Beach Channel Drive was opened on November 27, 1927, as a relatively short road west of the current site of the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge.[2] It was later expanded by consolidating a number of existing thoroughfares and constructing some linking roadways.
One of the roads that would become Beach Channel Drive was the launching point for the first transatlantic flight. On May 8, 1919, four United States Navy Navy-Curtis seaplanes took off in Neponsit and headed off to the British colony of Newfoundland, the Azores Islands, and Lisbon, Portugal. On May 31, one of the aircraft, piloted by Lieutenant Commander Albert C. Read, arrived in Plymouth, England.
Transportation
The following bus routes serve Beach Channel Drive:
The Q22 serves the corridor between Beach 73rd Street and Seagirt Boulevard, along with the QM17 providing express service between Far Rockaway and Midtown.
The Elmhurst-bound Q52+ Select Bus Service runs from Beach 54th Street to Beach 59th Street.
The Q114 provides additional service east of Mott Avenue.
