The Kennedy Airport Interchange is a large, complex

highway interchange In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, using ...

located along the northern boundary of

John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...

in the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States.

Description

The Kennedy Airport Interchange serves as a major access point to and from Kennedy Airport, in addition to points east, north, and west. It is a junction point for four controlled-access highways (the

Belt Parkway The Belt Parkway is the name given to a series of controlled-access highway, controlled-access Parkways in New York, parkways that form a belt-like circle around the Borough (New York City), New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The Belt ...

, the Van Wyck Expressway (I-678), the Nassau Expressway (I-878 / NY 878), and the

JFK Expressway The JFK Expressway is a freeway connecting the Belt Parkway with John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York City. It interchanges with the Nassau Expressway ( New York State Route 878) near the originally proposed southern ...

), as well as two major surface streets ( North / South Conduit Avenue (NY 27) and 150th Street). A stub ramp exists on the JFK Expressway at the interchange for a future connection to the unbuilt westbound lanes of the Nassau Expressway. A proposal to construct the westbound lanes of the Nassau Expressway through the interchange was cancelled in 1995.

History

The Kennedy Airport Interchange was built by

Robert Moses Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid-20th century. Moses is regarded as one of the most powerful and influentia ...

in 1948, as part of the construction of the Van Wyck Expressway to JFK Airport (at the time known as both New York International Airport and Idlewild Airport). Originally, the interchange was a standard cloverleaf, with ramps connecting the Van Wyck Expressway to North / South Conduit Avenue (NY 27); connections between the Belt (Southern) Parkway and the Van Wyck were made via North / South Conduit Avenue, which flank the sides of the Belt Parkway. It partially opened in 1948, in time for the opening of JFK Airport, with the Van Wyck extending south to the airport's terminal area from the interchange. The rest of the original interchange opened in 1950, upon the opening of the segment of the Van Wyck north to

Queens Boulevard Queens Boulevard is a major thoroughfare connecting Midtown Manhattan, via the Queensboro Bridge, to Jamaica in Queens, New York City, United States. It is long and forms part of New York State Route 25. Queens Boulevard runs northwest to ...

. In the 1960s, the interchange was modified and expanded as part of the project to construct the Nassau Expressway (Interstate 878). As part of the project, the interchange's two southern "cloverleaf" ramps were demolished and replaced with more a more complex configuration. When the

Clearview Expressway Clearview or clear view may refer to: Entertainment * ''Clearview'' (album), the seventh studio album by the Finnish rock band Poets of the Fall Companies * Clearview AI, a facial recognition company * Clearview Cinemas, a chain of movie the ...

was originally planned, it was to continue south to JFK Airport, and connect with the interchange – but those plans were ultimately cancelled in 1971. In the 1980s, the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, (PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ) is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate c ...

constructed the

, providing another expressway connection to the airport, along parts of the cancelled extension of the Clearview Expressway. The northern terminus of this new highway would be at the east end of the interchange, which required further modifying and expanding it; this segment of the expressway opened .

References

External links

{{Commons category, Kennedy Airport Interchange
Empire State Roads
Interchange of the Week, Monday, February 26, 2001 (with images) Road interchanges in New York (state) John F. Kennedy International Airport Highways in Queens, New York Robert Moses projects

Description

History

See also

References

External links