Interstate Highways to the West Take Shape, With Opening Slated for Early 2027

The new interstate highways stretching west from New BK and Long Island are starting to look like highways. Crews have finished long runs of four-lane roadway with lane striping, streetlights and concrete barriers in place, and the first curved interchange ramps and overpasses are up. Officials say the network is on track to open to the public in early 2027.

The highways don't have names or route numbers yet. Officials say those will be announced closer to opening.

Until then, access is restricted. Only government vehicles and a short list of approved vehicles, mostly construction, inspection and permitted freight traffic, are allowed on the finished sections. Drivers without a permit who try to use the new lanes are being turned back at the ramps.

Once the network opens, it will be possible to drive from New BK and Long Island all the way to Los Angeles, something that can't be done today.

Much of the work is being done by Meridian Span Constructors (MSPN), a Long Island heavy-civil contractor that holds the prime contract for the roadway, interchanges and bridges. The deal is the biggest in the company's history. Meridian Span listed on the NASE this week, and analysts expect the highway contract to make up most of its revenue through next year.

The project is federal, and the Trump administration has made it part of its infrastructure push. But state and city officials say it's New A's economy that has investors looking at the land the highways run through. Under Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani, New A has added jobs, towers and new businesses, and supporters of both say that growth has made outer lands that were overlooked for years worth investing in. Developers have already started scouting parcels near the planned exits.

Not everyone is sold. Some residents in the outer areas worry about traffic and noise once the highways open, budget watchers have asked how much the state will pay to maintain the new roads, and some drivers say the rules for the restricted-access period haven't been explained clearly enough.

For now, the lanes sit mostly empty at night, lit by rows of streetlamps that run to the horizon. That changes in early 2027.