The Long Island Expressway (LIE), Interstate 495, runs about 71 miles from the Queens-Midtown Tunnel in Manhattan to Riverhead on eastern Long Island. Built in stages from the 1940s to 1972 under Robert Moses’ influence, it opened up Long Island’s suburbs — and quickly became so congested that it earned the nickname “the world’s longest parking lot.” It remains a key route between Manhattan, Queens and Long Island, and a road every New York chauffeur knows intimately.

At a glance
Route I-495
Length About 71 miles
Western end Queens-Midtown Tunnel (Manhattan)
Eastern end Riverhead
Completed 1972

Building the LIE

Construction began in Queens in the 1940s and pushed east through Nassau and Suffolk counties over the following decades, reaching Riverhead in 1972. The expressway was part of the postwar boom that turned Long Island’s farms into suburbs.

Why it’s so congested

The LIE was built as suburbs grew around it, and traffic grew faster than capacity. Unlike the parkways, the LIE carries trucks, so it handles freight as well as commuters. HOV lanes were added in the 1990s in parts of Nassau and Suffolk.

The LIE and airport trips

For JFK trips, drivers often choose between the Van Wyck Expressway, the Grand Central Parkway, the LIE and local routes depending on real-time traffic. For LaGuardia, the Grand Central is usually key. Read JFK to Manhattan, LaGuardia to Manhattan and Robert Moses and New York’s parkways.

Traveling to the East End

For trips to the North Fork and Hamptons, the LIE to its eastern end is often the first leg. Summer Fridays can be very slow. Read the Hamptons car service guide, the North Fork wine country and Friday getaway traffic.