Interstate 278 Goethals Bridge / Staten Island Expressway East
A brief history of Staten Island: The first permanent European settlement on Staten Island was established in 1661 by nineteen Dutch and French Huguenot colonists. By 1683 Staten Island was renamed Richmond County by King Charles II of England after James the Duke of Richmond. On January 21, 1898 Staten Island joined the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan to form a single city. And in 1975 the Borough of Richmond was renamed officially to the Borough of Staten Island (New York Public Library, n.d.).
East
The Goethals Bridge crests at 138.5 feet above the Hudson River at mid-span. The cable-stay bridge accommodates three 12-foot wide lanes in each direction with 12-foot outside shoulders and 5-foot inside shoulders (The Port Authority of NY & NJ, n.d.).
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Including the approaches, the Goethals Bridge is over 7,300 feet in length (The Port Authority of NY & NJ, n.d.).
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Lowering into Staten Island (Richmond County), I-278 continues from the Goethals Bridge east to Exit 4 for Forest Avenue east and Gulf Avenue south.
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Overheads for the Goethals Bridge toll plaza were replaced with a sign for Exit 4 to Forest Avenue. Forest Avenue stems east from parallel Gulf Avenue through the Graniteville and Westerleigh neighborhoods of Staten Island.
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An all electronic toll (AET) gantry lies just beyond the east end of the Goethals Bridge. The Goethals Bridge switched to AET collection on September 4, 2019 (The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, 2019).
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The toll booths were removed below The Port Authority of NY & NJ building spanning I-278 by the Goethals Bridge.
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A slip ramp from adjacent Gulf Avenue adds a short auxiliary lane to Interstate 278 (Staten Island Expressway) eastbound ahead of Exit 4. Gulf Avenue and Goethals Road N join Forest Avenue with 6th Avenue and Western Avenue for Old Place, Gulfport, and Port Ivory to the west.
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Exit 4 departs Interstate 278 (Staten Island Expressway) for Forest Avenue east and Gulf Avenue south to Edward Curry Avenue at Bloomfield. The directional T interchange with NY 440 (West Shore Expressway) follows at Exit 5.
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The New York welcome sign stands within the median of the Staten Island Expressway ahead of the Forest Avenue over crossing.
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NY 440 (West Shore Expressway) runs along the west side of Staten Island from Exit 5 southwest eight miles to the Outerbridge Crossing to Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
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In addition to Staten Island Expressway, Interstate 278 is also designated the POW MIA Memorial Highway in honor of those who have served in the armed forces and never returned.
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Exit 7 departs from the Staten Island Expressway eastbound next to Richmond Avenue. Spanning I-278 here is the ramp linking NY 440 north with the Goethals Bridge. NY 440 joins the Staten Island Expressway between Exits 7 and 9.
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Traffic from NY 440 north joins I-278 east just ahead of the slip ramp to Fahy Avenue at Exit 7. Fahy Avenue runs alongside the Staten Island Expressway from South Avenue to Exit 7 before turning south to the intersection of Lamberts Lane and Arlene Street.
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A lane drop occurs along I-278/NY 440 east beyond Exit 7. Traffic bound for Richmond Avenue utilizes Lamberts Lane east from Fahy Avenue. Richmond Avenue is a multi-lane boulevard extending north from Korean War Veterans Parkway at Greenridge through New Springville and Bulls Head.
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East 
North
The Staten Island Expressway expands with an HOV lane in each direction from Exit 10 ahead of Woolley Avenue to the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.
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The succeeding exit connects I-278/NY 440 with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Expressway southbound to Victory Boulevard. The expressway ends beyond ramp stubs for an unbuilt extension.
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Estimated travel times for I-278 east from Exit 8.
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The Staten Island Expressway carpool lane is restricted to HOV-3.
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The Staten Island Expressway passes over Richmond Avenue ahead of Exit 8 to Victory Boulevard. Victory Boulevard leads east from the Travis and Bulls Head sections of Staten Island to Sunnyside and Tompkinsville northeast of I-278. Points of interest for Exit 8 include Willow Brook Park, The College of Staten Island, and the William T Davis Wildlife Refuge.
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The Staten Island Expressway HOV lane commences east a half mile beyond Exit 8.
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Willowbrook Parkway was planned to continue southeast from Victory Boulevard to Richmondton, where it would converge with the planned Richmond Parkway, and from there to Oakwood Beach and the proposed Shore Front Drive freeway. Plans for these highways were cancelled due to community opposition.
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NY 440 turns northward along Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Expressway to connect Interstate 278 with the Bayonne Bridge over the Kill Van Kull river. NY 440 transitions into New Jersey Route 440 (former Route 169) upon entering Bayonne.
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East
The HOV lane begins east of the directional cloverleaf interchange with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Expressway.
