Interstate 678 North - Whitestone Expwy / Bronx Whitestone Bridge

I-678 north ahead of the Flushing River. The northbound roadway of the Whitestone Expressway originally spanned the waterway along a 1936-constructed bascule bridge. The 1960s upgrade of the Whitestone Parkway to freeway standards resulted in the completion of a new southbound fixed span.¹ A $177 million project between 2002-06 replaced the northbound bascule bridge with a new fixed structure.

06/13/05

The elevated highway leading to the Flushing River bridge dated from the early 1960s Whitestone Expressway upgrade. Inspection crews discovered significant aging and damage done to the span from years of service in the late 1980s. So NYSDOT addressed the problem by a wholesale replacement of the Interstate 678 viaduct between the Northern Boulevard (Exit 13) interchange and Flushing River bridge in the mid-2000s.¹

06/13/05

Beyond Flushing Creek is Exit 14 for Linden Place. Linden Place travels north from NY 25A (Northern Boulevard) to 28th Avenue and College Point.

06/13/05

Ramps from the Van Wyck and Whitestone Expressway combined on the 1936 bascule bridge over Flushing Meadow. Now those ramps partition to a touchdown by 31st Avenue. Separate ramps connect with Linden Place from both roadways.

06/13/05

Interstate 678 northbound expands to four lanes between Flushing Creek and Cross Island Parkway (Exit 16). 20th Avenue crosses paths with the Whitestone Expressway ahead of the three-wye interchange at Exit 16.

06/13/05

Exit 15 represents the final off-ramp available to commercial trucks ahead of the tolled Bronx Whitestone Bridge. Exits 16 and 17 prohibit large trucks.
A variable sign bridge was installed in the background during 2005 as part of the NYSDOT ITS project undertaken along the Whitestone Expressway.

06/13/05

20th Avenue represents an east-west surface street between the College Point and Beechhurst communities of northeast Queens. Slip ramps join Interstate 678 with the Whitestone Expressway frontage street system to facilitate access to 20th Avenue at Exit 15.

06/13/05

Cross Island Parkway commences east from I-678 at Exit 16. The parkway represents the northern third of the New York City Belt Parkway system.

06/13/05

Interstate 678 splits into a two lane left side off-ramp for Cross Island Parkway southbound and a two lane northbound mainline. The Cross Island Parkway provides a major route to Long Island with connections to Interstate 495, Northern Parkway, and Southern State Parkway. The limited-access highway also serves the Beechhurst and Bayside communities of northeast Queens.

06/13/05

A stone arch over pass remains in use from the Whitestone Parkway days for 14th Avenue at the Interstate 678 split with the Cross Island Parkway. All commercial trucks from 20th Avenue northward default onto the Bronx Whitestone Bridge due to the prohibition of trucks on the New York parkway system. Exit 17 ahead features a substandard ramp not suitable for trucks.

06/13/05

The Cross Island Parkway eastbound beginning represents the lowest level of the tri-level stack interchange with Interstate 678. Travelers are advised to slow to 35 mph upon leaving the Whitestone Expressway. In the distance is the first overhead for Exit 35 - 149th Street.

06/13/05

Interstate 678 northbound travels the highest level of the Exit 16 interchange through a sylvan landscape. The impending merge with Cross Island Parkway westbound traffic requires a significant weave for motorists destined for Exit 17 to 3rd Avenue.

06/13/05

Interstate 678 northbound approaches the merge with Cross Island Parkway westbound. The Cross Island Parkway feeds both the Bronx Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridges with Long Island traffic bound for Interstate 95 and points north.

06/13/05

Exit 17 departs Interstate 678 ahead of the Bronx Whitestone Bridge for 3rd Avenue. A short slip ramp joins the northbound frontage street at 6th Avenue; the frontage road ends at 3rd Avenue and Francis Lewis Park. 3rd Avenue travels east-west between Parsons Boulevard and Powells Cove Boulevard through the Whitestone community of north Queens.

