New Jersey Route 495

Interstate 495
<img alt="Interstate 495 marker" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="601" data-file-width="751" decoding="async" height="40" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/I-495_%28NJ%29.svg/50px-I-495_%28NJ%29.svg.png" width="50"/> Interstate 495
Location	Secaucus–Weehawken
Length	3.45 mi(5.55 km)
Existed	1959–1986

Route 495
Route 495
Lincoln Tunnel Approach
Route information
	Maintained byNJTA,NJDOT,PANYNJ
Length	3.45 mi(5.55 km)
Existed	1959 (1937 as Route 3)–present
Restrictions	Nohazardous goodsinLincoln Tunnel
Major junctions
West end	I-95/N.J. TurnpikeinSecaucus;
	US 1-9/Route 3inNorth Bergen; CR 501inUnion City;
East end	NY 495at theNew Yorkstate line inWeehawken
Location
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
Counties	Hudson
Highway system
	New Jersey State Highway Routes; Interstate; US; State; Scenic Byways;

Route 495is a 3.45-mile-long (5.55 km)state highwayinHudson County, New Jersey,in the United States that connects theNew Jersey Turnpike(Interstate 95) at exits 16E-17 inSecaucustoNew York State Route 495(NY 495) inside theLincoln TunnelinWeehawken,providing access toMidtown ManhattaninNew York City.The road is owned and operated by theNew Jersey Turnpike Authority(NJTA) between the New Jersey Turnpike andRoute 3,theNew Jersey Department of Transportation(NJDOT) between Route 3 and Park Avenue near theUnion City–Weehawken border, and by thePort Authority of New York and New Jersey(PANYNJ) east of Park Avenue, including thehelix viaductused to descend theNew Jersey Palisadesto reach the entrance of the Lincoln Tunnel. Route 495 is mostly a six-lanefreewaywith areversiblebus lane used during the morning rush hour. The bus lane, which runs the entire length of the freeway, continues into the Lincoln Tunnel's center tube.

The first portion of the present-day Route 495, at the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel, was constructed in 1937 when the Lincoln Tunnel opened. In 1939, the section known asThe Helixwas finished, which is an oval-shaped loop that descends Route 495 down to the entrance of the tunnel. In that same year, the route’s path was extended west to Route 3 and it became an eastern extension of that route. In 1952, the portion of the route west of Route 3 was opened when the New Jersey Turnpike was completed. In 1959, the road was incorporated into theInterstate Highway Systemand was designated as part ofInterstate 495(I-495). Since theMid-Manhattan Expresswaythat would have connected the route to New York'sI-495(Long Island Expressway) was canceled, I-495 officially became New Jersey Route 495 in 1979, and the signs were changed in 1989.

Route description

The beginning of eastbound Route 495 at theNew Jersey Turnpike

Route 495 officially begins at the exit 16E off-ramp from the northbound lanes of theNew Jersey Turnpikenear the boundary ofSecaucusandNorth Bergen.The main roadway heads east through North Bergen as a six-lanefreewaymaintained by theNJTA.^[1]^[2]The route has an interchange withRoute 3,with access to eastbound Route 3 andU.S. Route 1/9(US 1/9) for traffic in the eastbound direction and to westbound Route 3 in the westbound direction, a major intersection for Route 495 and Route 3, as many people use Route 3 to get to Route 495 for the Lincoln Tunnel. Route 3 ends almost immediately after its interchange with Route 495, at US 1/9. The three routes form a triangular-like junction, however, Route 495 doesn’t have direct access to US 1/9; instead drivers must take the Route 3 exit to get there. Past this interchange, Route 495 becomes a six-lane freeway maintained byNJDOTthat passes overNew York, Susquehanna and Western Railway's New Jersey Subdivision line andConrail Shared Assets Operations'Northern Branchline before intersects US 1/9 at a partial interchange, with a westbound exit and eastbound entrance. Past US 1/9, the freeway has an interchange withCounty Route 501(CR 501, John F. Kennedy Boulevard), which uses 30th Street and 31st Street ascollector–distributor roads.^[1]East of this junction, Route 495 entersUnion Cityand heads through developed residential areas, passing under numerous streets.^[1]^[2]There is an eastbound exit and westbound entrance for Park Avenue, which provides access toWeehawkenandHoboken,where Route 495 becomes maintained by thePANYNJ.It enters Weehawken and comes to a westbound exit and eastbound entrance for Park Avenue.^[1]

The Helix, from east

At this point, the highway loops around itself at a section of the highway locally known asThe Helix,descending theNew Jersey Palisadeson a 360 degree loopedspiral bridgeto reach the entrance to theLincoln Tunnelunder theHudson River.At the start of the Helix, Route 495 passes Weehawken stadium to the north and east, and would later go under it at the start of the Lincoln Tunnel.^[3]The route has a westbound exit and eastbound entrance for and fromCR 677(John F. Kennedy/Hudson Boulevard East). After interchanging with Boulevard East, the road enters the Lincoln Tunnel. At theNew Yorkstate line, which is located at the midpoint of the Hudson River, the road continues asNY 495,which is separate fromI-495,and heads intoMidtown ManhattaninNew York City.^[1]^[2]

View east along Route 495 at Hudson Avenue in Union City

Since 1970, the left lane of the three westbound lanes is converted during the morning rush hour to areversiblebus lane, known as the "Exclusive Bus Lane" (XBL). The Port Authority is responsible for daily operation of the XBL, including its opening and closing, removal of disabled vehicles, and response to emergencies.^[4]It is used by buses headed east from theNew Jersey Turnpikeand Route 3, mainly to thePort Authority Bus Terminaljust past the Lincoln Tunnel in Manhattan, serving over 1,800 buses and 65,000 bus commuters on regular weekday mornings, (6-10 a.m.).^[5]Thisbus laneis the busiest in the United States.^[6]

