1. Street description

2. History

3. Public transportation

4. References

Richmond Avenue is an integral north-south thoroughfare on Staten Island, New York. Measuring approximately {{convert|7.0|mi}}, the road runs from the North Shore community of Graniteville to the South Shore community of Eltingville.

Street description

Richmond Avenue begins in the north as a one-way street to Willow Road West, a service road for NY Route 440. Two blocks to the west, at an intersection with Forest Avenue and Morningstar Road in Graniteville, Richmond Avenue becomes a two-way street and soon acquires a median divider.^[1] Goethals Road North, a road that parallels the Staten Island Expressway (I-278), begins to the right {{convert|0.8|mi}} south of Forest Avenue.^[2] After crossing under the Staten Island Expressway, Richmond Avenue intersects Lamberts Lane, a road with access to the Brooklyn-bound Expressway (I-278 east). At {{convert|1.5|mi}}, Victory Boulevard intersects.

South of Willowbrook Park, Richmond Avenue intersects Rockland Avenue and Draper Place at {{convert|2.3|mi}} in New Springville. Richmond Avenue then passes between the Staten Island Mall and Freshkills Park, losing its median divider after crossing over Richmond Creek on the Fresh Kills Bridge. At {{convert|4.7|mi}}, the Korean War Veterans Parkway (formerly Richmond Parkway), comes to an end at Richmond Avenue. A tenth of a mile later, Arthur Kill Road intersects. After crossing under the Staten Island Railway and then intersecting Amboy Road, at {{convert|6.8|mi}} Hylan Boulevard is the last major intersection. Finally, {{convert|0.2|mi}} to the south, Richmond Avenue comes to an end at Tennyson Drive and Crescent Beach Park bordering Raritan Bay.^[3]

History

The road is one of the older ones on Staten Island, presumably dating back to the early-to-mid-19th century. Early writings and periodicals refer to Richmond Avenue as the road from Port Richmond to New Springville, just north of the Fresh Kills. Sections of road along what is currently Richmond Avenue were known by various names, such as Old Stone Road and Church Road (in Port Richmond), Bridge Avenue (south to Arthur Kill Road), Eltingville Road (continuing south to Amboy Road), and Seaside Avenue (the final section). In 1912, they were all consolidated as "Richmond Avenue".^[4] In 1964, the construction of the Willowbrook Expressway divided Richmond Avenue into two sections, the northern segment being later renamed Port Richmond Avenue.

In the 1920s and 1930s, most of Richmond Avenue, particularly south of Victory Boulevard, was predominantly farmland. The road itself was merely one-lane wide. However, indicative of the economic transformation the Richmond Avenue corridor of Staten Island experienced, specifically with the opening of the Staten Island Mall in 1972, the roadway was widened. The roadway from Rockland Avenue to Forest Hill Road has been widened to an eight-lane thoroughfare (four lanes each way), while other sections are two and three lanes wide.

Prior to the construction of any expressway on Staten Island, Richmond Avenue, north of Drumgoole Boulevard, was designated New York Route 440, which it held until the West Shore Expressway was completed in 1976.^[5]

Public transportation

Richmond Avenue is served in its entirety by the S59/S89 local bus routes. The portion from Forest Avenue to Yukon Avenue is served by the S44/S94 route. The portion south of the Staten Island Mall is also served by the S79 SBS bus.

The {{NYC bus link|SIM3|SIM33|SIM34|prose=y}} express buses to Manhattan cover the northern portion of Richmond Avenue, the {{NYC bus link|SIM4|SIM4X|SIM4C|SIM8|SIM8X|SIM31|prose=y}} cover the portion from Lamberts Lane to Arthur Kill Road, and the {{NYC bus link|SIM1|SIM1C|SIM7|SIM10|SIM22|prose=y}} cover the southern portion of Richmond Avenue.^[6]

References

• Crocidura armenica
• Crocidura attenuata
• Crocidura attenuata trichura
• Crocidura attila
• Crocidura baileyi
• Crocidura batesi
• Crocidura beatus
• Crocidura beccarii
• Crocidura bottegi
• Crocidura bottegoides
• Crocidura buettikoferi
• Crocidura caliginea
• Crocidura canariensis
• Crocidura cinderella
• Crocidura congobelgica
• Crocidura cossyrensis
• Crocidura crenata
• Crocidura crossei
• Crocidura cyanea
• Crocidura denti
• Crocidura desperata
• Crocidura dhofarensis
• Crocidura dolichura
• Crocidura douceti
• Crocidura dsinezumi