Car Travel in Hamptons & Montauk

Car Travel

The Queens Midtown Tunnel (leading to the Long Island Expressway), Queensboro Bridge (Northern Boulevard, Route 25A), and the Triborough Bridge (I-278) connect Long Island with Manhattan. The Throgs Neck Bridge (I-295) and the Bronx Whitestone Bridge (I-678) provide access from the Bronx and New England. From points south, take the Verrazano Narrows Bridge (I-278). Traffic in and around the metropolitan area is always heavy; the 7-9:30 morning rush and the 4-6:30 evening peak are the most harrowing times. The heavily traveled Long Island Expressway (aka the LIE or I-495), and the Northern State and Southern State parkways are the most-utilized east-west thoroughfares, whereas the Meadowbrook and Wantaugh state parkways are major north-south connectors. Although mass transit makes Long Island very accessible, a car is necessary to explore the island's nooks and crannies. On Fire Island, only Robert Moses State Park, on the west end, and Smith Point County Park, on the opposite end, are accessible by car. Long-term parking is available near the Fire Island ferry services.