Transportation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kew Gardens has great transportation access, for both mass transit users, and for those who elect to drive. Fast access to Manhattan is available via the IND Queens Boulevard Line’s E and F express trains at the Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike subway station, and by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) at Kew Gardens station. The subway station is ranked 46th out of the 425 subway stations in terms of ridership, in large part due to the bus connections available at street level. ¹

At the 78th Avenue end of the station, riders take the heavily used Q46 bus that runs to Glen Oaks and LIJ along Union Turnpike from the north side of Queens Boulevard. ² Riders at the 80th Road exit take the Q10 bus, which is so heavily patronized that lines for buses regularly go around the block. At Union Turnpike riders can take the less-patronized Q37 to South Ozone Park. ³

 The LIRR station, though it has fast service, does not receive frequent service, with gaps of half an hour to an hour at different times of the day. If you are traveling via the LIRR, you must be in the first six cars of the train to exit.

 

Kew Gardens has great access to the highway network in Queens, and is located adjacent to the Jackie Robinson Parkway, the Grand Central Parkway and the Van Wyck Expressway (Interstate 678) which meet up at a sprawling junction known as the Kew Gardens Interchange. This interchange has been under construction since 2010 as highway on ramps and off ramps are rebuilt, and as connections are improved. ⁴

The author of this page sincerely believes that the interchange should be torn down and replaced with housing or parkland to reduce pollution, to reduce the use of cars, and to improve health. Other major roads in Kew Gardens are Union Turnpike, which connects Central Queens with Eastern Queens and Long Island, and the borough’s major thoroughfare, Queens Boulevard, under which the subway runs.

 

With the exception of inside of Forest Park, there are no protected bike lanes in Kew Gardens. The Brooklyn-Queens Greenway, which is a bicycling and pedestrian path connecting Coney Island and Fort Totten, runs through the neighborhood, and the path through the neighborhood, along 80th Road and 82nd Avenue are signed as shared lanes.⁵

 Whenever the final phase of the Queens Boulevard Safety Project is completed, bike lanes will be extended along Queens Boulevard to 80th Road to connect with the Greenway, providing protected bike lanes to Manhattan. ⁶

Let’s not forget walking! The neighborhood is very walkable, and it is easy to get something to eat, to go to the park, to watch a movie, or do other things by just walking through the neighborhood. The tree-lined streets and the beautiful homes make the walk enjoyable!