06/13/05

Ascending over the East River via the Bronx Whitestone suspension Bridge. The Bronx Whitestone Bridge was first conceptualized by New York City transportation planner Robert Moses in the 1930s. The span was built to alleviate the Triborough Bridge to the west and provide a new route between the Bronx and Queens near a planned airport (La Guardia Airport) and the 1939-40 World's Fair site at Flushing. The New York State Legislature authorized construction of the span in 1937. The span opened after only 23 months of construction on April 29, 1939 at a cost of $19.7 million.²

06/13/05

Peering east from the Bronx Whitestone Bridge at the nearby Throgs Neck Bridge of Interstate 295.

06/13/05

The Bronx-Whitestone Bridge carried four travel lanes with two pedestrian walkways after it first opened to traffic in 1939. Construction of the span was funded by 25 cent tolls collected by the Triborough Bridge Authority. Interstate 678 was applied to the span by February of 1959 after initial proposals for Interstates 595 and 695 were rejected. Upgrading of the Hutchinson River Parkway between the bridge and Bruckner Interchange coincided with the allowing of trucks and buses on the newly signed Interstate highway.²

06/13/05

The Bronx Whitestone Bridge toll barrier resides within Ferry Point State Park ahead of the East River suspension bridge. Tolls are collected in either direction of travel and vary between E-ZPass/Cash transactions and Peak/Off-Peak hours. December 30, 2010 toll increases brought the cash toll to $6.50 for passenger vehicles.

06/13/05

A second smaller toll barrier lies beyond the main plaza to handle the right lanes. The staggered orientation of the two sets of booths allows for more lanes overall.

06/13/05

Interstate 678 gains another set of frontage streets named the Hutchinson River Parkway. The southbound frontage road loops to the northbound side and sees a slip on-ramp from Ferry Point Park.

06/13/05

Four lanes of Interstate 678 northbound leave the Bronx Whitestone Bridge toll plaza. A fifth auxiliary lane joins from the aforementioned on-ramp to Exit 18 (Lafayette Avenue). Exit 18 serves the Schuylerville community to the east of the freeway.
All signs from the toll booth northward were replaced with new sign bridge assemblies by 2011.

06/13/05

Exit 18 leaves Interstate 678 northbound ahead of the Bruckner Interchange. Lafayette Avenue travels east from Brush Avenue to Tremont Avenue and Shore Drive at Schuylerville. Interstate 678 meanwhile follows the Hutchinson River Expressway north from the East River to the Bruckner Interchange.

08/29/05

Interstate 678 passes underneath Lafayette Avenue ahead of its entrance into the Bruckner Interchange complex. The Bruckner Interchange joins the Hutchinson River Parkway with Interstate 95 (Cross Bronx and Bruckner Expressways), Interstate 278 (Bruckner Expressway), Interstate 295 (Cross Bronx Expressway Extension) and Bruckner Boulevard.

08/29/05

The right three lanes depart Interstate 678 (Hutchinson River Expressway) northbound for ramps to I-95 north to New Rochelle, Stamford, and New Haven, Connecticut; I-278 west to the Triborough Bridge; and I-5 south to the George Washington Bridge and Fort Lee, New Jersey. The Hutchinson River Parkway mainline includes a loop ramp onto Bruckner Boulevard for its connections to the Unionport and Schuylerville neighborhoods.

06/13/05

Interstate 678 ends and the Hutchinson River Parkway signed route begins. Button copy signs (since removed) partitioned traffic between Interstate 95 northbound from Interstate 278 west & 95 south. Interstate 95 enters Route 17 miles to the northeast via the New England Thruway. Interstate 278 heads southwest five miles to Interstate 87 at the Triboro (Robert F. Kennedy) Bridge. Interstate 95 southbound travels west six miles to the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River.

08/29/05

The Interstate 278 westbound beginning continues the Bruckner Expressway west from Interstate 95 at the Bruckner Interchange. Interstate 278 provides access into Upper Manhattan via the Triborough (RFK) Bridge over Randalls Island.

08/29/05