Interstate 78 in New York
| Company type | Bi-state agency |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation, Infrastructure management |
| Founded | 1921 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | New York metropolitan area |
| Products | Holland Tunnel, other transportation infrastructure |
| Owner | States of New York and New Jersey |
| Website | https://www.panynj.gov/ |
Interstate 78 (I-78) forms a segment of the Interstate Highway System stretching from Union Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania to New York City. Within New York, I-78 covers , consisting solely of the Holland Tunnel, which passes beneath the Hudson River from New Jersey and concludes at a rotary exit in Lower Manhattan. The tunnel and its approaches fall under the jurisdiction of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ).
Initially devised in the late 1950s, plans called for I-78 to extend eastward via the Williamsburg Bridge toward John F. Kennedy International Airport, then north across the Throgs Neck Bridge to connect with I-95 in the Bronx. These unconstructed portions included the Lower Manhattan Expressway, intended to link the Holland Tunnel with both the Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges; the Cross-Brooklyn and Bushwick Expressways, which would have stretched southeast through Brooklyn to meet the Nassau Expressway (NY 878); and a segment connecting the Nassau Expressway near JFK Airport to I-295 in Queens. Opposition from local communities prevented these projects from advancing, resulting in I-78 remaining disconnected from I-278 and its auxiliary highways.
Route description
According to the Federal Highway Administration, the portion of I-78 within New York measures , although the New York State Department of Transportation records it as . It consists exclusively of the Holland Tunnel, which links directly to I-78 in New Jersey. The Holland Tunnel, designated a National Historic Landmark, opened in 1927 as the longest underwater vehicular tunnel globally at that time. It features two separate tubes, each carrying two lanes of one-way traffic. The westbound entrance plaza, known as Freeman Plaza, is enclosed by Broome, Varick, Watts, and Hudson streets. Four entrances feed traffic into the tunnel here, including one originating from Canal Street. The westbound portal is situated just south of Dominick Street.
The exit area, referred to as the "Holland Tunnel Rotary," occupies a large block formerly home to the New York Central Railroad's St. John's Park Terminal, bordered by Laight, Varick, Beach, and Hudson streets. Vehicles exit onto Canal and Hudson streets and travel southeast along Canal Street and then south on Varick Street toward a rotary featuring five consecutively numbered exits—one at each corner plus a fifth added in 2004 on Varick Street's east side. A pedestrian overpass spans Laight Street at the northeast corner of this plaza.
Within New York, I-78 has four auxiliary routes; however, none connect directly with I-78 due to incomplete sections of I-78 itself as well as I-278 and I-478. I-478, currently known as the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel, connects I-278 in Brooklyn to Manhattan's Battery but was originally intended to extend northward along the canceled Westway project to meet I-78 at the Holland Tunnel. I-278 runs from Linden, New Jersey, through all five boroughs to the Bruckner Interchange in the Bronx, though most of its length lies outside Manhattan. Its initial design included an extension northwestward to connect with I-78 at Route 24 in Springfield Township, New Jersey.
I-678 travels north from JFK Airport in Queens to the Bruckner Interchange. Meanwhile, I-878 (signed as part of NY 878) is a brief east–west expressway crossing I-678 at JFK Airport within Queens. This route was originally incorporated into I-78 plans linking to the Bushwick Expressway, I-278, Williamsburg Bridge, and Lower Manhattan Expressway. The original segment designated as I-878 now forms part of I-278 east of NY 895; it served to connect I-278 with I-78, I-95, and I-678 at the Bruckner Interchange.
Existing segment
During the finalization of Interstate numbering in the late 1950s, the route connecting Harrisburg to New York City was designated as I-78 and planned to traverse multiple proposed highways within New York City. The route was intended to depart from the Holland Tunnel onto the Lower Manhattan Expressway, cross the East River via the Williamsburg Bridge, and continue along the Bushwick Expressway through Brooklyn toward the vicinity of Idlewild Airport (currently JFK Airport). From there, it would follow the Nassau Expressway bordering the airport’s northern edge, then proceed northward on the Clearview Expressway through Queens, crossing the East River once more on the Throgs Neck Bridge into the Bronx. I-78 was designed to split into two branches: one extending west along the Cross Bronx Expressway to the Bruckner Interchange, and another heading northwest on the Throgs Neck Expressway to connect with the Bruckner Expressway near the southern terminus of the New England Thruway. Along its path, I-78 was planned to intersect with I-478 (Manhattan Bridge) in SoHo; I-278 (Brooklyn–Queens Expressway) in Williamsburg; I-495 (Long Island Expressway) in Fresh Meadows; and I-95 (Cross Bronx and Bruckner Expressways), I-678 (Bronx–Whitestone Bridge), and I-878 (Bruckner Expressway) in Throggs Neck.
