Van Wyck Redesign Will Nix Two Busy On-Off Ramps

JAMAICA, QUEENS — The state will remove two busy entrance and exit ramps on the Van Wyck Expressway as part of its plan to redesign the busy highway.

The NYS Department of Transportation plans to eliminate the Van Wyck's northbound exit ramp at Atlantic Avenue and southbound entrance ramp at Liberty Avenue, according to a report by the Queens Chronicle.

Drivers who typically use the Liberty Avenue entrance will instead have to use entrances at 101st Avenue or Linden Boulevard, the Queens Chronicle reported. Drivers who exit at Atlantic Avenue will instead exit at Liberty Avenue or Jamaica Avenue.

The changes are part of a $1.2 billion overhaul of the Van Wyck Expressway due to wrap up at the end of 2024.

The purpose of the redesign is to ease traffic between the Kew Gardens Interchange and JFK Airport by adding a lane for high-occupancy vehicles in each direction. An estimated 170,000 drivers take the highway each day, according to an environmental review.

For more information about the project, visit www.dot.ny.gov/vwe.