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Exit 41 departs Interstate 495 eastbound immediately after the Long Island Expressway leaves the Queens-Midtown Tunnel toll plaza. 21st Street carries drivers northward three blocks to New York 25A (Jackson Avenue) for the Long Island City community of west Queens. New York 25A begins at its interchange with Interstate 495 and travels eastward along Northern Boulevard to Jackson Heights and Flushing in Queens. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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Interstate 495 ascends across a high level bridge across an arm of the Newtown Creek between 21st Street and Van Dam Street. Variable message signs and lane control signals are posted along the Long Island Expressway along with a movable jersey barrier between the Queens-Midtown Tunnel toll plaza and junction Interstate 278 (Exits 17W/E). Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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Descending toward the directional cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 278 (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) at Sunnyside. Exit 17 serves the BQE north to the Triborough Bridge and Bronx and south to Brooklyn and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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A frontage road system joins the Long Island Expressway from the high level bridge eastward to Exit 17. Borden Avenue composes the eastbound road and Queens-Midtown Expressway is the official name for the westbound frontage street. Queens-Midtown Expressway was the original name touted for Interstate 495 from Manhattan eastward. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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Auxiliary overhead for the Exit 17 collector/distributor roadway to Interstate 278 (BQE). Interstate 278 eastbound in conjunction with the Grand Central Parkway serve La Guardia Airport to the north. The c/d roadway returns to Interstate 495 eastbound ahead of the Maurice Avenue off-ramp (Exit 18). Therefore motorists bound for Exit 18 may utilize the c/d roadway as an alternate to the Long Island Expressway mainline. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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Exit 17W/E leaves Interstate 495 (Long Island Expressway) eastbound at the Greenpoint Avenue overpass. The c/d roadway merges with Borden Avenue ahead before its ramps with Interstate 278 (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) east and west. Interstate 278 travels the BQE northward from the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel (Interstate 495) & Gowanus Expressway to the Grand Central Parkway and Triborough Bridge. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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The Exit 17 c/d roadway partitions into ramps for Interstate 278 (BQE) west to Brooklyn and Staten Island, and a return ramp onto Interstate 495 east for Borden Avenue drivers. Ahead is the Exit 17E loop ramp onto Interstate 278 east for the Bronx and a second return ramp onto the Long Island Expressway (signed as Interstate 495 Alternate). Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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0.75-mile overhead for the Exit 19 collector/distributor roadway to Woodhaven Boulevard and New York 25 (Queens Boulevard) posted at the Hamilton Place overpass on Interstate 495 east. The Long Island Expressway maintains six overall lanes as it travels below grade between the Maspeth and Elmhurst neighborhoods of Queens. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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Like the Cross-Bronx Expressway, Interstate 495 (Long Island Expressway) includes a left-lane restriction for all commercial truckers and buses. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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Continuing eastbound under the confluence of Grand Avenue and 69th Streets on Interstate 495 eastbound. An auxiliary overhead indicates that Exit 19 serves the Rockaways via Woodhaven Boulevard south. Woodhaven Boulevard becomes Cross Bay Boulevard from Ozone Park south to the Rockaway Freeway at Seaside. The Rockaway Freeway straddles the coastal neighborhoods of Rockaway Park, Far Rockaway, and Rockaway Beach. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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Exit 19 leaves Interstate 495 approximate 0.75 miles ahead of the Woodhaven Boulevard over crossing of the Long Island Expressway. The c/d roadway merges with the eastbound frontage street ahead of the ramps to Woodhaven Boulevard and New York 25 (Queens Boulevard). Woodhaven Boulevard ends at Queens Boulevard adjacent to Interstate 495. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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Drivers destined for Woodhaven Boulevard south or New York 25 (Queens Boulevard) leave Interstate 495 east. Woodhaven Boulevard serves the Woodhaven, Ozone Park, and Howard Beach communities of Brooklyn to the south. Queens Boulevard travels east from Interstate 495 to Rego Park, Forest Hills, and Kew Gardens. New York 25 west enters the Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens to the north. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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Interstate 495 eastbound after the New York 25 (Queens Boulevard) over crossing and return of the Exit 19 c/d roadway. A diagrammatical overhead advises motorists of the Exit 21 c/d roadway system for the Grand Central Parkway and Interstate 678 (Van Wyck Expressway). The Long Island Expressway briefly widens to eight lanes. