How to Travel Interstate 678

Travel in Queens County.

In Queens County, this interstate begins near the JFK International Airport loop, then makes a U-shaped travel path heading to the west, then comes out just before Jamaica and heads due north. It travels almost straight past Briarwood, Kew Gardens Hills through Flushing Meadows Corona Park, where it turns east and heads past Downtown Flushing and Linden Hill, til it meets Malba and travels mostly northeast (almost north) until it meets the East River. In this county, most of the county is covered in the name Van Wyck Expressway, though some of this is covered in the name Whitestone Expressway. This highway is toll-free. In Queens County, expect exits for JFK Airport for the airport loop and end of the highway (unnumbered), Exits A, B, and C (for Port Authority Police (A), Cell Phone and General Aviation Lot (B) and Long Term Parking, Rental Cars and Cargo Areas(C)), South Ozone Park (1, 2, 3, 4), Richmond Hill (5, 6), Kew Gardens (7B/8, 7C/9, 10 (for LaGuardia Airport and the RFK Bridge), 7A for Jackie Robinson Parkway), Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (11 and 12 (connections to I-495 at exit 12), Willets Point (for Eastern Long Island, LaGuardia Airport, RFK Bridge, Citi Field and Marina), a bridge over Flushing Creek and the start of the Whitestone Expressway, Flushing (14 and 15), and Whitestone (exits 16, 17). During this interstate's trek near JFK Airport, it heads west but crosses as a 6-lane highway underneath airport taxiways, then connects to the N Service Rd and turns north to cross the United Airlines hangar, curving northeast near Federal Circle. It then meets NY-878 before meeting the Kennedy Airport Interchange crossing under and over Nassau Expressway/South Conduit Ave/Belt Parkway and exits off the JFK Airport property. You will begin seeing AirTrain JFK's peoplemover monorail beams north of N Conduit Ave as it cuts to an open-cut structure and adds service roads and local streets, with interchanges to Rockaway Blvd, Linden Blvd, Liberty Ave, and Atlantic Ave (exits 2, 3, 4, 5), losing AirTrain before exit 5. Before exit 6, it crosses under the 13-lane two-level Long Island Rail Road complex structure (Jamaica). It passes Jamaica Hospital Medical Center after exit 6, then expands to 8 lanes to interchange Hillside Ave (southbound only), NY-25/Queens Blvd and Main Street (exits 8, 9) then over the Kew Gardens Five-way Interchange (Union Turnpike, Grand Central Parkway, Jackie Robinson Parkway) before returning at-grade into Flushing. It turns northwest with exits to Jewel Ave via Park Drive E (exit 11), crossing Flushing Meadows-Corona Park until ramps to College Point Blvd and Long Island Expressway W exist, before turning northeast. It crosses Roosevelt Ave and IRT's Flushing Line and New York City Subway, passing Citi Field (on the west) and intersecting Northern Blvd near Flushing River Interchange and changes names. It progresses north into College Point with service roads, then passes Linden Place (exit 14) heading northeast past the New York Times' Distribution Center, before an intersection with Whiteston's 20th Ave exit (exit 15). The highway passes under 14th Ave onto Cross Island Parkway (left exit) and service roads cease. The highway passes Whitestone's 3rd Ave (exit 17) as a 6-lane highway as it passes Francis Lewis Park.

Cross the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge.

I-678 crosses over the East River as the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, a six-lane suspension bridge running for 0.6 miles (0.97 km) between mileposts 11.90 miles (19.15 km) and 12.5 miles (20.1 km). It is tolled at $6.94 (one way, E-ZPass) or $11.19 (TollByMail, one way).

Travel in Bronx County.

In Bronx County, the highway will come off the bridge into Ferry Point Park, and travel about a mile on an almost straight-north path through Throggs Neck, interchanging with its more-famous exit at Interstate 95, then up to the Bruckner Interchange where it connects to several other highways, and continues beyond as the Hutchinson River Parkway, and discontinues the interstate numbering it once had. In Bronx County, it contains two exits. One exit is at Lafayette Ave (Ferry Point Park, 18) and Interstate 95/278 (19), but it ends at the Bruckner Interchange at the Hutchinson River Parkway North towards New Rochelle, White Plains and Yonkers. The highway makes its way to a former open-road toll gantry located at the former toll booth's location of the bridge, before interchanging with Lafayette Ave and the Bruckner Interchange. (Wikipedia's text makes no mention concerning I-95/278, while its exit list mentions this area.) Look for the finishing area for this named Interstate. This named interstate continues beyond the Bronx as the Hutchinson River Parkway to as far north as Rye Brook, NY (Westchester County), 18.71 miles (30.11 km) away.