On Hylan Boulevard, 1973. Photo by Arthur Tress.Northeast end
Hylan Boulevard is a major northeast-southwest boulevard in the New York City borough of Staten Island, and the longest street in a single borough in the city. It is approximately 14 miles (23 km) long,[2] and runs from the North Shore neighborhood of Rosebank, then along the entire East Shore, to the South Shore neighborhood of Tottenville. It was renamed in 1923 for New York City mayor John F. Hylan, before which it was known as Southfield Boulevard and the northern segment as Pennsylvania Avenue.[3][4]
Hylan Boulevard is one of Staten Island's busiest thoroughfares, carrying over 44,000 vehicles per day. The increased volume, built up over decades, has resulted in the road becoming New York City's newest "Boulevard of Death" according to Transportation Alternatives.[5]
Route description
Hylan Boulevard begins at Alice Austen House at the southeast end of Edgewater Street in Rosebank, its first major intersection coming at 0.2 miles (0.3 km), with Bay Street.[6] It becomes divided by street markings at Tompkins Avenue, but then splits at 0.8 miles (1.3 km) and crosses the Staten Island Expressway over two separate overpasses.(one northbound, one southbound).[7] Upon merging again, it becomes Steuben Street, and Hylan Boulevard continues east of there, snaking further through the neighborhood of Arrochar. Steuben joins Hylan again at 2.0 miles (3.2 km).[8] Half a mile later, Hylan intersects with Old Town Road and Quintard Street, at which point it begins a predominantly straight southwesterly run. Major intersections following include Seaview Avenue (3.2 miles) and Midland Avenue (4.0 miles). At 4.6 miles (7.4 km), Hylan intersects with New Dorp Lane at what is known to be one of Staten Island's worst intersections in terms of traffic and collisions.[9] Continuing southwest from there, it intersects Tysens Lane (5.2 miles), reverse-curves at approximately 5.6 miles (9.0 km), and then continues straight southwest again past Great Kills Park. Major intersections include Buffalo Street (6.1 miles) and Nelson Avenue (7.5 miles). At 8.2 miles (13.2 km), Hylan intersects with Richmond Avenue, another major Island thoroughfare.[10] Continuing, the last portion of divided roadway ends at Arden Avenue (8.7 miles), and the boulevard continues westward through the neighborhoods of the South Shore, ending at Conference House Park in Tottenville.[11]
Attractions
As an integral artery of Staten Island, Hylan Boulevard is a commercial corridor and a heavily trafficked roadway. At the northernmost end is Buono Beach, a small park with views of New York Harbor, as well as the Alice Austen House (address: 2 Hylan Blvd.), the historical home of native Island photographer Alice Austen and one of the few remaining Dutch Colonial structures on the Island.
Commercial establishments of various kinds line the boulevard's north-central stretch, with larger shopping centers in and around the New Dorp neighborhood. At Buffalo Street is the entrance to Great Kills Park, part of the larger Gateway National Recreation Area. In the neighborhood of Great Kills there are more businesses, but south of Richmond Avenue, the boulevard is almost entirely residential or parkland.
While the current Staten Island Railway never crosses Hylan's path, it largely parallels the boulevard. Many stations along the line are half a mile to a mile and a half (one or two km) further inland, with the closest being the Old Town station.[15] The former South Beach Branch of the railway did cross the boulevard just east of Rosebank station.[16]
^Blumenthal, Ralph (November 6, 2009). "In Five Boroughs, Seeing Paris's Famed Avenue". The New York Times. Staten Island boasts the longest street in any borough, Hylan Boulevard, running some 14 miles
^Rand McNally and Co. "Eastern Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, South East Michigan, Southern Ontario, Western New York: District No. 4". Rand McNally Official Auto Trails Map, 3rd ed., 1924, pp. 168-169. David Rumsey Historical Map Collection, David Rumsey (curator), Cartography Associates, Accessed Nov 4, 2019, www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~201570~3000600:Auto-Trails-Map--Pennsylvania,-New-.
I-278 in Concord
