents since April 2005, and is maintained by the New York City Department of Transportation.[https://www.dot.ny.gov/regional-offices/region11/general-info/highways-in-queens-county NYSDOT] Highways in Queens County The southernmost {{convert|0.4|mi|2}} of the route on the Rockaway peninsula, locally known as Cross Bay Parkway, is designated but not signed as New York State Route 907J (NY 907J).
Route description
File:Woodhaven Blvd Myrtle jeh.JPG]]
Beginning at the intersection with Queens Boulevard near the Queens Center shopping mall in Elmhurst, the boulevard runs generally south through the neighborhoods of Elmhurst, Rego Park, Middle Village, Glendale, Woodhaven (for which it is named), and Ozone Park.{{Cite NYCS map|neighborhood|Forest Hills}}{{Cite NYCS map|neighborhood|Woodhaven}} At the intersection with Liberty Avenue in Ozone Park, the name of the street changes to Cross Bay Boulevard. It continues south through Ozone Park, Howard Beach and across Jamaica Bay via the Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge through Broad Channel, before finally coming to an end at Rockaway Beach in The Rockaways, after crossing over the Cross Bay Bridge.{{Cite NYCS map|neighborhood|The Rockaways}}
Since Cross Bay Boulevard is a direct continuation of Woodhaven Boulevard, it is a large street, although not as wide. It is a six-lane wide, median-divided boulevard throughout the majority of its stretch (although it shrinks to four lanes once it reaches Broad Channel). Cross Bay Boulevard is the only direct connection between the Rockaways, Broad Channel, and the rest of Queens. Cross Bay Boulevard is approximately {{convert|7|mi}} long. Together with Woodhaven Boulevard, which is {{convert|4|mi}} long, makes it one of the longest streets in Queens, at {{convert|11|mi}}.
Woodhaven Boulevard is an 8- to 11-lane boulevard throughout its entire length,{{cite web|title=Woodhaven-Cross Bay Boulevards Select Bus Service: October 22, 2014: Community Advisory Committee Design Options Meeting|url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/2014-10-22-brt-woodhaven-cac2-presentation.pdf|website=nyc.gov|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation|access-date=July 6, 2015|date=October 22, 2014}} stretching up to {{convert|195|ft|m}} in width, making it the widest street in Queens that is not either a limited-access highway or a state route. The only street in Queens that isn't a highway to surpass it in width is Queens Boulevard (NY 25) at {{convert|225|ft|m}}.
Formerly, Woodhaven Boulevard (through Glendale, Woodhaven, and Ozone Park) had up to six central lanes and four service lanes (10 bi-directional), resembling many other major thoroughfares in the New York City boroughs outside Manhattan, such as Queens Boulevard in Queens; Ocean Parkway, Linden Boulevard, Kings Highway, and Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn; and Bruckner Boulevard, Pelham Parkway, and Grand Concourse in the Bronx. However, these service roads were removed in September 2017.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/brt-woodhaven-crossbay-blvd-sept-flyer.pdf|title=What's Happening Here?|date=September 2017|website=nyc.gov|publisher=New York City Department of Transportation|access-date=September 6, 2017}} It is also the only Queens roadway with its own distinct FIRE LANE markings, similar to those found on Manhattan's north–south avenues. {{As of|September 2017}}, Woodhaven Boulevard contains dedicated bus lanes along most of its length, while Cross Bay Boulevard does not.
