Jackie Robinson Parkway
Encyclopedia
The Jackie Robinson Parkway is a 4.95 miles (7.97 km) parkway
in the New York City borough
s of Brooklyn
and Queens
. The western terminus of the parkway is at Jamaica Avenue
in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York
. It runs through Highland Park, along the north side of Ridgewood Reservoir
, and through Forest Park
. The eastern terminus is at the Kew Gardens Interchange
in Kew Gardens
, Queens, where the Jackie Robinson Parkway meets the Grand Central Parkway
and Interstate 678 (the Van Wyck Expressway). It is designated New York State Route 908B, an unsigned reference route. The parkway was known as the Interboro Parkway until 1997, when it was renamed for former Major League Baseball
player Jackie Robinson
.
was proposed in the 1960s.
The parkway's name was changed to honor Jackie Robinson
in May 1997, as part of 50th anniversary activities marking his breaking of the baseball color line
. At first, local residents continued to refer to the highway as the Interborough, which led to confusion, but recently the parkway's new name has begun to stick locally. Part of the original parkway contract included the construction of a pair of service stations just west of exit 6 (Metropolitan Avenue) in Forest Park. The stone-faced gas stations, which were located along the eastbound and westbound lanes of the parkway, were torn down in the late 1970s.
A juncture at the eastern end of the parkway was placed on the list of New York State's most dangerous roads in 2007, based on accident data from 2004–2006.
|rowspan=2|Kings
|rowspan=2|East New York
|0.00
|
|Jamaica Avenue / Pennsylvania Avenue / Bushwick Avenue
|At-grade intersection
|-
|
|1
|Highland Boulevard
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|rowspan=7|Queens
|rowspan=2|Highland Park
|
|2
|Cypress Avenue / Vermont Place – Highland Park
|
|-
|1.42
|3
|Cypress Hills Street
|No westbound entrance
|-
|rowspan=2|Glendale
|
|4
|Forest Parkway
|
|-
|
|5
|Myrtle Avenue / Union Turnpike
|No westbound exit
|-
|rowspan=3|Kew Gardens
|4.02
|6
|Metropolitan Avenue
|
|-
|rowspan=2|4.95
|7
|
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
|-
|8W-E
|
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Parkway
The term parkway has several distinct principal meanings and numerous synonyms around the world, for either a type of landscaped area or a type of road.Type of landscaped area:...
in the New York City borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
s of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. The western terminus of the parkway is at Jamaica Avenue
Jamaica Avenue
Jamaica Avenue is a major avenue in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City, New York, in the United States. Jamaica Avenue starts at Broadway and Fulton Street in the East New York neighborhood in Brooklyn, and goes to the city line in Bellerose, Queens, where it becomes Jericho...
in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York
East New York, Brooklyn
East New York is a residential neighborhood located in the Eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 5...
. It runs through Highland Park, along the north side of Ridgewood Reservoir
Ridgewood Reservoir
Ridgewood Reservoir is a decommissioned 19th century reservoir that sits on the Brooklyn-Queens border and is part of Highland Park. The reservoir and park are bounded on the north by the Jackie Robinson Parkway, on the south by Highland Boulevard, on the west by Vermont Place and on the east by...
, and through Forest Park
Forest Park (Queens)
Forest Park is a park in the New York City borough of Queens. It has an area of 538 acres . The park is operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.-History:...
. The eastern terminus is at the Kew Gardens Interchange
Kew Gardens Interchange
The Kew Gardens Interchange is a complex junction in Kew Gardens, in the center of the New York City borough of Queens.-Description:The Kew Gardens Interchange is located roughly midway between LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport...
in Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens, Queens
Kew Gardens is a triangular-shaped neighborhood in central Queens bounded to the north by the Jackie Robinson Parkway , to the east by Van Wyck Expressway and 131st Street, to the south by Hillside Avenue, and to the west by Park Lane, Abingdon Road and 118th Street...
, Queens, where the Jackie Robinson Parkway meets the Grand Central Parkway
Grand Central Parkway
The Grand Central Parkway is a parkway that stretches from the RFK-Triborough Bridge in New York City to Nassau County on Long Island. At the Queens-Nassau border, it becomes the Northern State Parkway, which runs across the northern part of Long Island through Nassau County and into Suffolk...
and Interstate 678 (the Van Wyck Expressway). It is designated New York State Route 908B, an unsigned reference route. The parkway was known as the Interboro Parkway until 1997, when it was renamed for former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
.
