Unsigned Interstate 478 New York

Interstate 478 New York
Brooklyn, New York City, NY ↔ Manhattan, New York City, NY•2.14 miles

Overview

Interstate 478 is an unmarked route following the Hugh L. Carey (Brooklyn-Battery) Tunnel from I-278 (Brooklyn Queens Expressway) at the Red Hook section of Brooklyn north to the southern tip of Manhattan. Operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the four lane tunnel uses all electronic toll collection through E-ZPass and toll by plate. Cashless toll collection commenced for the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel on January 3, 2017.1

Brooklyn Battery Tunnel from WTC
Battery Park and the north entrance of the Hugh L. Carey (Brooklyn Battery) Tunnel from the World Trade Center in May 1999.

Mileage by State

New York2.14 mi

Data Sources

December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List

History

I-495 New Jersey - 1969 Map
This map inset from the 1969 New Jersey Official Map shows the previous proposed route of Interstate 478 over the Manhattan Bridge rather than the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. This was part of the planned Lower Manhattan Expressway, which would have taken I-78 across Manhattan from the Holland Tunnel east to the Williamsburg Bridge with I-478 branching south via the Manhattan Bridge.

The first proposed alignment for Interstate 478 extended south from the planned Lower Manhattan Expressway (I-78) across the Manhattan Bridge to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (I-278). The Manhattan Bridge, a suspension bridge built between 1901 and 1909, spans the East River between Canal Street in Lower Manhattan and Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. The Lower Manhattan Expressway was dropped in March 1971 and I-478 redesignated along the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and proposed Westway.2

The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel opened to traffic on May 25, 19503 as the longest continuous underway vehicular tunnel in North America. The crossing took ten years to build.4 The tunnel was renamed after Brooklyn native Hugh L. Carey, a former Congressman and Governor of New York (1975-82) on October 22, 2012.3

Interstate 478 originally extended north as far as Mid-town Manhattan along the former elevated West Side Highway. The West Side Highway closed on December 16, 1973 from the Battery north to W 46th Street due to structural deficiencies and the collapse of a 60 foot long section at Gansevoort Street. The remainder closed afterwards to W 57th Street, with a temporary roadway built along West Street and 12th Avenue. Demolition of the elevated West Side Highway took place between 1977 and 1989.2 The route was formally dropped north of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel as an Interstate highway by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on November 8, 1986.

A replacement of the West Side Highway was approved in May 1993. The new roadway was constructed as a multi lane boulevard from April 1996 to August 2001 and signed as New York Route 9A.2

North End New York State Route 9A ‐ Manhattan, New York City, NY

Interstate 478 North at New York State Route 9A FDR Drive

I-478 north at Trinity Pl - Manhattan, NY

Leaving the Hugh L. Carey (Brooklyn Battery) Tunnel, an exit connects I-478 with Trinity Place via Greenwich and Edgar Streets. 12/17/17

I-478 north at Trinity Pl - Manhattan, NY I-478 north at NY 9A/FDR Dr - Manhattan, NY

North End – Past Views

Past Views Gallery (Tap to Expand / Collapse Section)

Interstate 478 North at New York State Route 9A FDR Drive

I-478 north at Trinity Pl - 2001

A pedestrian bridge spans I-478 just north of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel at the exit for Trinity Place. Photo by Dan Moraseski (Winter 2001).

I-478 north at Trinity Pl - 2001 NY 9A south at I-478/FDR Dr - Manhattan I-478 north at NY 9A/FDR Dr - 1999 NY 9A south at I-478/FDR Dr - Manhattan I-478 south at Hugh L. Carey Tunnel - Manhattan, NY

South End Interstate 278 ‐ Brooklyn, New York City, NY

Interstate 478 South at Interstate 278

I-478/Hugh L. Carey Tunnel south at I-278 - Brooklyn, NY

Traffic south through the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel emerges from the East River just ahead of I-278 at Red Hook in Brooklyn. Continuing past the site of the former toll plaza, I-478 partitions into ramps for the Gowanus Expressway south to Belt Parkway and Staten Island, Hamilton Avenue to Red Hook, and the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) east to Atlantic Avenue and Astoria in Queens. 05/30/22

I-478/Hugh L. Carey Tunnel south at I-278 - Brooklyn, NY I-478/Hugh L. Carey Tunnel south at I-278 - Brooklyn, NY

Interstate 278 East at Interstate 478

I-278/Gowanus Expwy east at I-478/Hugh L Carey Tunnel - Brooklyn, NY

Interstate 278 (Gowanus Expressway) angles northwest from the end of the Prospect Expressway (NY 27) across Gowanus Canal to Left Exit 25 for I-478 (Hugh L. Carey Tunnel) north to Manhattan. 12/17/17

I-278/Gowanus Expwy east at I-478/Hugh L Carey Tunnel - Brooklyn, NY I-278/Gowanus Expwy east at I-478/Hugh L Carey Tunnel - Brooklyn, NY I-278/Gowanus Expwy east at I-478/Hugh L Carey Tunnel - Brooklyn, NY I-278/Gowanus Expwy east at I-478/Hugh L Carey Tunnel - Brooklyn, NY

Interstate 478 North at Hugh L. Carey Tunnel

I-478 north at Hugh L. Carey Tunnel - Brooklyn, NY

Interstate 478 lowers 0.4 miles from the separation with I-278 (BQE) to the entrance of the Hugh L. Carey (Brooklyn Battery) Tunnel. Photo by Cesar Centano (08/22/08).

References

  1. Cashless Tolls In Place At Hugh L. Carey Tunnel. (2017, January 4). WLNY CBS New York. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/cashless-tolls-in-place-at-hugh-l-carey-tunnel/
  2. Anderson, S. (n.d.). West Side (Joe DiMaggio) Highway. NYCRoads.com. Retrieved from http://www.nycroads.com/roads/west-side/
  3. Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel Renamed After Late Gov. Hugh Carey. (2022, October 22). CBS New York.
  4. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). (2024, August 20). Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (formerly Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel). Retrieved from https://new.mta.info/bridges-and-tunnels/about/hugh-l-carey-tunnel
Updated June 6, 2022