This article provides details of the lettered avenues in the flat south central portion of New York City borough of Brooklyn. Improved public transport brought urban sprawl to this area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, after the hilly areas to its west and north had already been developed. The avenues are oriented east to west and unless specified have two traffic lanes, carrying two-way traffic. Route descriptions are given west to east. Avenue J and the majority of those north of there have their west end at Dahill Road. Avenue P and the majority of those south of there have their west end at Stillwell Avenue. Most of the north/south cross streets in this grid are numbered, with the word "East" preceding, for example "East 3rd Street". There is no Avenue E nor Avenue G.
These are less than a mile long, in northern Canarsie.
In 1897, at the request of developers, the City of Brooklyn renamed several streets in what is now known as Prospect Park South. Among these are Avenues A and B, and five numbered streets which cross them. Avenue A was renamed Albemarle Road, and a portion of Avenue B between Coney Island Avenue and Flatbush Avenue was renamed Beverley Road.[1][2][3]
After Brooklyn was annexed into the City of New York, three more segments of Avenue B, namely between Church Avenue and Coney Island Avenue, between Flatbush Avenue and Brooklyn Avenue, and between Schenectady Avenue and Ralph Avenue, were renamed with an Americanized spelling: Beverly Road. This explains the spelling discrepancy between the two subway stations along what was once known as Avenue B: the Beverley Road station on the BMT Brighton Line, and the Beverly Road station on the IRT Nostrand Avenue line.[4]
The portion of Avenue B east of Ralph Avenue was not given the name in order to compliment an Avenue A which is distinct from what is now known as Albemarle Road.[5]
Avenue C is located in Kensington and is less than a mile long. Cortelyou Road, which is one block south, can be easily confused with Avenue C, since Cortelyou starts with the letter "C".
Over a mile in length, Avenue D is located in the southern part of Flatbush. Nearby Ditmas Avenue and Dorchester Road are commonly associated with Avenue D, since Ditmas and Dorchester start with the letter "D".
Located in the southern part of Kensington, Avenue F is less than a mile long. It is commonly confused with nearby Foster Avenue and Farragut Road, since Foster and Farragut begin with the letter "F".
The Bay Ridge Branch lies between these avenues for most of their length. Avenue H is interrupted by the campus of Brooklyn College.
Avenue J travels through the neighborhoods of Midwood and Flatlands. It begins at Dahill Road and runs to Ralph Avenue in Georgetown, just short of Paerdegat Basin. It resumes across the water in Canarsie and runs from East 80th Street to East 108th Street. The house numbers increase from west to east.
Avenue K starts off its western terminus at Ocean Parkway in Midwood. It gets interrupted with a brief concurrency along Flatbush Avenue. It then runs to Bergen Avenue in Bergen Beach, where it is interrupted by Paerdegat Basin. It resumes across the water in Canarsie and runs from East 80th Street to East 108th Street. The house numbers increase from west to east.
Avenue L starts off at its western terminus at East 4th Street in Midwood and continues to Flatbush Avenue in Flatlands. It resumes at East 41st Street and Troy Avenue and continues as a one-way street going from west to east to Ralph Avenue, where it becomes a two-way street again until its eastern terminus at Bergen Avenue in Bergen Beach. Across the Paerdegat Basin, it resumes at East 80th Street in Canarsie and runs to its terminus at East 108th Street. The house numbers increase from west to east. Avenue M starts at Dahill Road in Mapleton. It gets interrupted at Flatlands Avenue, resumes at Flatbush Avenue and is juxtaposed to the south at Ralph Avenue, from which it runs as a two-way street to Bergen Avenue along Paedergat Basin. Across the water, it resumes at East 80th Street in Canarsie and runs to its terminus at East 108th Street. The house numbers increase from west to east. Avenue M is a one-way street westbound from Ralph Avenue to Flatbush Avenue.
Avenue N begins its western terminus at McDonald Avenue. It continues to Ocean Parkway and becomes a one way street with traffic flowing from west to east. It becomes interrupted when intersecting East 35th Street in Marine Park. Avenue N starts up again from an intersection at Flatbush Avenue, continuing east towards Bergen Beach. In this neighborhood, Avenue N branches off Veterans Avenue, traveling northeast. Avenue N ends at Royce Street in Bergen Beach, continuing as Cove Lane, until intersecting Bergen Avenue, along Paedergat Basin. Across the water, Avenue N resumes at East 80th Street and runs to its terminus at East 108th Street and the East Mill Basin.
Avenue O begins its western terminus at Bay Parkway in Bensonhurst. It gets interrupted when intersecting 65th Street. It then picks up again at Dahill Road in Mapleton. It becomes a one way street with traffic flowing from east to west, between Coney Island Avenue and Kings Highway (its eastern terminus).