Route description
The Jackie Robinson Parkway starts in East New York in Brooklyn at a big junction with Jamaica and Pennsylvania Avenues. Exit 1, Bushwick Avenue via Highland Boulevard, is a westbound-only exit. The highway enters Queens and passes Mt. Judah Cemetery before Exit 2, Vermont Place and Cypress Avenue, which lead to Highland Park and Hungarian Cemetery. Exit 3, Cypress Hills Street, leads to Cypress Cemetery, where Jackie Robinson was buried. Here the parkway narrows and makes sharp turns. At Exit 4, Forest Park Drive, the parkway enters Forest Park. Exit 5 is Myrtle Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard. At Exit 6, Metropolitan Avenue, Union Turnpike becomes a service road to the parkway, but there is no access to/from Union Turnpike. The parkway and Union Turnpike then exit Forest Park, and go under Queens Boulevard (NY 25). Union Turnpike shares a diamond interchange with Queens Boulevard, but there is no access from the parkway. Exit 7, an eastbound-only exit, goes to the Van Wyck Expressway (I-678) northbound (no access southbound). Exit 8 (eastbound only) is the Grand Central Parkway, where the Jackie Robinson ends.History
An extension to Jamaica BayJamaica Bay
Jamaica Bay is located on the southwestern tip of Long Island in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, and the town of Hempstead, New York/hamlet of Inwood...
was proposed in the 1960s.
The parkway's name was changed to honor Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
in May 1997, as part of 50th anniversary activities marking his breaking of the baseball color line
Baseball color line
The color line in American baseball excluded players of black African descent from Organized Baseball, or the major leagues and affiliated minor leagues, until Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization for the 1946 season...
. At first, local residents continued to refer to the highway as the Interborough, which led to confusion, but recently the parkway's new name has begun to stick locally. Part of the original parkway contract included the construction of a pair of service stations just west of exit 6 (Metropolitan Avenue) in Forest Park. The stone-faced gas stations, which were located along the eastbound and westbound lanes of the parkway, were torn down in the late 1970s.
A juncture at the eastern end of the parkway was placed on the list of New York State's most dangerous roads in 2007, based on accident data from 2004–2006.
Exit list
|-|rowspan=2|Kings
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
|rowspan=2|East New York
East New York, Brooklyn
East New York is a residential neighborhood located in the Eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 5...
|0.00
|
|Jamaica Avenue / Pennsylvania Avenue / Bushwick Avenue
|At-grade intersection
|-
|
|1
|Highland Boulevard
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|rowspan=7|Queens
|rowspan=2|Highland Park
Highland Park, Brooklyn
Highland Park is a park located on the Brooklyn-Queens border. The name is also applied to the Brooklyn neighborhood to its south, commonly regarded as part of the East NY neighborhood....
|
|2
|Cypress Avenue / Vermont Place – Highland Park
|
|-
|1.42
|3
|Cypress Hills Street
|No westbound entrance
|-
|rowspan=2|Glendale
Glendale, Queens
Glendale is a neighborhood in the west-central portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is bounded by Cooper Avenue to the north, Woodhaven Boulevard to the east, Myrtle Avenue to the south and Fresh Pond Road to the West...
|
|4
|Forest Parkway
|
|-
|
|5
|Myrtle Avenue / Union Turnpike
Union Turnpike (New York)
Union Turnpike is a thoroughfare stretching across central and eastern Queens in New York City. It runs from Myrtle Avenue in Glendale to Marcus Avenue in North New Hyde Park, about a mile into Nassau County, New York. Initially designed as a toll road, it takes a straight-arrow path from Kew...
|No westbound exit
|-
|rowspan=3|Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens, Queens
Kew Gardens is a triangular-shaped neighborhood in central Queens bounded to the north by the Jackie Robinson Parkway , to the east by Van Wyck Expressway and 131st Street, to the south by Hillside Avenue, and to the west by Park Lane, Abingdon Road and 118th Street...
|4.02
|6
|Metropolitan Avenue
|
|-
|rowspan=2|4.95
|7
|
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
|-
|8W-E
|
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance