Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series: #14 Lakeville Road Motor Parkway Bridge in Lake Success
Going west to east , the second Nassau County bridge built by the Long Island Motor Parkway (the Robert Moses Motor Parkway bridges are being excluded for now) was the bridge over Lakeville Road in Lake Success.
1910
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The Western Terminus of the Motor Parkway ended at the Great Neck Lodge in Lake Success in 1910. This photo looking east was taken to commemorate the opening of the terminus. The barricade blocked access to Lakeville Road and the westerly parkway extension which was under construction.
May 1911 Survey
A property to the west of Lakeville Road was purchased from William K. Vanderbilt Jr. for the Motor Parkway. Note how the parkway's curved path near the bridge.
1914 Belcher Hyde Map
This map shows thelocation of the Lakeville Road Motor Parkway Bridge in relation to William K. Vanderbilt Jr.'s huge Deepdale estate.
1912-1919
As seen in Al Velocci's wonderful book "The Toll Lodges of the Long Island Motor Parkway, and Their Gatekeepers’ Lives", Great Neck Lodge keeper Sidney Jones was seen manning the ticket booth in 1912. The guardrails of the Lakeville Road Motor Parkway Bridge can bee seen through his right arm. Note the bridge was curving to the left.
1924 Aerial
This aerial shows the bridge and its curve changing the direction of the Motor Parkway from north-south to east-west.
1910 Motor Parkway Survey Bookmap
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The two Motor Parkway Bookmap pages showing the Motor Parkway right-of-way in Lake Success.
1929 Aerial
This 1929 aerial of Lake Success looking east provides the best image of the Lakeville Road Motor Parkway Bridge.
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A close-up documents that the bridge was a railroad trestle-type construction similar to the nearby Marcus Avenue bridge.
1952 Aerial
The bridge was long gone by the 1950s, but the Motor Parkway right-of -way was still visible.
1960
This remarkable photo shows the west embankment of the bridge. The Great Neck Lodge can be seen in the background to the left of the path. Note how high the west embankment was in comparison to Lakeville Road. The east embankment had already been leveled.
2011 Views
This Google Map aerial shows the path of Motor Parkway around Lakeville Road. A section of the Great Neck Lodge remains standing as the kitchen for a large Lake Success house.
The current remains of the Great Neck Lodge looking west.
This is the existing path to the Motor Parkway looking east. The House with Great Neck Lodge l "kitchen" is on the left. I believe this path up to the Lodge was built after the Motor Parkway was closed and the east embankment removed.
Based on the early aerials and survey maps, the bridge's west embankment likely followed this tree line rather than following the path on the left.
Looking west toward Lakeville Road, the area along the tree line rises 2 to 6 feet above ground level indicating the location of the bridge's east embankment.
The west embankment (seen in the above 1960 photo) was taken down with the expansion of Lakevile Road. But, there is a surprise in its path... several Motor Parkway concrete posts in a debris pile!
Links to related posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com and the Internet:
Archives: Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series
Archives: Long Island Motor Parkway- Lake Success
The 1928 Long Island Motor Parkway Atlas
Archives: Long Island Motor Parkway- Bridges
Google Maps: Lakeville Road, Lake Success
Comments
From James S:
“One of Gram’s “Eve Gifts” is the exploration of the Parkway just east of Lakeville Road today. He’s taking his new Ford GT remote control car with us so it can experience a taste of what he calls the “greatest car race in history after LeMans of course.” He says it that way every time he refers to the Vanderbilt Cup Race.
Happy New Year and see you in 2012.”