Father Capodanno Boulevard was originally conceived by New York City parks commissioner Robert Moses as the northernmost stretch of a planned limited-access highway to be named Shore Front Drive.

[2] The name was changed in 1976 to honor Vincent R. Capodanno, a local Roman Catholic chaplain and priest who was killed in the Vietnam War in 1967.

[3][4] The road exists today as the primary boulevard for the communities and public parks of Staten Island's East Shore.

The entire boulevard suffered extensive damage and flooding during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.

Father Capodanno Boulevard is covered by the S51/S81 local buses north of Midland Avenue, as do the SIM5, SIM6, SIM9 express routes to and from Manhattan.