Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia
Two new exit ramps at the ever-congested Kew Gardens Interchange have been completed.
By Forum Staff
Two new exit ramps at the Kew Gardens Interchange that will enhance safety and reduce congestion along the heavily traveled commuter corridor have been completed, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday.
The new ramps were constructed as part of the State Department of Transportation’s ongoing $365 million Kew Gardens Interchange Phase 4 project.
The new eastbound Grand Central Parkway Exit 13W ramp creates a new, easier-to-navigate traffic pattern for motorists wanting to access westbound Jackie Robinson Parkway and reduces back-ups for motorists heading to the John F. Kennedy International Airport and other destinations. The new southbound Van Wyck Expressway Exit 7 ramp provides access to westbound Jackie Robinson Parkway, westbound Union Turnpike and Queens Boulevard.
The new Exit 13W ramp removed a notorious bottleneck that had existed because motorists on the eastbound Grand Central Parkway had to access the westbound Jackie Robinson Parkway via a ramp that was in close proximity to the ramp connecting the Grand Central Parkway to JFK Airport and the southbound Van Wyck Expressway. Under the new traffic pattern, the Exit 13W ramp has been relocated from the right side of the parkway to the left and moved approximately a quarter mile east of its previous location. Motorists wanting to access westbound Jackie Robinson Parkway from eastbound Grand Central Parkway will now remain in the left lane as the old Exit 13W ramp is closed. The relocation of the Exit 13W ramp and the elimination of a stop sign where eastbound Grand Central Parkway merged with westbound Jackie Robinson Parkway will significantly enhance traffic flow and reduce congestion.
The new Exit 7 ramp on the southbound Van Wyck Expressway creates a new traffic pattern by providing access to westbound Jackie Robinson Parkway via Exit 7A, westbound Union Turnpike via Exit 7B, and Queens Boulevard via Exit 7C. Exit 6 will no longer be the detour for westbound Union Turnpike and Queens Boulevard, and the former Exit 8 for westbound Jackie Robinson Parkway will be closed. The new exit 7 Ramp improves access to major roadways and also allows motorists to more safely access local roadways, including Union Turnpike and Queens Boulevard. The new exit provides standard lane widths and shoulders.
“We are not only rebuilding our infrastructure across New York, but building it back better and creating a twenty-first-century transportation network that will allow our economy to flourish,” Cuomo said. “These new ramps along with other improvements we are making as part of the Kew Gardens Interchange project will enhance safety and ease travel through one of the most complex and heavily traveled corridors in New York City, keeping people and goods on the move for many years to come.”
The Kew Gardens Interchange is the complex intersection of the Grand Central Parkway, the Van Wyck Expressway, the Jackie Robinson Parkway and Union Turnpike, serving over 200,000 vehicles daily.
“The strength of our economy and the well-being of our neighborhoods depend in no small measure on a safe and reliable transportation network,” State DOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez added.