History
File:WoodhavenBlvd2.JPG as seen from Woodhaven Boulevard station ({{NYCS trains|Jamaica east}})]]
Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevards was originally laid out as South Meadow Road in 1668. It originated at the intersection of present-day Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue, and went as far south as Jamaica Bay.{{cite web | title=How Two Boulevards Got Queens Moving | website=QNS.com | date=November 20, 2014 | url=https://qns.com/story/2014/11/20/how_two_boulevards_got_queens_moving/ | access-date=July 20, 2018}} Around the 1850s, South Meadow Road was renamed Trotting Course Lane, after the number of trotting courses and horse racetracks found in Woodhaven, halfway along the road's route. Part of the original Trotting Course Lane still exists near Metropolitan Avenue.{{cite web | title=TROTTING COURSE LANE, Forest Hills | website=Forgotten New York | date=November 27, 2013 | url=http://forgotten-ny.com/2013/11/trotting-course-lane-forest-hills/ | access-date=July 20, 2018}} In 1889, the road was renamed Flushing Avenue. By the time Queens became part of New York City in 1896, Flushing Avenue had been renamed yet again because the name was shared by another road a few miles away. The road was now named Woodhaven Avenue, after the neighboring community. Shortly afterward, Woodhaven Avenue was straightened in the vicinity of Metropolitan Avenue, resulting in the present-day Trotting Course Lane.
Cross Bay Boulevard dates from Patrick Flynn's 1899 proposal to build a road across Jamaica Bay. The crossing, which would be {{convert|80|ft|m}} wide, would contain a double-track trolley line, a bicycle path, and roadway. Flynn's project aimed at connecting the Jamaica Bay islands, filling in the marshes and leasing properties for homes along the route. The Long Island Rail Road, whose Rockaway Beach Branch trestles were the only transportation connection across the bay at the time, vigorously opposed Flynn's plans in an effort to protect its monopoly. In June 1902, the New York Court of Appeals invalidated the 1892 lease that Flynn's project was based on. The only work that had been performed was a flattening of a plateau south from Liberty Avenue to a point {{convert|1500|ft|m}} from the bay's northern shore.{{cite book |last=Black |first=Frederick R. |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/gate/jamaica_bay_hrs.pdf |title=Jamaica Bay: a History |date=1981 |publisher=United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service |series=Cultural Resource Management Study |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205130111/https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/gate/jamaica_bay_hrs.pdf |archive-date=February 5, 2017 |url-status=live}}{{rp|49}}
In the late 1910s, plans surfaced again to build Cross Bay Boulevard between Woodhaven and the Rockaways. Advocates stated that the construction of the boulevard would result in development in the Rockaways.{{cite web | title=CROSS BAY BOULEVARD.; Rockaway Property Owners Want Work Hurried. | website=The New York Times | date=October 7, 1917 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1917/10/07/archives/cross-bay-boulevard-rockaway-property-owners-want-work-hurried.html | access-date=July 20, 2018}} In September 1918, the New York City Board of Estimate approved plans for Cross Bay Boulevard.{{cite web | title=WILL CONSIDER BOULEVARD.; Board of Estimate to Take Up Jamaica Bay Roadway. | website=The New York Times | date=September 22, 1918 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1918/09/22/archives/will-consider-boulevard-board-of-estimate-to-take-up-jamaica-bay.html | access-date=July 20, 2018}} A $2.9 million bid for the boulevard's construction was received in October 1921.{{cite web | title=BOULEVARD BIDS LOW.; Connolly Expected Offers of $3,500,000, Got One of $2,869,297.64. | website=The New York Times | date=October 19, 1921 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1921/10/19/archives/boulevard-bids-low-connolly-expected-offers-of-3500000-got-one-of.html | access-date=July 20, 2018}} Work involved the paving of Cross Bay Boulevard with concrete and asphalt; widening the thruway from 50 feet to {{convert|100|ft|m|abbr=on}}; and connecting the Rockaways, Broad Channel, and mainland portions as part of what was described as "the largest vehicular trestle in the world". The project encountered difficulties, including the presence of oyster beds in the boulevard's path, which had to be removed before construction could proceed.