Only two portions of I-78 were constructed in Queens and the Bronx. When the Throgs Neck Bridge and its connecting roadways opened in early 1961, they were designated as part of I-78. Due to federal regulations prohibiting expressway names on signage, drivers familiar with local highway names experienced confusion. By mid-1963, construction of the Clearview Expressway had reached its current length, and a short eastbound-only segment of the Nassau Expressway was completed in 1971. The New York state government canceled plans for unbuilt stretches of the Lower Manhattan, Bushwick, and Clearview expressways in March 1971.
A portion of the Clearview Expressway’s originally planned southern extension was later repurposed as the JFK Expressway, which provides a connection between JFK Airport and the Nassau Expressway, Conduit Avenue (NY 27), and Belt Parkway. This 2.5-mile JFK Expressway was finalized in 1991.
Lower Manhattan Expressway
The Lower Manhattan Expressway (LOMEX), also referred to as the Canal Street Expressway, was a proposed limited-access highway intended to run through Lower Manhattan. Its starting point would have been at the West Side Elevated Highway, merging with I-78 near the eastern end of the Holland Tunnel. This elevated highway, designed with ten lanes, was planned to carry I-78 southeastward over SoHo and Little Italy before splitting near Centre Street into two branches: a primary branch continuing toward the Williamsburg Bridge as I-78, and a spur heading south toward the Manhattan Bridge designated as I-478. The spur toward Williamsburg Bridge was mostly planned as a depressed or underground roadway passing beneath the Chrystie Street Connection subway line. Additionally, a third tube for the Holland Tunnel was proposed to accommodate expressway traffic.
First envisioned by urban planner and TBTA chairman Robert Moses in 1941, LOMEX plans were officially submitted for city approval in 1959. The New York City Planning Commission granted approval in February 1960, followed by a favorable vote from the Board of Estimate on routing in September that year. Initial cost estimates ranged from $80 million to $100 million, predominantly funded by federal ($90 million) and state ($10 million) contributions.
Prior to full authorization, considerable logistical obstacles emerged. The city aimed to displace approximately 2,000 families and relocate 804 businesses along the corridor, prompting opposition led by community activist Jane Jacobs, who headed the Joint Committee to Stop the Lower Manhattan Expressway. Critics voiced concerns over neighborhood fragmentation and displacement impacts. Influential figures such as Margaret Mead, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Lewis Mumford publicly opposed the project.
By 1961, Moses initiated federally supported slum clearance activities along Broome Street requiring relocation of 132 families and roughly 1,000 small businesses—many relocating to what is now Washington Square Village. Property acquisition commenced in April 1962 but encountered delays caused by relocation complications and public resistance. In December 1962, despite a report indicating relocations were manageable, the Board of Estimate temporarily halted progress on LOMEX.
Revisions were introduced by Moses in 1963. Between 1961 and 1964, a short tunnel segment measuring 156 feet for the Williamsburg Bridge spur under Chrystie Street was constructed at a cost of $941,000; however, this section remained unused following project cancellation.
The expressway became a pivotal issue during New York City’s 1965 mayoral campaign. Incumbent Mayor Wagner supported LOMEX with a targeted completion date of 1971; his challenger John Lindsay opposed its elevated design and filed legal action seeking to delay decisions. The Port Authority also expressed opposition due to concerns about increased congestion at the Holland Tunnel. Lindsay prevailed in the election and pursued alternative solutions.
The Regional Plan Association recommended replacing LOMEX’s elevated design with either an underground or open-cut expressway option; Moses opposed these alternatives due to similar demolition requirements. Deputy Mayor Robert Price announced cessation of efforts for any LOMEX variant in March 1966; nonetheless, studies regarding underground options persisted.
Following disputes with Lindsay’s administration, Moses was removed from his role as arterial-road planner in July 1966. Consultants hired by Lindsay concluded in November that year that LOMEX would not effectively alleviate congestion.
In early 1967, Lindsay along with Governor Nelson Rockefeller commissioned a feasibility study exploring an underground highway alternative featuring tunnels and open cuts beneath Broome and Chrystie streets with limited exits; however, this proposal failed to satisfy opponents demanding fully subterranean construction. Despite ongoing opposition, federal and state funding allocations occurred late that year.
