Long Before Memorial Highway, a Railroad Cut Through What Is Now The LINC
NEW ROCHELLE, NY (November 1, 2026) — For more than 8 years, the City of New Rochelle has promoted the LINC, a plan to transform portions of Memorial Highway into public open space, pedestrian connections and recreational areas linking the Lincoln Avenue neighborhood with downtown New Rochelle.
The project has attracted substantial government support. An important part of the city’s case for the LINC has been a historical narrative about how Memorial Highway and Interstate 95 divided a once-thriving Black neighborhood, separating Lincoln Avenue and surrounding communities from downtown New Rochelle.
The city’s 2018 Downtown Revitalization Initiative application and subsequent planning documents describe the LINC as an opportunity to restore connections lost through highway construction and urban renewal. In announcing the federal award, Sen. Charles Schumer described highway construction in the 1950s as having bulldozed portions of a vibrant community of color, depriving residents of access to jobs, services and economic opportunities while contributing to inequalities that persist today.
That narrative has become central to the justification for the LINC.
As I’ve been looking into the history of the area around Lincoln Avenue, Brook Street and Memorial Highway, I’ve found myself wondering whether this is a complete account. Turns out there is more — much more.
