Parsons Boulevard
 | |
| Owner | City of New York |
|---|---|
| Maintained by | NYCDOT |
| Length | 6.2 mi (10.0 km)[1][2][3][4] Four disjointed sections |
| Location | Queens, New York City |
| South end | Archer Avenue in Jamaica |
| Major junctions |  NY 25 in Jamaica Grand Central Parkway in Jamaica Hills I-495 in Kew Gardens Hills NY 25A in Flushing |
| North end | 144th Street in Malba |
Parsons Boulevard is a road in Queens, New York. Its northern end is at Malba Drive in the Malba neighborhood and its southern end is at Archer Avenue in downtown Jamaica.
Route
The road stretches for nearly six miles, divided into four segments:
- Malba Drive to Whitestone Expressway: 0.4 miles (0.6 km)[1]
- Whitestone Expressway to Rose Avenue at Kissena Park: 3.0 miles (4.8 km)[2]
- Booth Memorial Avenue to Horace Harding Expressway: 0.2 miles (0.3 km)[3]
- Horace Harding Expressway to Archer Avenue: 2.6 miles (4.2 km)[4]
History
Parsons Boulevard takes its name from Samuel Bowne Parsons Sr. (1819–1906). His father was Samuel Parsons (1774–1841) who moved to Flushing from Manhattan around 1800 and married Mary Bowne, a descendant of prominent local settler John Bowne. Samuel Bowne Parsons Sr. was an accomplished and well noted horticulturist, who was the first to import Japanese Maples and propagate rhododendrons. Parsons' nursery was located within present-day Kissena Park.
The oldest section of Parsons Boulevard is between Kissena Boulevard in Kew Gardens Hills and Archer Avenue in Jamaica. Dating to the colonial period, this segment, together with Kissena Boulevard, connected the early settlements of Jamaica and Flushing. The most recent section of Parsons Boulevard was completed in 1951, during the construction of the Pomonok apartments. In contrast to most boulevards in Queens, Parsons is not regarded as a major transportation route because it is broken into four segments, with the section through Kissena Park having never been built, along with the Whitestone Expressway and Long Island Expressway interrupting its route.
Transportation
Parsons Boulevard is served by the following bus routes:
- The Q20B, Q44, and select QM2 buses run between Willets Point Boulevard and 14th Avenue, along with the Q20A south of, and the Q76 north of, 20th Avenue.
- The Union Street local stop is on Willets Point.
- All Q25 and some Q34 buses run between Kissena Boulevard and either Jamaica Avenue (Jamaica), or Archer Avenue (opposite terminals). They are joined with the Q65 at Hillside Avenue.
- After terminating in Jamaica, the Q111, Q113, and Q114 buses run from Hillside Avenue to Archer Avenue for their opposite terminals. The Q112 follows suit but its Jamaica terminus is at 89th Avenue and it leaves at Jamaica Avenue, along with most Q110 buses from 88th Avenue.
- The Electchester-bound Q64 runs from Jewel Avenue to 71st Avenue.
- The peak hour Q26 runs between Sanford & 46th Avenues.[5]
Parsons Boulevard is also the name of the following New York City Subway stations in Queens:[6]
- Parsons Boulevard, on the IND Queens Boulevard Line, served by the E, F, and <F> trains
- Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer, on the IND and BMT Archer Avenue Lines, served by the E, J, and Z trains
References
- ^ a b "Parsons Boulevard" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ a b "Parsons Boulevard" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ a b "Parsons Boulevard" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ a b "Parsons Boulevard" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ "Queens Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. August 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.