In April 1968 Lindsay announced plans for prompt construction commencement; yet by January 1969 environmental concerns arose over elevated carbon monoxide levels near proposed tunnel locations. These issues led to further postponements as officials reassessed project viability.
Ultimately, persistent community opposition combined with environmental challenges and political shifts resulted in cancellation of LOMEX prior to any substantial completion.
Bushwick Expressway
The Bushwick Expressway, the initial segment of I-78 to be scrapped, was envisioned to link the Williamsburg Bridge with the Nassau Expressway by way of Broadway, Bushwick Avenue, and Conduit Boulevard/Avenue. During the 1960s, the TBTA proposed a revised alignment that shifted the route slightly northward, following Broadway, Flushing Avenue, Meserole Street, Montrose Avenue, and Wyckoff Avenue—tracing the former Long Island Rail Road Evergreen Branch corridor—before continuing east along Force Tube Avenue and Conduit Avenue to reach the Nassau Expressway. Additionally, a spur was intended near Wyckoff and Flushing Avenues to cross Newtown Creek into Long Island City, connecting with the Queens–Midtown Tunnel through either the Long Island Expressway or the LIRR Montauk Branch.
This expressway would have passed through Brooklyn neighborhoods including Williamsburg, Bushwick, and East New York, as well as Queens areas such as Greenpoint and Ridgewood. Its construction would have affected various sites like Highland Park and the Cemetery of the Evergreens. Part of the East New York section saw partial development in the early 1940s when Conduit Boulevard/Avenue was expanded; its existing grassy median was originally designed to accommodate expressway traffic.
First proposed around 1954 and incorporated into the Port Authority’s Joint Study of Arterial Facilities in 1955, the Bushwick Expressway was planned as an eight-lane thoroughfare with six-lane extensions on both the Williamsburg Bridge and Midtown Tunnel. Despite its goal of enhancing regional transportation links, significant opposition emerged from local communities due to the extensive demolition of residences and businesses required—displacing roughly 4,000 families.
In 1967, Mayor John Lindsay suggested replacing the Bushwick Expressway with the Cross Brooklyn Expressway. This alternative connected to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge but did not continue I-78 further east. The proposal aimed to alleviate traffic heading into Manhattan while reducing disruptions to neighborhoods. This adjustment represented a deliberate effort to balance infrastructure expansion with minimizing adverse urban impacts.
Cancellation of all I-78 expressways
By 1969, Mayor Lindsay officially terminated plans for both the Lower Manhattan and Cross Brooklyn expressways after facing strong community resistance; he declared that the Lower Manhattan Expressway was "dead for all time." Subsequently, in August of that year, the Board of Estimate removed this expressway from city planning maps. At the state level, Governor Rockefeller eliminated all three unconstructed expressways along I-78’s route in March 1971.
Starting January 1, 1970, NYSDOT shortened I-78’s eastern terminus to end at the Williamsburg Bridge at I-278 in Brooklyn. The Clearview and Throgs Neck expressways along with the eastern portion of the Cross Bronx Expressway were redesignated as I-295. Meanwhile, the Nassau Expressway was renumbered as I-878 (now NY 878). Although maps continued showing I-78 into the late 1970s, I-878 eventually became exclusively assigned to the Nassau Expressway and was reclassified as a state route by 1991.
Robert Moses had also proposed three other expressways within Manhattan: while neither the Mid-Manhattan nor Cross Harlem expressways were constructed as intended, the Trans-Manhattan Expressway was completed in 1962, linking the George Washington Bridge with the Cross Bronx Expressway. The I-478 designation was later applied to the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel as part of plans for Westway—a new elevated highway on Manhattan’s west side connecting key tunnels. However, Westway was abandoned in 1985 due to community opposition.
A 2015 article from Gothamist attributes part of the Lower Manhattan Expressway’s cancellation to singer Bob Dylan. Dylan reportedly co-authored a protest song titled "Listen, Robert Moses" opposing Moses’s highway proposals; though initially met with skepticism, confirmation came via Jane Jacobs’s son and discovery of original lyrics archived at New York University’s Fales Library.
Exit list
Within New York, I-78 consists solely of the Holland Tunnel along with its associated entrance and exit ramps. There are five exits heading eastbound, arranged in numerical order as vehicles proceed counterclockwise through the tunnel’s exit plaza. The westbound entrance plaza is located several blocks to the north, offering direct connections from Hudson, Canal, Watts, and Varick streets. Although NYSDOT is transitioning to a mileage-based exit numbering system across the state, no modifications are anticipated for the exits on I-78.