1978, provided educational programs and assists in the upkeep of the park's natural areas. However, the two organizations have not had the same amount of funding as similar private organizations who manage parks in wealthier areas of the city. In 2013, Friends of Van Cortlandt Park only raised $416,612—as opposed to the Central Park Conservancy, which in 2016 had an $81 million endowment to maintain Central Park, or the Four Freedoms Parks Conservancy, which raised $8 million in 2011 alone for the construction of the Four Freedoms Park. In 2019, it was announced that the two organizations would merge that June. The combined organization, the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance, would continue the programming and activities offered by the two organizations. Transportation Roads Early in the park's history, there were calls for a direct route between Woodlawn and Riverdale. By 1893, with property owners in Woodlawn were calling for such a route. A preliminary plan for the road was submitted to NYC Parks in 1894. The Woodland Path, built in the late 1890s, was linked in 1902 to a new path on the Van Cortlandt Golf Course's eastern perimeter that stretched east to Jerome Avenue. Another road was built in 1902, extending north from West Gun Hill Road to the city line on the park's north side (later Mosholu Avenue; now Mosholu Parkway). It was completed and planted with trees in 1905. A third, road linked Jerome Avenue and East 237th Street to give Woodlawn residents direct access to Jerome Avenue Line streetcars. There were also preparations for a fourth road, which would run north from Mosholu Avenue and then fork into two roads before entering Yonkers. This fourth road, a "driveway" called Rockwood Drive that ran from Mosholu Avenue to the city line at Yonkers, was completed in 1903. An additional spur from Rockwood Drive diverged from the intersection with Mosholu Avenue, terminating at the train station. A pedestrian passage from Jerome Avenue to Gun Hill Road, opened in 1905, also allowed more direct access into the park from Jerome Avenue. These roads allowed park visitors to access more of the park via automobile, but also had the effect of separating existing amenities, such as the golf course and Parade Ground, from each other. By 1906, increased automotive traffic necessitated the widening of Grand Avenue, which adjoined the golf course. A year later in 1907, NYC Parks wanted permission to