Above: Francis Lewis Blvd. SB at Brookville Blvd.

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Northbound


Starting out on the ramp from the Belt Parkway EB, which is the Cross Island NB. The exit numbers continue from the Belt Parkway (the Cross Island, Belt, and Southern State all end at the same interchange).


Exit 26A is closed except during races.


The last photo is on the Exit 29 ramp. In the one before it, on the Exit 30 advance you see that the I-495 shield is clearly a patch - that was originally a NY 495 shield, as New York waffled on what parts of the Long Island Expwy. were an Interstate.


The part of I-495 near the CIP was initially constructed as a bypass for NY 24. 24 was moved onto the freeway until it became I-495, when 24 moved back onto Hempstead Ave., which was briefly known as NY 24A. This sign incredibly remains on the NB CIP approaching I-495 from that short moment in history. Note that the border is white instead of black, and that there's a NY inside the top hump. Photo courtesy Doug Kerr.


A lot of button copy has been lost, and at least at Exit 30, that's due to the recent reconstruction and reconfiguration of the interchange. Thus the first three photos are courtesy Doug Kerr, and so is the fifth (next-to-last) one.


Another one down - third photo courtesy Doug Kerr.


Up to the end of the Cross Island Pkwy. Clearly the EXIT ONLY was an afterthought - I bet the parkway was only two lanes in each direction up here when the signs were first erected.

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Southbound


Starting with the first BGS from I-678 SB. Many of these photos were taken near sunrise in the spring and thus southeast was a bad direction to be facing. Fittingly, the Clearview Expwy. signs came out the clearest of all of them.


On the Exit 30 pictures, you may notice a brighter green patch beneath the I-495 shield. See the NB caption above.


The last photo is courtesy Doug Kerr, and explains why the Exit 26 advance photo directs traffic to the other lettered exits. When Doug took the photo, Exit 26A opened during races only, like the ramps from the SB NJ Turnpike Westerly Alignment to the Meadowlands. Now the SB ramp into the Belmont parking has been removed along with these button copy signs.


To the end of the Cross Island Pkwy. Numbering continues onto the Belt Parkway.

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Straight onto the Belt Parkway
Exit 25A to the Southern State Parkway
Exits 26B-C to NY 24
Exit 27 to NY 25
Exit 28A to NY 25B
Exit 28B to Union Tpke.
Exits 29E-W to the Grand Central Parkway
Exit 30 to I-495, Long Island Expressway
Exit 31 to NY 25A
Exit 33 to I-295, Clearview Expressway
Exit 36 to I-678, Whitestone Expressway
See more of Queens
The Cross Island on Steve Anderson's nycroads.com
Back to New York Roads
Back to Roads