Cool Streets

Trimble Road and Hicks Drive

Trimble Road

Trimble Road, the block from 62nd to 63rd Streets along the Long Island Rail Road north of Woodside Avenue, and Hicks Drive, the block from 63rd and 64th Streets running south of the LIRR tracks, have interesting stories. In 1915, when Woodside was undergoing big changes due to factors like transportation, some streets faced disruption. Forgotten NY explains that as Woodside became urbanized, the LIRR was streamlining its operations, building a “wide right of way” for most of its branches all the way to Jamaica and removing grade crossings to prepare for the “open cut on which tracks would be built.”

Trimble Road

Short streets were built along the tracks to allow cars and horse carts to pass. Trimble Avenue which used to be 10th street, was thus sharply bent to Hicks Avenue, formerly 11th street. It wasn’t until the 1920s that they were renamed to 62nd and 63rd streets, but the sharp bends along the railroads retained their old names and stand out among the numbered streets of Woodside.

Hicks DriveHicks Drive
Hicks Drive

Besides this interesting historical tidbit, Trimble Road and Hicks Drive are must- visits because of their silent, quaint nature providing unexpected relief from the busyness of Roosevelt Avenue and the LIRR area. When you walk down these narrow blocks, you’ll see large cozy homes, small backyard gardens, and hear the occasional train mysteriously whir by through overgrown greenery along the fence.

Hicks Drive and Trimble Road truly capture another face of Woodside that you need to see and feel in order to get to know the area.