| The Long Island Motor Parkway Contributor(s): Kroplick, Howard (Author), Velocci, Al (Author) |
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ISBN: 0738557935 ISBN-13: 9780738557939 Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (SC) OUR PRICE: $22.49 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: September 2008 Annotation: A forerunner of the modern highway system, the Long Island Motor Parkway was constructed during the advent of the automobile and at a pivotal time in American history. Following a spectator death during the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race, the concept for a privately owned speedway on Long Island was developed by William K. Vanderbilt Jr. and his business associates. It would be the first highway built exclusively for the automobile. Vanderbiltas dream was to build a safe, smooth, police-free road without speed limits where he could conduct his beloved automobile races without spectators running onto the course. Features such as the use of reinforced concrete, bridges to eliminate grade crossings, banked curves, guardrails, and landscaping were all pioneered for the parkway. Reflecting its poor profitability and the availability of free state-built public parkways, the historic 48-mile Long Island Motor Parkway closed on Easter Sunday, April 17, 1938. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | United States - State & Local - Middle Atlantic (dc, De, Md, Nj, Ny, Pa) - Travel | Museums, Tours, Points Of Interest - Travel | Food, Lodging & Transportation - Road Travel |
| Dewey: 328.13 |
| LCCN: 2008923564 |
| Series: Images of America (Arcadia Publishing) |
| Physical Information: 0.3" H x 6.4" W x 9.2" (0.70 lbs) 128 pages |
| Themes: - Locality - New York, N.Y. - Geographic Orientation - New York - Chronological Period - 1900-1949 |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The Long Island Motor Parkway was constructed at a pivotal time in American history, and it often considered a precursor to the modern highway system. A forerunner of the modern highway system, the Long Island Motor Parkway was constructed during the advent of the automobile and at a pivotal time in American history. Following a spectator death during the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race, the concept for a privately owned speedway on Long Island was developed by William K. Vanderbilt Jr. and his business associates. It would be the first highway built exclusively for the automobile. Vanderbilt's dream was to build a safe, smooth, police-free road without speed limits where he could conduct his beloved automobile races without spectators running onto the course. Features such as the use of reinforced concrete, bridges to eliminate grade crossings, banked curves, guardrails, and landscaping were all pioneered for the parkway. Reflecting its poor profitability and the availability of free state-built public parkways, the historic 48-mile Long Island Motor Parkway closed on Easter Sunday, April 17, 1938. |
Contributor Bio(s): Kroplick, Howard: - Howard Kroplick is the author of Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island. He is a lecturer, research volunteer at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, and member of the Vanderbilt Cup Race Centennial Committee and Long Island Motor Parkway Panel. Al Velocci is the author of The Toll Lodges of the Long Island Motor Parkway, and Their Gatekeepers Lives. He is also a research volunteer at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum and a member of the Long Island Motor Parkway Panel. |