Francis Lewis Boulevard
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Francis Lewis Boulevard is a boulevard in the New York City borough of Queens. The roadway is named for Francis Lewis, a Queens resident who was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. It runs (heading north to south) through Whitestone, Bayside, Auburndale, Fresh Meadows, Hollis, Cambria Heights, Springfield Gardens, Laurelton and Rosedale. Throughout the majority of its length, it is a 4-6 lane wide median divided street, making it one of the wider boulevards in Eastern Queens, along with Merrick Boulevard, and the Springfield Gardens portion of Springfield Boulevard.
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[edit] Route description
South of Springfield Boulevard, Francis Lewis Boulevard detours around Old Montefiore Cemetery, with portions of 121st Avenue, 230th Place, and 138th Avenue renamed Francis Lewis Boulevard on its way towards Rosedale.
It is the longest street exclusively within Queens (longer roads, such as Northern Boulevard continue into Nassau and Suffolk Counties).[1]
Francis Lewis Boulevard has two main bus lines, the Q76 and the Q77. The Q76 runs down Francis Lewis Boulevard from Hillside Avenue in Hollis to the Cross Island Parkway in Whitestone (where Francis Lewis Boulevard ends). It runs through the Holliswood, Cunningham Park, Bayside, and Whitestone sections of the street. The Q77 runs on the stretch between the intersection with Springfield Boulevard to Hillside Avenue, and goes through the Springfield Gardens, St. Albans, and Hollis stretches of Francis Lewis Boulevard. Both bus lines operate from the 165th Street Bus Depot in Jamaica, and also share a route along Hillside Avenue.
The Cunningham Park stretch of Francis Lewis Boulevard is notorious for drag racing, which has resulted in several fatalities to drivers and pedestrians over the years.[2] Recently, speed cameras have been installed along this stretch.
Two major Catholic High schools in New York City, St. Francis Preparatory School and Holy Cross High School are both located on Francis Lewis Boulevard. St. Francis Preparatory is located at the intersection with Horace Harding Expressway, whereas Holy Cross is located by the intersection with Crocheron Avenue.
Francis Lewis Boulevard is accessible at Exit 35 of the Cross Island Parkway, Exit 24A off the Belt Parkway, Exit 20S-N off the Grand Central Parkway and Exit 26 off the Long Island Expressway.
[edit] History
Before being renamed in the 1930s, the roadway (or at least the part between Springfield Boulevard and Whitestone) was called Cross Island Boulevard.[3] The street was likely renamed after Francis Lewis to avoid confusion with the Cross Island Parkway. Many residents that live by the street usually refer to Francis Lewis Boulevard as simply "Franny Lew".[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Forgotten NY: Rosedale, accessed November 15, 2006
- ^ Rutkoff, Aaron. "A Need To Stop The Speed", Queens Tribune, April 15, 2007. Accessed August 15, 2007.
- ^ Never to Be Forgotten, Newsday. Accessed July 24, 2007. "Francis Lewis Boulevard, originally Cross Island Boulevard, was renamed in the 1930s."
- ^ Kilgannon, Corey. " Accident Fuels Anger on Strip Infamous for Drag Racing", The New York Times, April 10, 2004. Accessed September 29, 2007. "In springtime, the boulevard becomes what locals call the Franny Lew Speedway, with drivers running quarter-mile sprints for money or stoplight-to-stoplight races for high-velocity kicks and bragging rights."
[edit] External links
- Jeff Saltzman's Francis Lewis Blvd. section
- Forgotten NY: Rosedale
- FrancisLewisBlvd.com (News, Photos, Links) related to Francis Lewis Blvd in Queens, NY
