What Happened
Two right lanes of westbound I-495 in Queens County were blocked Wednesday, August 26, 2026, following a minor crash on the Long Island Expressway. No additional details on vehicle types, the number of vehicles involved, or a precise time of the lane closure were included in the initial incident report.
The severity was classified as minor. No serious injuries were reported.
Location & Road Context
I-495 through Queens is the final westbound stretch of the Long Island Expressway before it enters Midtown Manhattan via the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. Right-lane blockages in this corridor routinely push backups east toward Nassau County during morning and afternoon peak periods.
According to Long Island Traffic’s incident registry, this crash is one of 105 recorded on the I-495 corridor in the past 30 days. The corridor has logged 407 incidents so far in 2026. The most recent prior fatal crash on this corridor occurred August 11, 2026. Queens County has 292 total recorded accidents in the local incident database.
Broader Impact
Wednesday’s blockage follows a busy 48-hour stretch on I-495. A moderate crash on I-495 was recorded the prior day, August 25, along with a separate minor incident on the I-495 HOV lane the same afternoon. On August 24, a six-vehicle crash in Dix Hills left three injured.
This is a developing report based on initial incident data. Additional details, including responding agencies and lane-clearance time, will be added as they are confirmed.