Each of the travel lanes in the Lincoln Tunnel's center tube is reversible. In general, both of the lanes, including the exclusive bus lane, serve Manhattan-bound traffic during the weekday morning rush hour, both of the lanes serve New Jersey-bound traffic during the weekday evening rush hour, and one lane is provided in each direction during other time periods. New Jersey-bound traffic normally uses both lanes of the north tube and Manhattan-bound traffic normally uses both lanes of the south tube.^[7]

Route 495 is a busy route that carries approximately 74,571 vehicles at its western terminus and approximately 119,432 vehicles by the time it reaches the Lincoln Tunnel.^[1]According to the American Highway Users Alliance, Route 495 is considered one of the most congested corridors on the East Coast of the United States; as of 2018^[update],drivers spent a cumulative 3.4 million hours per year sitting in congestion on Route 495.^[8]

History

The road was built as an approach to theLincoln Tunnel,with the first section opening December 22, 1937, when the first (now the center) tube of the tunnel was completed. This section ran only from the tunnel portal south through thetoll boothsto a plaza with Park Avenue and Hudson CountyBoulevard East.Marginal Street, providing access from Hudson County Boulevard East west over Park Avenue to 32nd Street and theBergen Turnpike,was also opened at that time.^[9]In 1939, the Port Authority opened the rest of the approach, up the helix and west toRoute 3,and it was designated as an eastern extension of Route 3.^[10]The final section of today's Route 495 opened on January 15, 1952, with the completion of theNew Jersey Turnpike.The turnpike interchange (exit 16) only served Route 3 traffic to and from the south; exit 17 served Route 3 traffic to and from the north.^[11]^[12]

Lincoln Tunnel Helix andtoll plaza(circa 1955), with the south tube under construction

With the creation of theInterstate Highway Systemin 1956, the approach to the Lincoln Tunnel was planned to become an Interstate Highway along with present-day Route 3, which itself was not included in the Interstate Highway System because New Jersey thought it would be too expensive to bring it up toInterstate Highway standards.^[13]^[14]However, the Lincoln Tunnel approach was included in the Interstate Highway System and in 1959, it was renumbered from Route 3 to I-495 despite the fact it does not meet Interstate Highway standards.^[15]^[16]Shortly after the road became I-495, the western portion of the road was brought up to Interstate Highway standards with the improvements of the interchanges with the New Jersey Turnpike and Route 3.^[17]I-495 was intended to connect with New York'sI-495by way of theMid-Manhattan Expressway;however, this proposedfreewaythrough Manhattan was canceled in 1971 due to strong opposition to the road running through the heart ofMidtown Manhattan.^[18]Because New Jersey's I-495 would not be connected to New York's, NJDOT started referring to the route as Route 495 in 1979.^[15]TheAmerican Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials(AASHTO) approved the decommissioning of I-495 between I-95 and Pleasant Avenue/Park Avenue in Union City in 1980.^[19]In 1986, AASHTO approved the decommissioning of the rest of the I-495 designation in New Jersey.^[20]

Route 495 eastbound in Union City, with the Manhattan skyline visible in the distance

Starting with theviaduct,which passes over theConrailrail lines just west of US 1/9, the roadway going east is listed as being eligible for state registry in theNew Jersey Register of Historic Placesfor its engineering, architecture and history. The designations for eligibility were given in segments between 1991 and 2003 and include the Lincoln Tunnel Approach and Helix, as well as the tunnels, toll booths, and ventilation towers.^[21]

The Helix has traditionally been known for offering a panoramic view of theManhattan skyline.While local zoning laws prohibit the construction of high-rise buildings that would obstruct sight-lines from higher points in town,^[22]^[23]^[24]as of June 2013^[update]construction of a new residential building partially blocked the view from the lower portion of the roadway.^[25]As of 2015^[update],the Helix is considered by the PANYNJ to have a working life-span of ten years. Alternatives to its replacement include tunnels under the Palisades directly to the Lincoln Tunnel portals.^[26]^[27]

In June 2018, the New Jersey Department of Transportation announced that it would renovate the North Bergen Viaduct (the section passing over US 1/9 and Conrail) over the course of more than two years. During that time, one travel lane in each direction would be closed, reducing the number of travel lanes in each direction from 4 to 3.^[8]^[28]

Exit list

The entire route is inHudson County.All exits are unnumbered.

Location	mi^[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Secaucus	0.00	0.00	I-95south /N.J. Turnpikesouth –Newark	Western terminus; exit 16E on I-95 / Turnpike
North Bergen	0.19	0.31	I-95north (N.J. Turnpike) toI-80west /US 46–George Washington Bridge	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; exit 17 on I-95 / Turnpike
	0.78	1.26	US 1-9south	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; access viaRoute 3east
	0.78	1.26	Route 3west toG.S. Parkway–Secaucus,Sports Complex	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	0.90	1.45	US 1-9–Ridgefield,Jersey City	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Union City	1.23	1.98	Kennedy Boulevard (CR 501)	Roundaboutabove Route 495 and below JFK Boulevard
Weehawken	1.81	2.91	Park Avenue –Union City,Weehawken,Hoboken	No eastbound entrance; access to ferries toNew York City
	2.23	3.59	Boulevard East–Weehawken	Westbound exit only
	2.50	4.02	Weehawken,Hoboken	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; access viaCR 675
Hudson River	2.65– 3.45	4.26– 5.55	Lincoln Tunnel(eastbound toll in Manhattan)
Hudson River	3.45	5.55	NY 495east –New York City	Continuation intoNew Yorkat the river's center
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Incomplete access Tolled