Interstate 678

Interstate 678 marker
Interstate 678
Map
Map of the New York City area with I-678 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-78
Maintained by NYSDOT, MTAB&T, and PANYNJ
Length14.33 mi[1] (23.06 km)
Existedc. 1965[2][3]–present
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
South end John F. Kennedy Airport
Major intersections
North end I-95 / I-278 / Hutchinson River Parkway in Throggs Neck
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountiesQueens, Bronx
Highway system
NY 635 I-684

Interstate 678 (I-678) is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway that extends for 14 miles (23 km) through two boroughs of New York City. The route begins at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Jamaica Bay and travels north through Queens and across the East River to the Bruckner Interchange in the Bronx, where I-678 ends and the Hutchinson River Parkway begins.

I-678 connects to I-495 (the Long Island Expressway) in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. The highway is known as the Van Wyck Expressway (/væn ˈwɪk/ van WIK or /væn ˈwk/ van WYKE)[4] from JFK Airport to Northern Boulevard (New York State Route 25A or NY 25A), the Whitestone Expressway from NY 25A north to the Bronx–Whitestone Bridge, and the Hutchinson River Expressway from the bridge to the Bruckner Interchange. North of the interchange, I-678 ends and the roadway continues as the Hutchinson River Parkway.

The portion of I-678 north of NY 25A follows the path of the Whitestone Parkway and a short section of the Hutchinson River Parkway's Bronx extension. The Whitestone and Hutchinson River parkways were first opened in 1939, while the Van Wyck Expressway opened in pieces between 1950 and 1953. Both highways were connected to each other and upgraded to meet Interstate Highway standards in the early 1960s. The Hutchinson River and Whitestone Expressways were collectively designated as I-678 c. 1965. The designation was extended southward in 1970 to follow the Van Wyck Expressway to its end at JFK Airport.[5]

  1. ^ New York State Department of Transportation (June 16, 2009). 2008 Traffic Volume Report for New York State (PDF) (Report). Albany: New York State Department of Transportation. pp. 242–243. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference 1964map was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference 1965map was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ State of New York Department of Transportation (January 1, 1970). Official Description of Touring Routes in New York State (PDF). Albany: State of New York Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 26, 2009. Retrieved July 14, 2010.