main road by tree-lined medians. Because the road to Coney Island would reach the ocean, it was thus called "Ocean Parkway". On May 11, 1869, the New York State Legislature gave authority to the City of Brooklyn's commissioners to "lay out, open, and improve a public highway or avenue from Prospect Park, in the City of Brooklyn, towards Coney Island." The act was later amended in 1872. The parkway's construction started in 1874, and the next year, the segment was open between Prospect Park and Kings Highway. The remaining section to Coney Island started in "early spring" 1876 and was finished on November 11 of that year. Construction costs were paid by landowners whose property laid on either side of the parkway. The costs at the time were estimated as being $1 million (), with the section north of Kings Highway accounting for three-fourths of the cost. Subsequent legislation passed in 1882 relieved these landowners of two-thirds of that cost. The pedestrian path was split in 1894 to create the first bike path in the United States; the cyclists' speed limit was on the parkway and on the bike path. The Prospect Expressway, built in the 1950s, replaced the northernmost half-mile of the parkway. By the 1970s, there were calls both to renew Ocean Parkway and to make it into a landmark. After a short controversy over whether such a landmark was eligible for federal funds, the parkway was designated a landmark by the city in 1975. Afterward, Ocean Parkway was restored and repaved. The Special Ocean Parkway District was designated by the city in 1978, and the reconstruction was completed two years later. In 2013, the New York state government allocated $6 million for safety improvements to Ocean Parkway. In 2016, an overhaul of traffic regulations at major intersections was proposed, including traffic signals for service roads and turn restrictions at multiple intersections. The regulations were unpopular among residents but went into effect at Kings Highway and Avenue J in late 2016. The project was finished in 2017, though some motorists ignored the new traffic restrictions. As part of the Vision Zero program and to reduce traffic-related deaths, speed limits were lowered to . Horseback riding Bridle paths formerly existed on Ocean Parkway as well. The bridle paths were on the eastern side of Ocean Parkway; equestrians could rent horses near Prospect Park and ride them on Ocean Parkway