What Happened
A minor crash blocked the left lane of I-495 eastbound in Queens County on Tuesday, September 15, 2026. One lane remained closed while responders worked the scene. No seriously injured parties have been confirmed, and no agency has released names of those involved.
The lane impact was limited to the far left lane. Center and right lanes stayed open, but drivers approaching the scene faced a forced merge. No closure time or estimated clearance window was issued at the time of this report.
Location & Road Context
I-495, the Long Island Expressway, runs through Queens before crossing into Nassau County. The eastbound lanes through Queens carry heavy commuter volume during morning and afternoon peak hours.
According to Long Island Traffic’s incident registry, I-495 has logged 104 recorded incidents in the past 30 days and 485 so far in 2026. Tuesday’s left-lane blockage is one of at least six separate crashes on I-495 recorded on September 15 alone, including a moderate-severity incident earlier that day. The most recent prior fatal crash on this corridor occurred August 26, 2026; details are at this report.
Queens County has 351 recorded accidents in Long Island Traffic’s local incident database.
Broader Impact
Five additional I-495 crashes were recorded the same day: three minor, one minor, one minor, one minor, and one moderate. No single cause ties them together based on available records.