Prodigy Real Estate - SI NY Real Estate Blog - Staten Island Transportation

Top 10 Events That Changed Staten Island Forever [Facebook LIVE]

Staten Island was once a very different place than it is today. So many of the things we take for granted about our way of life were not always this way. In this live video segment, we tackle the Top Ten events that changed Staten Island forever.

Correspondent Hannah Jay and Broker/Co-Owner Anthony Licciardello run the gamut through more than three centuries taking us into the modern day. Who were the first European settlers on Staten Island? How much did Staten Island cost to purchase from the Lenape tribe? And, how did people get to the island before the first bridge was built in 1928? What was the main event that changed the infrastructure, demographics, and culture of Staten Island in such a short time?

But many of these events are…

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Staten Island's 7 Most Severe Storms [LIVE Video]

March has been a crazy month for weather! As we wait on the precipice of yet another snowstorm this evening, we reflect on the worst storms Staten Island has seen in a lifetime. Correspondent Hannah Jay interviews broker and co-owner Anthony Licciardello as they count down the 7 Most Severe Staten Island Storms.

Some of these storms are record holders; others can't be quantified in their toll on our lives. All have one thing in common- their destructive impact that lasted long past the storm itself.

Staten Islanders will find a few of these in our recent memory, while others provide a history lesson for younger residents. As each winter goes by, it makes for uncertain times during blizzard and Hurricane seasons. Many of you will remember the unease…

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February Market Statistics Discussion- Stock Market Unease Didn't Hurt Buyer Confidence

February's home prices are still very close to record highs in Staten Island as developers and residents alike clamor for their own piece of the pie. The average home sale price last month was $558,102, down about 1% from the January's record high.

The US stock market had a rocky performance in the month of February. While some this shake-up caused some speculation that the fall would continue, the DOW has recovered for the most part. Looking at real estate statistics, which include the average days listed on the market of just 88, buyer confidence in Staten Island did not seem to be hurt at all.

Though the market still hangs in the seller's favor, a substantial listings increase since last year gives buyers more options. February saw 510 new homes…

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Toll Booths To Illuminate and Display Art at Various City Crossings

Verrazano-Narrows Bridge has been working as Staten Island's connection to Brooklyn for 52 years. Something us Islanders can all agree with is that we despise the tolls and traffic to the tollbooths.

With every bridge in New York City that has a toll system, Governor Cuomo announces a plan to increase toll areas, making it automatic, with fewer headaches, especially if there is an issue with payment. The automatic tollbooth will scan the license and send a bill later in a week or so.

Since bridges are a target for terrorist, Cuomo is taking precaution by increasing security. He is planning to combine anti-terrorism teams with traffic enforcements. For this project taking in effect, job opportunities will be available. By increasing…

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The Staten Island Railway (SIRT) today...

Today, the main line of the Staten Island Railway is still in operation and is quite popular.  There are currently twenty-two stations being used.  However, a station just before the last stop in southern Staten Island is planned and will replace the second- and third-to-last stops, which are quite close together.  This station would be known as the Arthur Kill Road station, as that is where it will be located.

The first station of the Staten Island Railway is at the St. George Ferry Terminal, which is located at Bay Street and 
Richmond Terrace.  This wheelchair-accessible station provides passengers with access to the ferry, as well as over one dozen buses which begin or end their routes here and travel to points all over the Island.  These buses…

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Staten Island Railroad- A historic look back

Between April 23 and June 2 of 1860, Staten Island was given its very own rail line. The track consisted of eighteen stations which began at Clifton and traveled along the East Shore of the Staten Island all the way down to Tottenville. This line was known as the Staten Island Railroad and, soon after having been constructed, was purchased by Cornelius Vanderbilt, who had also owned the ferry terminals on this side of the Island.

Many people believed the railroad to be a prosperous business and so it went through a handful of owners. Since Cornelius Vanderbilt had owned the ferries, you can imagine what an impact it had on him when a boiler exploded on the ferry Westfield in 1871. This left Cornelius Vanderbilt bankrupt, which led to the purchasing…

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The Staten Island Expressway is Staten Island's main artery.

In April of 1957, plans were approved for a freeway which would be comprised of eight express lanes and four service lanes, running west and east through Staten Island. Construction began in 1959 on what would be known as the Clove Lakes Expressway.  On January 30, 1964, the first section opened from the Goethals Bridge to Victory Boulevard. Ten months later, on November 19, the rest of the expressway had been completed--just a few days before the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge first opened.

Today, the Staten Island Expressway is undergoing many changes. The bus lanes that were created in 1998 began to be used as high-occupancy vehicles in 2008. Late last year, it was finalized that these lanes would be extended. Additionally, the removal of certain…

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The Outerbridge Crossing. New York State's southernmost bridge.

On April 30, 1921, the Port of New York Authority was established as a bi-state authority between New York and New Jersey. Two years later, the port had announced that two bridges would be constructed under their authority between Staten Island and New Jersey. The bridges would connect northwestern Staten Island with Elizabeth, New Jersey and southwestern Staten Island with Perth Amboy, New Jersey. The bridge gave Staten Island's South Shore Residents and commercial business access to New Jersey, which would ultimately lead to demise of Tottenville to Perth Amboy Ferry in the 1950's.Today, the ferry terminal is abandoned, but still intact at the foot of the Tottenville Train Station.

The southwestern bridge was given a steel cantilever design by…

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The Staten Island Ferry and Terminal- Staten Island's Transportation Hub.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Staten Island was connected to Manhattan, Long Island, and New Jersey by ten different ferries that operated from different locations on the Island.  This all ended in 1886, when St. George became the sole ferry terminal on Staten Island.  By 1897, passengers had to pay five cents to take the one-hour ride to Lower Manhattan.  In 1975, and again in 1990, the cost of the ferry became twenty-five cents and fifty cents, respectively.  By 1997, however, the fare had ended and the ferry became, and remains, free for commuters and sightseers.  The Staten Island Ferry Terminal is currently the main terminus for Staten Island's ferries, its Railroad line, and many of the local buses.

There are four ramps at the…

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The Goethals Bridge, Staten Island

The Goethals Bridge, Staten Island

For years, ferries serviced the island, taking residents from Staten Island to New Jersey and vice versa.  During the late 1860's, the idea of a bridge connecting the two was introduced.  In 1890, a railroad bridge was constructed, connecting Elizabethport, New Jersey and Staten Island's Howland Hook Marine Terminal.  After the First World War, which lasted from 1914 to 1918, the demand rose for a bridge that could accommodate automobile traffic.  By 1923, the New York and New Jersey Bridge and Tunnel Commission announced that they would be constructing two bridges that would serve such a purpose; one connecting northwestern Staten Island to New Jersey and the other connecting southwestern Staten Island.

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