Defeat of Builder Robert Moses and the Rye-Oyster Bay Bridge

There were various proposals for where the Oyster Bay bridge would cross. In one, an exit off I-95 would have connected with Playland Parkway through property until it went south of Rye Town Park.

October 11, 2024
3 min read
A map of a proposed bridge connecting Rye to Oyster Bay in Long Island.
Image courtesy MTA Bridges and Tunnels Special Archive

Sixty years ago, Robert Moses made public his proposal to build a bridge across Long Island Sound that would have ruined much of Rye. There are many people who deserve credit for leading the nearly 10-year fight, but Rye’s former mayor, Ed Grainger (1966-1973) heads the list. Under Grainger’s leadership, Rye forged a formidable alliance with Oyster Bay and other communities on Long Island that were threatened by the bridge.

In 1969, a court ruled that the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, then headed by Moses, did not have the legal authority to build the proposed bridge. However, that decision was reversed on appeal, and it looked like construction on the bridge was about to begin.

By then, Gov. Nelson Rockefeller had become a strong proponent of the bridge, and the battle continued to rage between the “Goliaths” in Albany and Manhattan and the “Davids” on the North Shore and in Rye. The state Legislature passed bills prohibiting work on the project, but they were vetoed by Rockefeller, who was accused of seeking union votes in an upcoming election.

There were various proposals over the years for where the bridge would cross Rye. In one, an exit off I-95 would have connected with Playland Parkway and then veered through residential property until it went just south of Rye Town Park and over the Sound. Neighborhoods around Oakland Beach and Dearborn Avenues would have been destroyed, and Water’s Edge would never have been built.

In later proposals, there were alternative connections to the bridge through Rye. Some would go over Kirby Lane and Forest Avenue. Others would follow a route over Manursing Island or through Port Chester harbor and across the sound near North Manursing Island.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, concern for the environment was on the rise. During this period Congress passed many major environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act in 1963 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. This emphasis on environmental concerns was a key factor in the defeat of the bridge.

Also, the Town of Oyster Bay gave over 3,000 acres of wetlands and shorefront to the federal government as a national wildlife refuge, which caused the Department of the Interior to oppose the bridgehead location in Oyster Bay. “Citizens for Sound Planning” and other local groups raised money, hired a public relations firm, and argued in nearby towns that the bridge would seriously damage the ecology and recreational value of the sound, as well as generate more traffic that would burden surrounding roads and communities.

By 1973, The New York Times had joined the growing opposition to the bridge. Meanwhile, the anti-bridge forces took their case to Washington, winning two crucial victories in March and April 1973. The Department of Interior, responding to the environmental concerns of area residents, ruled that the bridge could not pass “over, under, through or on” the new National Wildlife Refuge that was established in Oyster Bay.

Finally, Gov. Rockefeller conceded defeat in June 1973. While noting that the bridge project offered economic and traffic-related advantages, the Governor concluded that citizens “have gradually come to adopt new values in relation to our environment,” and prefer to “forego certain economic advantages to achieve these values.” It was now, Rockefeller explained, a matter of public debate whether “all growth is automatically good.”

Many in Rye and elsewhere labored long and hard to defeat the bridge, but none more than Grainger, who was heavily involved in both the litigation and legislative strategies. In an interview before his death in 2015, he said of defeating the bridge: “It’s my most lasting memory of my mayoral years.”

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