STATE DOT COMPLETES TWO NEW RAMPS
ON THE KEW GARDENS INTERCHANGE
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM |OCT. 22 - OCT. 28, 2021 5
BY BILL PARRY
The ongoing $365 million
Kew Gardens Interchange reconfiguration
project passed
another key milestone, Governor
Kathy Hochul announced
Friday, Oct. 8.
Construction has been completed
on two new ramps that
will enhance safety and reduce
congestion along the heavily
traveled commuter corridor
used by hundreds of thousands
of motorists to reach JFK Airport
and other key destinations
in eastern Queens and Long
Island.
“The completion of these
ramps is another step forward
in the ongoing improvement of
Queens’ transportation infrastructure,”
Queens Borough
President Donovan Richards
said. “Motorists who use these
ramps will now experience safer
and smoother rides thanks
to their reconfiguration. The
Kew Gardens Interchange
project is a vitally important
undertaking for our borough’s
transportation network.”
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 more than 200,000
vehicles daily.
“For far too long the bottleneck
caused by the convergence
of several major traffic
arteries, have been a major
headache and source of frustration
for motorists,” state
Senator Leroy Comrie said.
“As we continue to find ways
to improve safety and reduce
emissions, I am pleased that the
completion of these new ramps
will allow Queens drivers as
well as visitors to the ‘World’s
Borough,’ better access and mobility
to JFK and other parts of
the city.”
The new ramp leading from
westbound Union Turnpike
to westbound Grand Central
Parkway eliminates the need
for drivers to come to a complete
stop before entering the
parkway, allowing traffic to
merge more efficiently and
reducing congestion on both
roadways.
The new ramp from eastbound
Jackie Robinson Parkway
at Exit 8W to the westbound
Grand Central Parkway
was redesigned to reduce a
significant curve that had previously
existed on Exit 8W. The
ramp, which is carried on a
new bridge structure, has standard
lane and shoulder widths,
which did not exist before.
“The completion of these
two ramps bring much-needed
relief to the hundreds of thousands
of daily drivers on the
Kew Gardens Interchange,”
state Senator Joseph Addabbo
said. “Motorists no longer need
to worry about the construction
going on in that area creating
detours and confusion,
and drivers will be thankful
that the new ramps will ease
congestion on these major roadways.”
Additionally, work on the
rehabilitated Jackie Robinson
Parkway Exit 8E to the eastbound
Grand Central Parkway
has also been completed.
“As I have said, continued
investment in our local roads
and highways is crucial, particularly
as we seek to upgrade
our infrastructure and build
back better,” Congresswoman
Grace Meng said. “The completion
of these new ramps, and
the resulting improvements in
safety and congestion reduction,
will enhance travel for
Queens residents, and all those
who use this stretch of highway.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4538.
The state has completed two new ramps to improve safety and
congestion on the Kew Gardens Interchange.
Photo courtesy NYS DOT
(516) 829-1301
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