Jackie Robinson Parkway

Jackie Robinson Parkway
Jackie Robinson Parkway highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NYSDOT
Length	4.95 mi[1] (7.97 km)
Existed	1935[2]–present
Restrictions	No commercial vehicles
Major junctions
West end	Jamaica Avenue / Pennsylvania Avenue / Bushwick Avenue in East New York
East end	I-678 / Grand Central Parkway in Kew Gardens
Location
Country	United States
State	New York
Counties	Kings, Queens
Highway system
New York Highways Interstate US State Reference Parkways

The Jackie Robinson Parkway (originally the Interboro Parkway) is a 4.95-mile (7.97 km) controlled-access parkway in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The western terminus of the parkway is at Jamaica Avenue in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York. It runs through Highland Park, along the north side of Ridgewood Reservoir, and through Forest Park. The eastern terminus is at the Kew Gardens Interchange in Kew Gardens, Queens, where the Jackie Robinson Parkway meets the Grand Central Parkway and Interstate 678 (I-678, the Van Wyck Expressway). It is designated New York State Route 908B (NY 908B), an unsigned reference route.

The Interboro Parkway was first proposed in 1901 as part of an extension of Eastern Parkway. There were multiple attempts to construct the parkway between the 1900s and the 1920s, which failed due to a lack of funding and various disagreements over land acquisition. The parkway's route was finalized in 1930, and work on the central section through Mount Carmel and Cypress Hills cemeteries began in 1931. Construction on the rest of the parkway did not begin until 1933. Most of the parkway opened to traffic in July 1935, but the westernmost section was not completed until that September. Over the years, the Interboro Parkway gained a reputation for being dangerous because of its sharp turns and narrow lanes. The Interboro Parkway was renamed for Major League Baseball player Jackie Robinson in 1997.