Interstate 295 (New York)

Interstate 295 (I-295) is a connector route within New York City. Measuring 9.10 miles (14.6 km) in length, I-295 travels from the Bruckner Interchange, a junction with I-95/I-278/I-678 in The Bronx, across the toll Throgs Neck Bridge to the Grand Central Parkway in Queens. Along the route, 295 meets with I-695 (Throgs Neck Expressway), the Cross Island Parkway, and I-495 (the Long Island Expressway). In Queens, I-295 is also known as the Clearview Expressway. The highway's southern terminus is a traffic signal at Hillside Avenue (New York State Route 25 or NY 25) in the Queens neighborhood of Queens Village. However, the original plan was to extend it further south to JFK Airport. The 0.8-mile (1.3 km) JFK Expressway was intended to be part of the Clearview, but was only constructed as far north as the Belt Parkway.

Route description

The existing section of the Clearview Expressway that carries the I-295 designation begins at the unfinished interchange with NY 25 where the ramps from northbound NY 24 (212th Street) and southbound Hollis Court Boulevard merge into the northbound and southbound lanes, respectively, of the highway. The Queens section of this roadway is known as "The 77th Infantry Division Expressway", honoring the U.S. Army's 77th Infantry Division of World War I and World War II fame; raised from draftees from New York City and Long Island, the 77th was also known as the Statue of Liberty Division, due to its shoulder-sleeve insignia. This Queens expressway instantly runs beneath a stack interchange with the Grand Central Parkway before immediately entering Cunningham Park. The Clearview leaves Cunningham Park at the interchange with Long Island Expressway, which used to be the eastern terminus of I-495 until the mid-1980s.