New York Roads - I-495 - Nassau/Suffolk Cos.

in Nassau and Suffolk Counties



Searingtown Rd. NB with a sign that exhibits floating shield syndrome (you would not see the rest of the sign at night) and a classic Long Island overpass at I-495 Exit 36.


EB signage at Exit 38, showing the new-style lettered shield for Long Island parkways, and two old button-copy signs (daylight one courtesy Doug Kerr, and despite the right arrow, no, the exit's not for awhile yet).


WB button copy, courtesy Mike Byrnes. I clipped out the unimportant parts.


Spotted nearing Exit 40, dating to when 495 beyond Queens was NY instead of Interstate, 9.9 miles to Queens ("1000" on the bottom line). The top line should now read 495I.


Dysfunction abounds. I-495 was built out here as NY 495, so the milemarkers show "495" instead of "495I." Signs at every parkway have multiple warnings below, leading to a phenomenon that may be best described as "layer cake syndrome." On the right side of the last photo, notice that CR 4 is squeezing out the sides. I bet there was just a county route shield there, and then people complained they didn't know what road it was, so NYSDOT added the street name. Problem is, you're not supposed to mix numbers, names, and destinations all on one sign, maybe to prevent exactly what happened here EB.


I-495 hasn't been NY 495 since 1983, but this was still up when Doug Kerr photographed it.


The EB I-495 frontage road in the Exit 49 area, then turning to cross the highway on Wellwood Ave., Suffolk CR 3. I assume NY 110 NB (the main target of Exit 49) was temporarily closed across I-495.


Not sure how old this EB sign is, since it was taken by Doug Kerr, but the centered exit tab makes me think it's button-copy.


No doubt about these EB and WB signs, courtesy Mike Byrnes.

Remaining photos are all eastbound.


What better way to ring in the EB photos than with 1996 button copy and non-cutout shields, courtesy John Krakoff. Exit 57 is now signed to Commack instead of Hauppauge.


Suffolk County naturally uses wide shields, as seen in the first photo. On overhead signs they can get ridiculously wide, as seen in the second photo.


The Exit 67 ramp merges with a magical frontage road that appears out of nowhere. On the other side, it disappears just as mysteriously.

Typical eastern Long Island onramp assembly.


All the way up to the sudden end of I-495. Clearly this was supposed to continue - plans had it going another 13 miles, and then having a different false end where it might have eventually connected to a cross-Long Island Sound bridge. Those plans are unfortunately pretty dead.


A 1960s NYS Highway Condition Map shows the next proposed segment of I-495 around Riverhead.


The 1975 version of overhead signage, courtesy Michael Summa.

West on I-495 into New York City
Back to I-495 main page


Exit 38 or 42 to Northern State Parkway
Exit 38 to Meadowbrook Parkway
Exit 39 to Glen Cove Rd.
Exit 44 to NY 135
Exit 49 to NY 110
Exit 51 to NY 231
Exit 55 to CR 67
Exit 56 to NY 111
Exit 66 to CR 101
Into Nassau County
Into Suffolk County
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