Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

Van Wyck Expwy at Liberty & 101st Aves.
Photo Gallery: Van Wyck Expwy.


The top shot approaches the Liberty Avenue overpass from the south. You won't often get to see horse trailers around here. Back in the good old days of the early 50's, it wasn't thought so extravagant to adorn the center support of an overpass in stone face as was this one. Later highway overpass supports received decidedly more spartan treatment and even the ones faced in more pedestrian brick are usually crumbling and missing a good deal of those bricks.
liberty
The second shot above finds us looking north at 101st Ave. from Liberty and the third below has us looking south at Liberty from 101st Ave., kind of like those Lincoln looks at Kennedy pennies. The lovely, if somewhat unclean stone walls might end up disappearing when the Skymigraine...I mean Skytrain goes through. With the concrete barriers in place, Lord only knows what the orange pylons are supposed to be protecting. Up ahead after 101st Avenue is Atlantic Avenue and the trunk line of the LIRR.
towards liberty
In the southward shot, ramps go to and come from Liberty. Some blocks to the west of here, Liberty gets itself its own skytrain-like companion, the ancient elevated subway line that used to be called the City Line line, because when Brooklyn was the world to some and at least a city to others, it went literally to and then past the city line. Today that el carries the venerable A train of Duke Ellington fame. For those heading south, especially for a flight that might take hours with lousy airplane food, you might want to get off here at exit 4, turn right and go a couple of blocks to 133rd St. where Sybils is. Get some fine Guyanese takeout food to keep you alive for the flight. Don't pass up the peanut drink either.
towards atlantic
The fourth shot above faces Atlantic Avenue to the north of 101st. Mita Copiers hopes alot of travelers are in the market for one. The load in the dumptruck doesn't look like it would stay put if the truck went over a bad rupture in the road, like that horror traversing all the lanes on the overpass spanning the Belt, down by JFK. Mita, I'm sure prays that none of its copiers went over that bump.
Are you always more cautious around a U-Haul truck? Just like Ryder trucks, I assume they're being driven by people who don't really know how to drive a truck, or a van. Various silly looking pieces of construction equipment are already lined up awaiting the call to destroy Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park for the Skylatrine...I mean Skytrain. Remember when construction equipment used to be yellow? Now they're all orange, so drivers will know not to bump into them. Why drivers would be more prone to knock into yellow equipment is beyond me. Maybe they just like to have everything match. We don't want a ragtag looking construction zone now, do we? Only the southbound lanes have a speed limit sign aimed at them. There is usually no need for one facing northbounders. The chances of ever being able to even do 50mph on this road is very low.

© 1999, Jeff Saltzman. All rights reserved.