The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has completed a substantial portion of main line work on the $1.4 billion Van Wyck Expressway Project.
Managed-use lanes opened on Friday in both directions between the Kew Gardens Interchange and Atlantic Avenue and John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The managed-use lanes will operate as high-occupancy vehicle lanes and will be open to buses and private vehicles, taxis and for-hire vehicles with a driver and at least one passenger. They are intended to provide faster trips to and from the airport while reducing congestion on the main highway.
Work also has included reconfiguring the highway to provide longer entrance and exit ramps, upgrading drainage systems and installing traffic management technology.
“The Van Wyck Expressway is a vital link that connects New York City to JFK Airport — and by extension the rest of the world — and it has long been in need of a substantial investment to alleviate traffic and provide better access to the airport and surrounding communities,” NYSDOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said.
The project is one of the most complex in state history. It began in early 2020 and has been completed in three phases. It will complete once work to rehabilitate nearby service roads is finished later this year.