Avenue P is four lanes wide, with its western terminus at Bay Parkway in Gravesend and its eastern terminus at Flatbush Avenue in Marine Park. It gets interrupted at Kings Highway and again with a short concurrency along Nostrand Avenue.
Avenue Q, which is currently signed as Quentin Road, stretches from its western terminus at Stillwell Avenue in Gravesend to its eastern terminus at Flatbush Avenue in Marine Park. The street gets interrupted by Kings Highway in Midwood from East 13th Street to East 16th Street. It then continues from East 16 Street, which is parallel to the railroad tracks for the B and Q trains. In Marine Park, the street has a short concurrency along Nostrand Avenue. It then continues towards its eastern terminus at Flatbush Avenue and East 45th Street. After World War II, Avenue Q was renamed Quentin Road. It was named after Theodore Roosevelt's youngest son, Quentin Roosevelt, who was shot down in France behind enemy lines.[6] The Broadway show named after the street is about a college graduate who comes to New York City with big dreams and a small amount of money. He soon discovers that the only neighborhood in his price range is Avenue Q. The set of Avenue Q depicts several tenements on a rundown fictional street located in New York City in a borough other than Manhattan. The authors have stated that Avenue Q is fictional and is not related to this or any other particular street in Brooklyn.[7]
Avenue R begins its western terminus at Kings Highway and East 5th Street in Gravesend. In Gravesend, Avenue R has a median, between East 7th Street and Coney Island Avenue. In Marine Park, the street has a brief concurrency along Gerritsen Avenue. It then continues towards its eastern terminus at Flatbush Avenue and Avenue O in Marine Park.
These avenues begin their western terminus at Stillwell Avenue in Gravesend and continue until an intersection with Stuart Street in Marine Park. They get interrupted by Marine Park, and then Avenue S continues from East 32nd Street and Avenue T continues from East 33rd Street. Avenue S has its eastern terminus at Avenue T. From here, Avenue T resumes until its eastern terminus at Bergen Avenue in Bergen Beach.
Avenue V exists in five segments. The first segment runs from Stillwell Avenue to West 8th Street, where its route is blocked by the BMT Sea Beach Line tracks. It resumes its path opposite the tracks at a dead end west of West 7th Street and runs to Van Sicklen Street. The third segment takes Avenue V from Gravesend Neck Road east of East 1st Street to Burnett Street at Marine Park. Over the course of the third segment, the traffic pattern of Avenue V changes four times. From Gravesend Neck Road to Ocean Avenue the avenue serves two-way traffic on two lanes; after Ocean Avenue, traffic travels one way westbound on two lanes until Gravesend Neck Road. East of Gravesend Neck Road, traffic travels one way eastbound on two lanes until Nostrand Avenue, where traffic once again resumes its regular pattern, ending at Burnett Street. The fourth segment of Avenue V begins on the other side of Marine Park at East 38th Street and runs till Flatbush Avenue. The final segment begins some distance away in Bergen Beach, just east of a dead end at Mill Basin and terminates at Bergen Avenue.
Avenue W exists in four segments. The first segment runs from Stillwell Avenue to West 11th Street, where its path is impeded by a public housing project. Its second segment runs from West 7th Street to its intersection with Sheepshead Bay Road and Gravesend Neck Road. During the second segment, traffic patterns on the road change four times. From West 7th Street one block east to 86th Street, traffic travels one way on one lane westbound. On the block between 86th Street and West 6th Street traffic travels two ways on two lanes. On the block between West 6th Street and Van Sicklen Street, traffic travels one way on one lane eastbound. Finally, from Van Sicklen Street to the end of its second segment, traffic on Avenue W travels two ways on two lanes. The third segment runs from East 16th Street to Gerritsen Avenue. The fourth segment begins some distance away in Bergen Beach, across several creeks and two neighborhoods. This last stretch runs from a dead end just east of Mill Basin to Bergen Avenue.
Avenue X exists in four segments. The westernmost segment is served by a Culver Line station. It runs from Stillwell Avenue to West 8th Street, where its path is interrupted by the Coney Island Yards. The second segment begins at a dead end at Boynton Place just east of the yards and continues to another dead end just east of East 15th Street at the BMT Brighton Beach Line. Avenue X once again resumes its course opposite the train tracks at East 16th Street and ends at Knapp Street. The easternmost segment begins some distance away in Bergen Beach, across several creeks and two neighborhoods. This last stretch runs from a dead end just east of Mill Basin to Bergen Avenue.
Avenue Y exists in two segments. The first segment runs from Shell Road to Knapp Street. The second segment begins some distance away in Bergen Beach, across several creeks and two neighborhoods. This last stretch runs from a dead end just east of Mill Basin to Bergen Avenue.
Avenue Z exists in three segments. The first segment runs from Cropsey Avenue to Stillwell Avenue. The second segment runs from Shell Road to Coyle Street. The third segment runs from Knapp Street a short distance to a dead end just west of Gerritsen Creek.