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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Nearing the ramp departure of Exit 21 onto the Horace Harding Expressway South frontage street for 108th Street. Airport traffic can utilize either the Grand Central Parkway or Interstate 678 for both the John F. Kennedy Airport to the south or La Guardia Airport to the north. As is the case with other New York City parkways, trucks and buses are not permitted on the Grand Central Parkway. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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Exit 21 leaves Interstate 495 east for 108th Street to Corona and Rego Park. The Long Island Expressway meanwhile prepares to split with the Exit 22 collector/distributor roadway for the Grand Central Parkway and Interstate 678. The Grand Central Parkway travels northwest to Interstate 278 and the Triborough Bridge. Interstate 678 continues northeast to Flushing, Malba, and the Whitestone Bridge into the Bronx. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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Interstate 495 maintains six lanes through the Exit 22 complex at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The Long Island Expressway passes east of Interstate 678 to the Fresh Meadows and Oakland Gardens communities of eastern Queens. Interstate 678 and the Grand Central Parkway travel south together alongside Flushing Meadows-Corona Park to their interchange at Kew Gardens. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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A pair of lanes diverge from Interstate 495 east for Exits 22A-E. The Grand Central Parkway turns east from its junction with Interstate 678 and the Jackie Robinson Parkway to Jamaica, Utopia, Terrace Heights, and Queens Village. The parkway leaves the city of New York as the Northern Parkway near the Long Island Expressway corridor at North New Hyde Park. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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Overheads posted at the 62nd Avenue on-ramp to the Long Island Expressway. Drivers merging onto the Exit 22 c/d roadway from 108th Street and 62nd Avenue may access either Interstate 495 east or the Grand Central Parkway. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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Button copy overheads posted at the Exit 22A off-ramp for the Grand Central Parkway southbound for John F. Kennedy Airport and Brooklyn. A full cloverleaf interchange joins the c/d roadways of Interstate 495 with the north-south parkway. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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The northbound loop ramp (Exit 22B) leaves Interstate 495 eastbound for the Grand Central Parkway northbound. Use the parkway for Shea Stadium (home of the New York Mets baseball franchise), La Guardia Airport, and the Triborough Bridge (Interstate 278). Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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A slip ramp carries 108th Street, 62nd Avenue, and Grand Central Parkway motorists onto Interstate 495 eastbound before the Exit 22 directional ramps onto the Van Wyck Expressway (Exit 22C/D) and College Point Boulevard (Exit 22E). Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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The final partitioning of traffic on the Exit 22 roadway features ramps to Interstate 678 (Exits 22C/D) and College Point Drive (Exit 22E). College Point Drive represents a surface boulevard parallel to the Van Wyck Expressway from Flushing Meadows-Corona Park northward to Flushing and College Point. Exits 22C/D split into directional ramps otherwise for Interstate 678 south to Kennedy Airport and Interstate 678 north to the Whitestone Bridge and Bronx. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
| Queens Midtown Tunnel approaches |
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To access the Queens-Midtown Tunnel from Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive southbound, drivers are directed onto the FDR Drive Service Road south at Exit 8 to 37th Street. At 37th Street, Interstate 495 bound traffic turns left for three blocks to the eastbound tunnel entrance via 2nd Avenue. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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37th Street westbound at the signalized intersection with 1st Avenue. An internally lit street sign for the Queens-Midtown Tunnel directs motorists straight through the intersection for the tunnel approach two blocks to the west. The sign however is skewed so that one might turn northward on 1st Avenue instead instead of southward onto 2nd Avenue ahead. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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Two choices exist for traffic existing the Queens-Midtown Tunnel from Interstate 495 west. The northern choice includes an off-ramp that enters the city street grid at 37th Street. From there motorists may turn left onto 37th Street west or continue north on Tunnel Exit Street for 38th to 40th Streets. The second alternative is explained below. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
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Interstate 495 westbound traffic may also turn southward onto Tunnel Exit Street to 34th Street for its connections to 2nd and 3rd Avenue. Downtown based traffic interests should use 2nd Avenue south via 34th Street east. 36th Street passes over the ramp above. Photo taken 10/03/04 |
Page Updated January 24, 2005.
