Art's Long Island Motor Parkway Site
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The Wheeler Farmway Bridge
This page highlights The Wheeler Farmway Bridge that recently was featured in Sam Berliner's Motor Parkway website in the spring of 2008. Thanks to Sam, Ed Murray, and fellow Motor Parkway Panelists Al Velocci and Bob Miller for their descriptions, history, and pictures of this bridge. However, being the explorer that I am, I couldn't let a mild December day go by without following their lead and finding this treasure of Motor Parkway history myself. The Bridge actually connected the north and south sides of a farm that the Motor Parkway bisected in its travels through this section of Queens. The previous page on my website depicted the Motor Parkway route east of the bridge towards Winchester Avenue and future pages will contain pictures of its route west of the bridge towards Springfield Blvd.
Per Sam's website, the bridge is located between the "stub ends of 226th Street and between Springfield Boulevard and Cloverdale Boulevard" (and the Grand Central/Cross Island Parkway complex to the east).
Per Sam's website, the bridge is located between the "stub ends of 226th Street and between Springfield Boulevard and Cloverdale Boulevard" (and the Grand Central/Cross Island Parkway complex to the east).
Over and Under
On the north side (left picture) and south (right) sides of the roadway
lay these two markers indicating the location of the bridge, of which
underneath ran the path that connected the two sides of the farm's
property. You can see apartments lying past the south side.
The picture on the left is a pole that lies about 20 feet west of the bridge, marking the roadway as part of the Queen's Brooklyn Greenway.
The next set of pictures show the access point into the tunnel beneath the bridge and what it looks like today. Climbing down the south side of the roadway through some assorted foliage and litter, I slithered into the opening and found a refuge of bottles, cups, sludge, and other signs of life in 2009.
The picture on the left is a pole that lies about 20 feet west of the bridge, marking the roadway as part of the Queen's Brooklyn Greenway. The next set of pictures show the access point into the tunnel beneath the bridge and what it looks like today. Climbing down the south side of the roadway through some assorted foliage and litter, I slithered into the opening and found a refuge of bottles, cups, sludge, and other signs of life in 2009.
1911, Gary and a Post
The bridge was built in 1911 as shown on the walls underneath. And here's one parting shot looking out from underneath - that's my friend Gary's legs in the opening (he's camera shy or else he'd be in the picture too). And what would one of my pages be without an original post that lay nearby. This journey, that actually took me under the Motor Parkway, was an interesting adventure to say to the least. 