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Interstate 278 continues east over Victory Boulevard toward the Willowbrook section of Staten Island.
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The ensuing exit from the Staten Island Expressway east is a slip ramp to S Gannon Avenue for Bradley Avenue.
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An egress point from the eastbound HOV lane follows Exit 11.
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Woolley Avenue spans I-278 a quarter mile from Exit 11 to Bradley Avenue. Bradley Avenue heads south from Victory Boulevard to Brielle Avenue through the Willowbrook neighborhood of the city.
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Exit 11 leaves I-278 east for S Gannon Avenue and Bradley Avenue. Gannon Avenue comprises frontage streets in both directions of the Staten Island Expressway between Victory Boulevard and Manor Road.
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Exit 12 to Slosson Avenue and Todt Hill Road follows the Bradley Avenue overpass in a half mile.
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Points of Interest for Exit 12 include Staten Island Zoo at Clarence T. Barrett Park and Historic Richmond Town. Richmond Town represents the first county seat of the original Richmond County. That area of Staten Island is located along Richmond Road southwest of Grant City and New Dorp from the south end of Todt Hill Road.
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Confirming marker for Interstate 278 east precedingh the parclo interchange (Exit 12) with Slosson Avenue.
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Slosson Avenue stems north from I-278 to Clove Lakes Park and Martling Avenue. Todt Hill Road continues Slosson Avenue southward to Four Corners and Richmond Roads.
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I-278 advances a half mile from the location of the former Richmond Parkway exchange to a split diamond interchange (Exit 13) for Clove Road, Richmond Road and Targee Street.
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Points of interest for Exit 13 include Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences, and the Staten Island Children's Museum.
This stretch of Interstate 278 was widened by 2007.
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Exit 13 departs beyond the Renwick Avenue under crossing onto adjacent Milford Drive ahead of Clove Road. Clove Road enters the vicinity from the northwest and then parallels I-278 east between Milford Drive and Richmond Road / Felt Avenue.
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Traffic to Clove Road leaves I-278 eastbound for Fox Hills, Clifton, Stapleton and Rosebank.
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The HOV lane was added to the Staten Island Expressway by 2007.
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Exit 14 links Interstate 278 east with the Narrows Road S service road east to Hylan Boulevard near Grasmere Lake.
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Exit 15 separates from the Staten Island Expressway east in one mile below the Hylan Boulevard overpass for Narrows Road S to Fingerboard Road.
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The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge comes into view from Interstate 278 east ahead of Exit 14.
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South from I-278 beyond Exit 15, Lily Pond Avenue connects with Father Capodanno Boulevard along the South Beach section of Staten Island and the Gateway National Recreation Area.
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Exit 15 to Lily Pond Avenue at Fort Wadsworth is the final exit from the Staten Island Expressway east before I-278 ascends over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge across The Narrows into Brooklyn.
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Interstate 278 and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge approach cross Fort Wadsworth ahead of the Narrows.
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Like the George Washington Bridge, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge partitions into an upper and lower deck.
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Exit 15 is a six-ramp parclo interchange with Lily Pond Avenue between Father Capodanno Boulevard and Bay Street in northeastern Staten Island. Bay Street stems north from Lily Pond Road and Fort Wadsworth to Rosebank, Stapleton, and Tompkinsville.
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A common advisory sign advising truckers to use only Expressways in New York City.
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Tolls for the Verrazano Bridge eastbound are collected at an AET gantry located just beyond the separation for the upper and lower levels of the suspension bridge.
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The original Verrazano-Narrows Bridge toll plaza was located just east of Lily Pond Avenue. Tolls for eastbound traffic along the bridge were dropped in 1986 to alleviate growing air pollution in Staten Island from idling cars at the toll plaza (Anderson, n.d.). The switch to all electronic tolling restored westbound tolls.
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The Verrazano Bridge upper level eastbound includes two general travel lanes in addition to the HOV lane. The lower level accommodates three eastbound lanes.
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References:
New York Public Library. (n.d.). Staten Island On The Web. http://www.nypl.org/weblinks/2311.
The Port Authority of NY & NJ. (n.d.). Goethals Bridge Facts & Info. http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/goethals-bridge-facts-info.html
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. (2019, August 28). Cashless Tolling Coming to Goethals Bridge on September 4, Continuing Port Authority Transition to Cashless Systems at All Agency Crossings. [Press release]. https://www.panynj.gov/port-authority/en/press-room/press-release-archives/2019_press_releases/cashless_tollingcomingtogoethalsbridgeonseptember4continuingport.html
Anderson, S. (n.d.). Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (I-278). NYCRoads.com. http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/verrazano-narrows/
Photo Credits:
- ABRoads: 12/17/17
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Page Updated Tuesday May 05, 2026.