{{cite web | title=Oyster and Clam Beds Halt Cross Bay Boulevard Work | website=The New York Times | date=May 13, 1922 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/05/13/archives/oyster-and-clam-beds-halt-cross-bay-boulevard-work.html | access-date=July 20, 2018}} The boulevard was then referred to as Jamaica Bay Boulevard. The southern portion between Broad Channel and Rockaway Beach opened in October 1924,[https://www.nytimes.com/1924/10/12/archives/open-a-boulevard-over-jamaica-bay-city-officials-take-part-in.html "OPEN A BOULEVARD OVER JAMAICA BAY; City Officials Take Part in Exercises at New $5,000,000 Causeway."], The New York Times, October 12, 1924. Accessed November 7, 2007. and the entire route up to the existing intersection of Woodhaven Avenue and Liberty Avenue opened a year later in 1925.{{cite web|title=JAMAICA BAY HIGHWAY READY THIS MONTH: New $7,000,000 Boulevard Will Be Open to Motorists the Week of Oct. 26.|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9904E1D61E38E233A25752C1A9669D946495D6CF|website=The New York Times|access-date=July 6, 2015|date=October 11, 1925}} The new boulevard used much of Flynn's original right-of-way, but the causeway across Jamaica Bay connected to mainland Queens east of the location of Flynn's plateau.{{rp|50}} In conjunction with this extension, Woodhaven Avenue was widened to {{convert|150|ft|m}} and renamed Woodhaven Boulevard.{{cite news | work = Brooklyn Daily Eagle | location = Brooklyn, NY | url =https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/59857250/ |title=Cross Bay Boulevard Completed in 1925 Gives Impetus to Seaside Development|date =December 7, 1924|page=72}}
Woodhaven Boulevard's northern end at Queens Boulevard was originally Slattery Plaza, where the two major thruways originally intersected with Eliot Avenue and Horace Harding Boulevard. The intersection, along with the Woodhaven Boulevard subway station, was named after Colonel John R. Slattery, former Transportation Board chief engineer who died in 1932 while supervising the construction of the Independent Subway System's Eighth Avenue Line.{{cite web|title=PWA Party Views New Subway Link: Queens Section to Be Opened Tomorrow Is Inspected by Tuttle and Others|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/12/30/88096632.pdf|website=The New York Times|access-date=June 27, 2015|date=December 30, 1936}}{{cite web|last1=Schneider|first1=Daniel B.|title=F.Y.I.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/15/nyregion/fyi-641910.html|website=The New York Times|access-date=June 27, 2015|date=October 15, 2000}}{{cite web|last1=Karni|first1=Annie|title=Subway stations retain signs listing places and streets that no longer exist|url=https://nypost.com/2012/10/07/subway-stations-retain-signs-listing-places-and-streets-that-no-longer-exist/|website=nypost.com|publisher=New York Post|access-date=June 27, 2015|date=October 7, 2012}}{{cite web|last1=Walsh|first1=Kevin|title=Ely Around in Queens|url=http://queens.brownstoner.com/2014/07/ely-around-in-queens/|website=queens.brownstoner.com|publisher=Blank Slate Factory, Inc|access-date=June 27, 2015|date=July 29, 2014}}
The original Jamaica bridge was intended to sufficiently handle traffic for many years, but by 1929 it was already becoming overly congested.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/55211642/|title=1,000 More City Workers Added to 27,000 Listed For Pay Increases To-Day: Whalen Asks Cross-Bay Bridge|date=June 27, 1929|work=Brooklyn Standard Union|access-date=July 12, 2020|page=3|via=newspapers.com}} The bridge was replaced with a newer, low-level bascule bridge in the same location that was opened on June 3, 1939, at a cost of $33{{nbsp}}million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US-GDP|22|1939|r=0}}{{nbsp}}million in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/55211840/|title=Rockaways Strut for Beauty Doctor Moses|date=June 3, 1939|work=New York Daily News|access-date=July 12, 2020|page=6|via=newspapers.com}} It consisted of a widened version of the previous drawbridge, and a grade-separated interchange complex feeding into Beach Channel Drive and the Cross Bay Parkway. The Cross Bay Parkway was extended south along Beach 94th Street and Beach 95th Street to the Shore Front Parkway along Rockaway Beach.{{cite news |title=New Shorefront Parkway In Rockaways Opened; $12,000,000 Bay Parkway Thrown Open |work=Long Island Daily Press |via=Fultonhistory.com |date=June 3, 1939 |pages=[http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252014%2FJamaica%2520NY%2520Long%2520Island%2520Daily%2520Press%2FJamaica%2520NY%2520Long%2520Island%2520Daily%2520Press%25201939%2FJamaica%2520NY%2520Long%2520Island%2520Daily%2520Press%25201939%2520a%2520%2520%25281380%2529.pdf 1], [http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2014/Jamaica%20NY%20Long%20Island%20Daily%20Press/Jamaica%20NY%20Long%20Island%20Daily%20Press%201939/Jamaica%20NY%20Long%20Island%20Daily%20Press%201939%20a%20%20(1381).pdf 2]}} Following its completion, Harry Taylor, head of the New York City Parkway Authority, said it had "transformed the old-time beach resort of blighted shacks, cheap amusements and limited play space into a modern playground of the type and character of Jones Beach."{{Cite news|date=June 3, 1939|title=Parkway Finished in the Rockaways|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/06/03/archives/parkway-finished-in-the-rockaways-moses-to-preside-at-ceremony.html|access-date=July 13, 2020|issn=0362-4331|page=12}}
