Good news for anyone who’s ever watched their boarding time creep closer while crawling down the Van Wyck.
After six years of construction, New York State has wrapped up major work on its $1.4 billion makeover of the notoriously jammed expressway, and brand-new lanes to JFK are officially open.
The new lanes opened on Friday, October 23, in both directions along the 4.3-mile stretch between the Kew Gardens Interchange and Atlantic Avenue and JFK, according to Governor Kathy Hochul’s office.
That’s the same stretch that’s turned plenty of airport runs into a test of patience.
Who can use the new lanes
The new “managed use” lanes work a lot like carpool lanes. Here’s who gets in:
- Private cars with a driver and at least one passenger
- Taxis and for-hire vehicles, as long as there’s a passenger on board
- Buses
Solo drivers will still need to stick to the regular lanes. The state hasn’t shared details yet on hours or how the lanes will be enforced, so keep an eye on the posted signs before you merge over.
The idea is simple: give taxis, rideshares and carpools a faster path to and from the airport, which should also take some pressure off the main lanes for everyone else.
What else got a makeover
The lanes are the headliner, but there’s a lot more going on beneath the surface (sometimes literally).
The project rebuilt or rehabilitated 23 bridges along the corridor and added longer entrance and exit ramps to cut down on the merging chaos that’s made the Van Wyck so infamous.
There’s also new traffic management technology, upgraded signals and new drainage systems.
Plus, a $135 million double-barrel sewer, built with the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, is designed to tackle the chronic flooding that’s long plagued southeast Queens.
“There is no artery in Queens more vital,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. said in the announcement.
A long road, literally
This has been a long time coming. Work kicked off in early 2020 with the replacement of an LIRR bridge over the expressway, and the project rolled out in three phases from there.
It also ran a little behind schedule. Back in August, the state Department of Transportation pushed its finish line from September to “early fall.”
And it’s not quite over yet: work on the nearby service roads is set to wrap up later this year.
The Van Wyck upgrade follows two other big fixes in the area: the $739 million Kew Gardens Interchange overhaul, finished in December 2022, and a $124 million viaduct rehab completed in February 2024.
Even bigger changes are coming to JFK
The road is just one piece of the puzzle. JFK itself is in the middle of a massive $19 billion renovation, including a $9.5 billion New Terminal One that’s nearly as large as the Empire State Building.
For now, grab a travel buddy, hop in the new lanes and enjoy what might be your smoothest ride to JFK in years.