S53 (New York City bus)

### **Via**

Broadway, Clove Road, McClean Avenue, Fort Hamilton Parkway (Brooklyn), Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

### **End**

Bay Ridge – 86th Street and 4th Avenue / 86th Street station

The **S53** consitiutes a bus route in Staten Island, New York, running priamrily on Broadway, Clove Road, McClean Avenue, and Fort Hamilton Parkway (Brooklyn), between Port Richmond in Staten Island and Bay Ridge in Brooklyn. It uses the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

Part of the S53 was originally a streetcar line, named the Concord Line, operated by the Staten Island Midland Railway. The R7 service started on November 21, 1964, the same day the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge opened. It was subsequently renumbered the S53.

## Route description

The bus begins at Richmond Terrance and Park Avenue, and continues on Port Richmond AVenue until it goes on Castleton Avenue. It then continues on the avenue until it turns onto Clove Road. It mostly goes on the street for a length, except for a brief interruption at Narrows Road. It then goes on until it turns to Hylan Boulevard, Sand Lane, McClean Avenue, and Lily Pond Avenue to access the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. It then continues on the bridge, until it uses exit 17 to access 92nd Street, while buses use the entrance ramp at 92nd Street to access the bridge. It then uses Fort Hamilton Parkway and 86th Street to access the terminus, while buses heading to Staten Island use 4th Avenue and 92nd Street.

## History

Part of the S53, and other routes including the S66 and S74 buses were a streetcar line, named the Concord Line. It was operated by the Midland Electric Railroad, then the Staten Island Midland Railway. The streetcar lines were taken over by the city in the 1920s. The streetcars were eventually replaced with buses on October 16, 1927.

The R7 route began service on November 21, 1964, running over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which opened on the same date. The route operated from the 95th Street subway station to Clove Road and Victory Boulevard. Weekend passengers used the route seeking a scenic ride in its first year of operation.

It was extended to Port Richmond on November 3, 1965.

Sunnyside short-turn service (to Seneca Ave and Victory Boulevard) was discontinued. It was eventually replaced with the S93 in 2001 after the relocation of the College of Staten Island to Willowbrook (which took place in 2001).

There was a variant of the R7 called the R7 Special. When the Sunnyside campus of the College of Staten Island first opened, heavy ridership demands were met with scheduled "limited stop" service at certain times of the day. The trips originated at 95th Street and 4th Avenue went express, along the Staten Island Expressway to Richmond Road, making a stop there and again at Clove Road then onto the College to coincide with peak class times.

Another variant of the R7 was called the R7A. It only ran during summer. It was discontinued and not renumbered, due to duplication with the R7.

The R7 would be renumbered the S7, and in 1990, the S7 was renumbered the S53.

From November 1994 to January 1996 the line was rerouted onto Old Town Road between Hylan Boulevard and Richmond Road due to the closing and replacement of the Clove Road-Staten Island Railway Overpass.