A 1941 proposal would have created an expressway along the route of Cross Bay and Woodhaven Boulevards, connecting Queens Boulevard to the Rockaways.[http://www.nycroads.com/roads/crossbay-woodhaven/ Cross Bay-Woodhaven Express Highway], NYCRoads.com. Accessed November 7, 2007. The construction of the Long Island Expressway along the Horace Harding corridor caused Slattery Plaza to be demolished.
The Jamaica Bay bridge was reconstructed at a cost of $26{{nbsp}}million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US-GDP|26|1970|r=0}}{{nbsp}}million in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) and opened to traffic on May 28, 1970. The current bridge is a high-level fixed bridge carrying six traffic lanes and a sidewalk on the west side.{{Cite news|last=Fowle|first=Farnsworth|date=May 29, 1970|title=Cross Bay Parkway Bridge Is Dedicated|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/05/29/archives/cross-bay-parkway-bridge-is-dedicated.html|access-date=July 12, 2020|issn=0362-4331}} The bridge was built {{convert|55|feet|0}} high in order to allow boats pass under without the delays caused by the previous drawbridge.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/55211752/quip-on-old-draw-the-gov-dedicates/|title=Quip on Old Draw, The Gov Dedicates 'Finest' Span on L.I.|first=Bernard|last=Rabin|date=May 29, 1970|work=New York Daily News|access-date=July 12, 2020|page=256|via=newspapers.com {{open access}}}} The bridge is operated by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, an affiliate agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge was built to replace the original North Channel Bridge in 1993, a lack of maintenance on the old bascule bridge had allowed it to deteriorate to the point where it was beyond repair.{{cite news |title=Despite Perception, New York City Is on the Mend |first=Alan |last=Finder |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/27/nyregion/despite-perception-new-york-city-is-on-the-mend.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 27, 1989 |accessdate=2010-02-07}}
Once heavily German and Irish, the area is now very ethnically diverse.{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9505E4DD1331F933A1575AC0A96E958260 |title=If You're Thinking of Living In Woodhaven, Queens; Diversity in a Cohesive Community |last=Shaman |first=Diana |date=September 20, 1998 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=November 8, 2007}} The headquarters of the St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee is located on Woodhaven Boulevard (see also Irish Americans in New York City).{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04E3DE1E3BF934A35750C0A9679C8B63&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/S/St%20Patrick's%20Day |title=Secret List Sets Off St. Patrick's Parade Squabble |last=Barry |first=Dan |date=March 7, 2001 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=November 8, 2007}}
The first dedicated MTA bus lanes on the corridor were installed in August 2015, on the north end of Woodhaven Boulevard between Dry Harbor Road and Metropolitan Avenue.{{cite web|url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/2015-12-15-brt-woodhaven-cac5-presentation.pdf|title=Woodhaven / Cross Bay Boulevard (Q52/53) Community Advisory Committee Meeting #5|date=December 15, 2015|website=nyc.gov|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151226160920/http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/2015-12-15-brt-woodhaven-cac5-presentation.pdf|archive-date=December 26, 2015|url-status=live|access-date=December 26, 2015}}{{rp|4}} In September 2017, the NYCDOT announced that the segment of Woodhaven Boulevard between Union Turnpike and 81st Road would also get dedicated bus lanes for Select Bus Service. As part of that segment's bus lane implementation, the NYCDOT would remove the medians separating service-road and main-road traffic in each direction, as well as expand the median separating the two directions of traffic.
