Van Wyck Expressway's new HOV lanes to JFK open after six years of work
The fourth lane in each direction between the Kew Gardens Interchange and JFK opened Friday for buses, taxis and cars with at least two people. Service-road work continues through the end of the year.
Photo: Tdorante10 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
- New managed-use lanes opened Friday morning in both directions on the Van Wyck between the Kew Gardens Interchange and JFK Airport, the governor's office said.
- Who can use them: private vehicles with a driver and at least one passenger, taxis and for-hire vehicles, and buses. The state's environmental review set them as HOV-2+ with trucks barred.
- The $1.4 billion, three-phase project rebuilt or replaced 23 bridges over 4.3 miles and added a $135 million sewer segment to curb flooding in southeast Queens.
- The lanes were expected by the end of September, CBS New York reported; drivers and businesses described years of backups.
- Service-road rehabilitation is still underway and is expected to finish later this year.
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New lanes on the Van Wyck Expressway opened Friday morning, giving buses, taxis and cars with at least two people a dedicated lane in each direction between the Kew Gardens Interchange and JFK Airport, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office announced. The opening marks the substantial completion of mainline work on the state's $1.4 billion rebuild of the highway, which began in 2020.
The lanes were supposed to be finished by the end of September, CBS New York reported; after weeks of follow-up questions from the station, the governor's office confirmed the Friday opening.
Who can use the new lanes
- Private cars with a driver and at least one passenger
- Taxis and for-hire vehicles
- Buses
The state's environmental review for the project set the lanes as HOV-2+, with taxis and for-hire vehicles counted only when carrying a passenger, trucks barred and no exits between the two ends. Violators face enforcement.
What the project built
The 4.3-mile project was done in three phases, according to the governor's office:
- Phase 1 ($342 million, finished 2023): rehabilitated or replaced nine overpasses, creating room for the new lanes.
- Phase 2 ($318 million): replaced four LIRR bridges over the expressway near Jamaica Station and the Atlantic Avenue bridge, and rebuilt service roads between Archer and Atlantic avenues.
- Phase 3 ($804 million): built the managed-use lanes, worked on 10 more bridges, reconfigured ramps and upgraded drainage, including a $135 million double-barrel sewer built with the city's DEP to reduce flooding in southeast Queens.
In all, 23 bridges were rehabilitated or replaced. Entrance and exit ramps were lengthened to cut weaving and queuing on the main line.
Not quite done
Work to rehabilitate nearby service roads continues and is expected to wrap up later this year, both the state and CBS New York said. Drivers who spoke to CBS described years of backups, especially near Jamaica Hospital, and the owner of a Rockaway Boulevard restaurant said blocked roads and ramps hurt his business.
For live conditions, the state points drivers to 511NY.
- Office of Gov. Kathy HochulGovernor Hochul Announces Completion of Major Work on the Transformative Van Wyck Expressway Project
- CBS New YorkNew lanes on Van Wyck Expressway open in Queens as part of $1.4 billion project
- NYSDOTVan Wyck Expressway FDR/FEIS, Chapter 3: Project Alternatives
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