Four million people on Long Island had no road link to the mainland

Evidence

The population of Long Island, concentrated in Brooklyn and Queens, was more than four million in 1932—greater than all except eight states. But except for a few small and ancient ferries that plied the East River, the only way on or off Long Island for motorists was the same quartet of “East River bridges” that had existed in 1909. Long Island still didn’t possess a single vehicular link with the mainland United States. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 1470