Transportation
{{main|Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevards buses}}{{see also|Rockaway Beach Branch}}
File:MTA Bus Company Orion VII 3614 on the Q53.JPG bus near the northern end of Woodhaven Bouelvard]]
The corridor is served by the following:
- The Q52 and Q53 provide Select Bus Service along the entire corridor, making all stops in Broad Channel. At the southern end, the Q52 heads east to serve Arverne and the Q53 west to serve Rockaway Park, both in the Rockaway Peninsula.
- Northbound, the Q52 terminates at Queens Center Mall on Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst, the corridor’s northern end, while the Q53 continues via Queens Boulevard and Broadway to Woodside, at the 61st Street subway and Woodside LIRR stations.
- Local service along the corridor is provided by the Q21, until its southern terminus at 164th Avenue. The route is absent between 157th Avenue and either 153rd Avenue (Howard Beach), or South Conduit Avenue (Elmhurst), in order to serve Lindenwood. Northbound service on the boulevard starts at 160th Avenue.
- The Q41 shares the same service with the Q21 in the Cross Bay Boulevard section, which ends at Liberty Avenue (northbound). It then heads east on Rockaway Boulevard, providing service to Jamaica.
- The Q11 provides additional local service between the northern end and Pitkin Avenue in Ozone Park, with most daytime buses heading east to serve Old Howard Beach or Hamilton Beach. All buses that terminate at Pitkin use Redding Street.{{cite web |url=http://mta.info/nyct/maps/busqns.pdf |title=Queens Bus Map |website=MTA New York City Transit}}{{cite web|title=Queens Bus Map|url=http://nycityhealth.com/offices/ridgewood/busqn.pdf|website=nycityhealth.com|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=July 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916014855/http://nycityhealth.com/offices/ridgewood/busqn.pdf|archive-date=September 16, 2015|url-status=dead}}
- The Q11 and Q21 routes, which originally corresponded to both portions of the boulevard respectively, date back to the 1930s when they were among 54 bus routes approved by the Board of Estimate for operation.{{cite web|title=54 Bus Routes Win Approval By City|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D00EED8173AEE3ABC4051DFB766838A629EDE|website=The New York Times|access-date=July 6, 2015|date=January 28, 1931}}{{cite web|title=AGREES TO REVISE QUEENS BUS GRANTS|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F03E0D6163EE633A25755C0A9629C946394D6CF|website=The New York Times|access-date=July 6, 2015|date=April 6, 1932}} They both terminate at Queens Center Mall northbound.
- Express bus service along the corridor is provided by the {{NYC bus link|QM15|QM16|QM17}}, and {{NYC bus link|BM5}} buses. Southbound, the QM15 makes stops first, followed by the BM5 south of 63rd Drive. It leaves the corridor at North Conduit Avenue to serve Spring Creek, followed by the QM15 at 153rd Avenue to serve Lindenwood. Both services to Manhattan start at South Conduit Avenue. Meanwhile, the QM16 and QM17 continue down the corridor, and don’t make any stops until 159th Avenue. At the southern end, the QM16 heads west for Jacob Riis Park, and the QM17 east for Far Rockaway. All express buses use the Long Island Expressway, located near Queens Center Mall, to get to/from Midtown.
