Richmond Avenue
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Richmond Avenue is an integral north-south thoroughfare on Staten Island. Measuring approximately 7.2 miles (11.59 km), the road runs from the community of Graniteville to the south shore community of Eltingville.
The road is one of the older ones on Staten Island, presumably dating back to the early to mid-1800s. Prior to its being named Richmond Avenue, it was known as Church Road, Port Richmond Plank Road and the Old Stone Road. [1] Originally, the roadway extended further north to Richmond Terrace, at Port Richmond. However, the construction of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Expressway divided Richmond Avenue into two sections, the northern segment being later renamed Port Richmond Avenue.
Early writings and periodicals refer to Richmond Avenue as the road from Port Richmond to New Springville, just north of the Fresh Kills. Indeed the Fresh Kills Bridge, which carries Richmond Avenue over the Fresh Kills to Arthur Kill Road and beyond, wasn't constructed until the late 1920s and was completed in 1930. However, maps from the 1890s indicate that Richmond Avenue not only crossed the Fresh Kills, but extended to its current terminus just beyond Hylan Boulevard, albeit prior to the creation of said boulevard. [2] Ergo, there exists some ambiguity as to Richmond Avenue's history.
The completion of the Fresh Kills Bridge was extolled by many for it reduced travel time considerably, particularly for those driving from the north shore to the Outerbridge Crossing.
In the 1920s and 1930s, most of Richmond Avenue, particularly south of Victory Boulevard, was predominantly farmland. The road itself was merely one-lane wide. However, indicative of the economic transformation the Richmond Avenue corridor of Staten Island experienced, specifically with the opening of the Staten Island Mall, the roadway was widened. The roadway from Rockland Avenue to Forest Hill Road has been widened to an eight-lane thoroughfare (four lanes each way), while other sections are two and three lanes wide.
Prior to the construction of any expressway on Staten Island, Richmond Avenue, north of Drumgoole Boulevard, was designated New York Route 440, which it held until the West Shore Expressway was completed in 1976. [3]
[edit] References
- ^ Staten Island Old Names, accessed August 19, 2006
- ^ Historical Maps, accessed August 19, 2006
- ^ Staten Island Map 1960, accessed August 19, 2006
