Beach Channel Drive is the main thoroughfare of the
Rockaway Peninsula in the
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
...
of
Queens
Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
. It extends from the
Nassau County border at
Inwood westward, to the
Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge at the end of
Jacob Riis Park. From
Hammels westward, it follows
Jamaica Bay
Jamaica Bay (also known as Grassy Bay) is an estuary on the southern portion of the western tip of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The estuary is partially man-made, and partially natural. The bay connects with Lo ...
on the northern side of the peninsula.
Beach Channel Drive was opened on November 27, 1927, as a relatively short road west of the current site of the
Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge.
It was later expanded by consolidating a number of existing thoroughfares and constructing some linking roadways.
One of the roads that would become Beach Channel Drive was the launching point for the
first transatlantic flight. On May 8, 1919, four
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
Navy-Curtis seaplanes took off in
Neponsit and headed off to the British colony of
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
, the
Azores Islands, and Lisbon, Portugal. On May 31, one of the aircraft, piloted by Lieutenant Commander Albert C. Read, arrived in
Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
.
Transportation
The following bus routes serve Beach Channel Drive:
* The serves the corridor between Beach 73rd Street and Seagirt Boulevard, along with the providing express service between Far Rockaway and
Midtown.
* The Elmhurst-bound
Q52+ Select Bus Service runs from Beach 54th Street to Beach 59th Street.
* The provides additional service east of Mott Avenue.
The
IND Rockaway Line parallels Beach Channel Drive between both of its termini,
Beach 116th Street and
Mott Avenue.
References
Transportation in Rockaway, Queens
Streets in Queens, New York
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