- The Woodhaven Boulevard station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line is served by the R during the day, the M weekdays, and the E and F late nights.
- The Woodhaven Boulevard station on the BMT Jamaica Line) is served by the J at all times and the Z rush hours.
- The Rockaway Boulevard station on the IND Fulton Street Line is located at the intersection of Rockaway Boulevard, Cross Bay Boulevard, and Liberty Avenue, and is served by the A at all times.
To the east of the boulevard lies the abandoned Rockaway Beach Branch formerly operated by the Long Island Rail Road, which parallels the boulevard for most of its route between Rego Park and the Rockaways. Both the Rockaway line and the boulevard represent the Woodhaven-Cross Bay Boulevard transit corridor. The rail line north of Liberty Avenue was closed in 1962,{{cite web|last1=Bresiger|first1=Gregory|title=The Trains Stopped Running Here 50 Years Ago|url=http://www.qgazette.com/news/2012-07-18/Features/The_Trains_Stopped_Running_Here_50_Years_Ago.html|website=qgazette.com|publisher=Queens Gazette|access-date=July 3, 2015|date=July 18, 2012}}The Long Island Rail Road: A Comprehensive History Volume #5; New York, Woodhaven & Rockaway Railroad; New York & Rockaway Beach railway; New York & Long Beach Railroad; New York & Rockaway railroad; Brooklyn rapid transit operation to Rockaway; Over L.I.R.R., by Vincent F. Seyfried replaced by the Q53 which until 2006 ran non-stop between Rego Park and Broad Channel, with the Q11 and Q21 providing local service on the Woodhaven and Cross Bay portions of the route respectively. The entire line has been planned to be converted for subway service going back to the 1920s blueprints of the Independent Subway System (IND); the portion south of Liberty Avenue was converted into the IND Rockaway Line in 1956, while the northern portion remains inactive.{{cite web|title=City Board Votes New Subway Links|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=980CEED91030EE32A2575AC1A9659C946694D6CF|website=The New York Times|access-date=July 3, 2015|date=March 19, 1937}}{{cite web|last1=Dunlap|first1=David W.|title=Clashing Visions for Old Rail Bed (Just Don't Call It the High Line of Queens)|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/31/nyregion/clashing-visions-for-old-rail-bed-just-dont-call-it-the-high-line-of-queens.html?_r=0|website=The New York Times|access-date=July 3, 2015|date=July 30, 2014}}{{cite web|last1=Freeman|first1=Ira Henry|title=Rockaway Trains to Operate Today|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1956/06/28/84703811.pdf|website=The New York Times|access-date=June 29, 2015|date=June 28, 1956}} Some local mass transit advocates have urged that the northern portion be refurbished and reopened as a faster rail link between Queens and Manhattan.{{cite web |url=http://www.queensrail.org/ |title=Home |website=queensrail.org}} A Select Bus Service bus rapid transit corridor is planned along the corridor, which would attempt to replicate rapid transit service with the current Q52 and Q53 routes. The plan has received mixed reviews, due to the addition of bus-only lanes which could negatively affect traffic flow.[http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/html/routes/woodhaven.shtml Woodhaven-Cross Bay Boulevards Select Bus Service], nyc.gov. Retrieved September 20, 2014.{{cite web|last1=Geffon|first1=Stephen|title=HBL-Civic blasts bus lane proposal: Community says they don't want SBS plan in their neighborhood|url=http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/hbl-civic-blasts-bus-lane-proposal/article_1b9f68c3-a054-5844-b8e9-6d5b3603a6f7.html|website=qchron.com|publisher=Queens Chronicle|access-date=July 6, 2015|date=July 2, 2015}}
In popular culture
Cross Bay Boulevard was mentioned in The Vaccines' song Nørgaard about Danish model Amanda Nørgaard.
