Van Wyck construction is finally done, state says
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The major work along the notorious Van Wyck Expressway is finally done, state officials said Friday. Photo via State Department of Transportation
By Ryan Schwach
After years of headaches brought on by incessant bumper-to-bumper traffic, Queens residents may be able to look forward to smoother rides on the long-troubled and construction-plagued Van Wyck Expressway.
On Friday, state and local officials announced the completion of a $1.4 billion overhaul of the Queens thoroughfare, which included the creation of new lanes for airport-bound traffic intended to lessen congestion for everyone else.
The new lanes opened Friday, bringing to a close nearly a decade of constant construction on the Van Wyck, which has been affected by some kind of construction for the better part of the last 30 years.
The Van Wyck’s reputation among New Yorkers had been so bad for so long that it was spoofed in a 1991 episode of “Seinfeld” when Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character Elaine Benes declared, “No one's ever beaten the Van Wyck.”
“There is no artery in Queens more vital — and historically no worse traffic nightmare for drivers — than the Van Wyck Expressway,” Borough President Donovan Richards said. “It is impossible to overstate just how transformative the completion of our $1.4 billion overhaul of the Van Wyck is for countless Queens commuters and for the tens of millions of travelers who fly in and out of JFK Airport each year.”
“To our Queens neighbors who doubted they would ever see the day where the Van Wyck was traffic- and construction-free, that day is finally here,” the BP added.
The Van Wyck’s new lanes will effectively operate as HOV lanes directly to the airport, freeing up space in the remaining lanes for local commuters.
“For years, commuters have navigated seemingly endless construction and delays along this critical artery, but today, with the conclusion of major work, New York enters a new era of faster, safer travel on the Van Wyck,” Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “These new lanes for high-occupancy vehicles are among several enhancements that will remove the headaches that have long been associated with travel on this busy highway and help ensure that travelers headed to and from JFK get where they need to go hassle-free.”
Earlier this year, officials promised the work would be completed by September, a deadline they later pushed back to “early fall.”
According to the New York State Department of Transportation, some construction remains on the Van Wyck service road, with that work expected to be completed by the end of the year.
