page_title: New Jersey Route 495
section_title: Route description
hierarchical_section_title: New Jersey Route 495 / Route description
caption_attribution_description: English: View east along New Jersey State Route 495 (Lincoln Tunnel Approach) at the exit for Weehawken and Hoboken in Union City, Hudson County, New Jersey
context_page_description: Route 495 is a 3.45-mile-long freeway in Hudson County, New Jersey, in the United States that connects the New Jersey Turnpike at exits 16E and 17 in Secaucus to New York State Route 495 inside the Lincoln Tunnel in Weehawken, providing access to Midtown Manhattan. The road is owned and operated by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority between the New Jersey Turnpike and Route 3, the New Jersey Department of Transportation between Route 3 and Park Avenue near the Union City–Weehawken border, and by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey east of Park Avenue, including the helix used to descend the New Jersey Palisades to reach the entrance of the Lincoln Tunnel. Route 495 is mostly a six-lane freeway with a reversible bus lane used during the morning rush hour. The bus lane, which runs the entire length of the freeway, continues into the Lincoln Tunnel's center tube.
  The first portion of the present-day Route 495, at the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel, was constructed in 1937 when the Lincoln Tunnel opened. In 1939, it was extended west to Route 3 and it became an eastern extension of that route.
context_section_description: Route 495 officially begins at the exit 16E off-ramp from the northbound lanes of the New Jersey Turnpike near the boundary of Secaucus and North Bergen. The main roadway heads east through North Bergen as a freeway with three lanes in the eastbound and westbound directions, maintained by the NJTA. The route has an interchange with Route 3, with access to eastbound Route 3 and U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1/9) for traffic in the eastbound direction and to westbound Route 3 in the westbound direction. Past this interchange, Route 495 becomes a six-lane freeway maintained by NJDOT that passes over New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway's New Jersey Subdivision line and Conrail Shared Assets Operations' Northern Branch line before intersects US 1/9 at a partial interchange, with a westbound exit and eastbound entrance. Past US 1/9, the freeway has an interchange with County Route 501 (CR 501, John F. Kennedy Boulevard), which uses 30th Street and 31st Street as collector–distributor roads. East of this junction, Route 495 enters Union City and heads through developed residential areas, passing under numerous streets. There is an eastbound exit and westbound entrance for Park Avenue, which provides access to Weehawken and Hoboken, where Route 495 becomes maintained by the PANYNJ. It enters Weehawken and comes to a westbound exit and eastbound entrance for Park Avenue.
  At this point, the roadway loops around itself at a section in the roadway locally known as The Helix, descending the New Jersey Palisades to reach the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River. The route has a westbound exit for CR 677 (John F. Kennedy/Hudson Boulevard East) and another exit for Boulevard East with a westbound exit and eastbound entrance. After interchanging with Boulevard East, the road features an eastbound toll plaza and enters the Lincoln Tunnel. At the New York state line, which is located at the midpoint of the Hudson River, the road continues as NY 495, which is separate from I-495, and heads into Midtown Manhattan in New York City.
  Since 1970, the left lane of the three westbound lanes is converted during the morning rush hour to a reversible bus lane, known as the "XBL", or Exclusive Bus Lane. The PANYNJ is responsible for daily operation of the XBL, including its opening and closing, removal of disabled vehicles, and response to emergencies. It is used by buses headed east from the New Jersey Turnpike and Route 3, mainly to the Port Authority Bus Terminal just past the Lincoln Tunnel in Manhattan, serving over 1,800 buses and 65,000 bus commuters on regular weekday mornings, (6-10 a.m.). This bus lane is the busiest in the United States. Route 495 is a busy route that carries approximately 74,571 vehicles at its western terminus and approximately 119,432 vehicles by the time it reaches the Lincoln Tunnel.
  Each of the travel lanes in the Lincoln Tunnel's center tube is reversible. In general, both of the lanes, including the exclusive bus lane, serve Manhattan-bound traffic during the weekday morning rush hour, both of the lanes serve New Jersey-bound traffic during the weekday evening rush hour, and one lane is provided in each direction during other time periods. New Jersey-bound traffic normally uses both lanes of the north tube and Manhattan-bound traffic normally uses both lanes of the south tube.
  According to the American Highway Users Alliance, Route 495 is considered one of the most congested corridors on the East Coast of the United States; as of 2018, drivers spent a cumulative 3.4 million hours per year sitting in congestion on Route 495.
caption: View east along Route 495 at Hudson Avenue in Union City
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