Major intersections
{{NYinttop|nyc=yes|borough=Queens|length_ref=}}
{{NYCint
|borough=Queens
|location=Rockaway Beach
|lspan=4
|mile=0.0
|road=Shore Front Parkway
|notes=Southern terminus
}}
{{NYCint
|mile=0.2
|road=Rockaway Beach Boulevard
}}
{{NYCint
|mile=0.3
|road=Rockaway Freeway
}}
{{NYCint
|mile=0.4
|road=Far Rockaway, Riis Park
|notes=Interchange; access via Beach Channel Drive; last northbound exit before toll
}}
{{jctbridge
|location_special=Jamaica Bay
|mile=0.4
|mile2=1.1
|type=etc
|bridge=Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge
}}
{{jctbridge
|location_special=Jamaica Bay
|mile=4.0
|mile2=4.6
|bridge=Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge
}}
{{NYCint
|location_special=Howard Beach
|lspan=2
|mile=5.9
|road={{jct|state=NY|Parkway|Belt|location1=Eastern Long Island|location2=Verrazzano Bridge}}
|notes=Exits 17S-N on Belt Parkway; former NY 27A
}}
{{NYCint
|mile=6.2
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|27|name1=Conduit Avenue|to2=yes|NY|878|dir2=east|name2=Nassau Expressway|city1=Kennedy Airport|extra=airport}}
|notes=Interchange
}}
{{jctplace
|location_special=Ozone Park
|lspan=2
|mile=7.0
|mspan=2
|type=trans
|place=Transition between Cross Bay and Woodhaven Boulevards
}}
{{NYCint
|mile=none
|road=Rockaway Boulevard – Aqueduct
|notes=Former NY 27A
}}
{{NYCint
|borough=Queens
|location=Woodhaven
|lspan=2
|mile=7.6
|road=Atlantic Avenue
|notes=Interchange
}}
{{NYCint
|mile=8.0
|type=incomplete
|road=Jamaica Avenue
|notes=Right turns from service roads only
}}
{{NYCint
|borough=Queens
|location=Glendale
|lspan=3
|mile=8.6
|road=Myrtle Avenue
}}
{{NYCint
|mile=8.9
|road=Union Turnpike
}}
{{NYCint
|mile=9.4
|road=Metropolitan Avenue
}}
{{NYCint
|borough=Queens
|location=Elmhurst
|lspan=2
|mile=11.0
|road={{jct|state=NY|I|495|name1=Long Island Expressway|city1=Midtown Tunnel|dir1=west}}
|notes=Exit 19 on I-495
}}
{{NYCint
|mile=11.1
|road={{jct|state=NY|I|495|dir1=east|name1=Long Island Expressway|NY|25|name2=Queens Boulevard|city1=Eastern Long Island}}
|notes=Northern terminus
}}
{{jctbtm|keys=incomplete,etc,trans}}
See also
{{Portal|New York City}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons category|Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevards}}
{{Attached KML|display=title,inline}}
- [http://www.howardbeach.com/CrossBay.aspx Cross Bay Boulevard in HowardBeach.com]
- [http://www.nycroads.com/roads/crossbay-woodhaven/ Proposed Cross Bay-Woodhaven Expressway @ NYCROADS.com]
- [http://www.woodhavenhouse.com/ Woodhaven House web site, with discussion of history of Irish pubs in Queens]
- [http://www.thirteen.org/queens/history2.html A Walk Through Queens, PBS Thirteen History of Queens]
- [http://www.house.gov/weiner/neighborhoods/hoods_woodhaven.htm History of Woodhaven from Congressman Weiner's web site]
{{Queens Streets|state=uncollapsed}}
Category:Streets in Queens, New York