Hylan Boulevard

Hylan Boulevard is a major northeast-southwest boulevard in the New York City borough of Staten Island, and the longest street 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] It is often misunderstood to be read as Hyland or Highland Boulevard.

Hylan Boulevard

Looking north in New Dorp
Former name(s)	Southfield Boulevard, Pennsylvania Avenue
Namesake	John Francis Hylan
Owner	City of New York
Maintained by	NYCDOT
Length	13.86 mi[1] (22.31 km)
Location	Staten Island, New York
Coordinates	40°32′45.06″N 74°8′31.63″W
South end	Satterlee Street in Tottenville
Major junctions	I-278 in Concord
North end	Edgewater Street in Shore Acres

On Hylan Boulevard, 1973. Photo by Arthur Tress.

Northeast end

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.

History

The road was part of the Jersey Coast Highway, running from the Staten Island Ferry's St. George Terminal to Cape May, New Jersey.[12]

Transportation

Hylan Boulevard is served by many MTA NYCT bus routes, local and express, including service to Brooklyn and Manhattan. Local routes are S51, S52, S53, S54, S55, S56, S57, S59, S76, S78, S79 SBS, S81, S86, S89 and S93. Express routes are SIM1, SIM1C, SIM2, SIM3C, SIM5, SIM6, SIM7, SIM9, SIM10, SIM11, SIM15, SIM22, SIM23, SIM24, SIM25, SIM26, SIM30B and SIM35.[13][14]

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]

Major intersections

The entire route is in the New York City borough of Staten Island. 

Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Tottenville	0.00	0.00	Satterlee Street	Conference House Park
Eltingville	5.75	9.25	Richmond Avenue
Concord	12.46	20.05	Fingerboard Road	To Verrazano Bridge
Concord–Shore Acres line	12.81	20.62	I-278 (Staten Island Expressway) – Goethals Bridge, Verrazano Bridge	Exit 14 on I-278; access via Narrows Road
Rosebank–Shore Acres line	13.86	22.31	Edgewater Street	Buono Beach
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. "Richmond County Inventory Listing" (CSV). New York State Department of Transportation. August 7, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
2. 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
3. "Call Streets Craig, Hylan and Hulbert" The New York Times. April 25, 1923.
4. "Rosebank – back to a Staten Island small town" Kevin J. Walsh, Forgotten New York. September 11, 2011.
5. Barone, Vincent. "Hylan now labeled city's new 'Boulevard of Death'". Staten Island Advance November 14, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
6. Overview map of Hylan Boulevard/Edgewater Street intersection (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
7. Overview map of Hylan Boulevard/Narrows Road N/Narrows Road S intersections (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
8. Overview Map of Hylan Boulevard & Steuben Street (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
9. Overview map of Hylan Boulevard/New Dorp Lane intersection (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
10. Overview map of Hylan Boulevard/Richmond Avenue intersection (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
11. Overview map of Hylan Boulevard/Satterlee Street intersection (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
12. 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-.
13. "We're Speeding Up Staten Island", MTA. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
14. "Staten Island Bus Map", MTA. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
15. Stations of the S.I.R.T.: Old Town, Dongan Hills, Jefferson, New Dorp, Oakwood Heights
16. Gary Owen’s S.I.R.T. South Beach Line Page