Skip the LIE Backup at Exit 49

The Problem

Every weekday between 4:00 and 7:00 PM, the Long Island Expressway westbound turns into a parking lot between Exits 53 (Sagtikos/Sunken Meadow) and Exit 49 (Route 110). The bottleneck starts where the Sagtikos State Parkway dumps traffic onto the LIE and compounds at the Route 110 interchange, where thousands of workers from the Melville corporate corridor all try to merge at once. On a bad day, you’re looking at 25-40 minutes to crawl through four miles of stop-and-go. On a Friday before a holiday weekend, double that.

The core issue is capacity. The LIE carries roughly 200,000 vehicles per day through this stretch, and the interchange at Exit 49 was designed in the 1960s when Melville was still potato fields. The ramp geometry forces merging traffic into a single lane, and the whole thing collapses like clockwork.

The Shortcut

1. Stay on the LIE westbound past Exit 56 (Route 111/Islip). Watch the overhead signs — if travel time to Exit 49 shows 20+ minutes, commit to this bypass.
2. Exit at Exit 53 South — Sagtikos State Parkway / Nicolls Road (CR 97). Take the exit and follow signs for CR 97 South / Nicolls Road.
3. Head south on Nicolls Road. You’ll pass through the Veterans Memorial Highway (Route 454) intersection — keep going south. The road is four lanes and moves well outside of Stony Brook University class changes.
4. Continue south to Sunrise Highway (Route 27). Nicolls Road crosses over the LIRR Montauk Branch and meets Sunrise Highway at a signalized intersection in Bohemia/Blue Point area.
5. Turn right (westbound) onto Sunrise Highway. From here, Sunrise runs roughly parallel to the LIE. You can continue west to your destination or hop back onto the LIE further west where the jam has cleared (typically by Exit 45 in Plainview/Old Bethpage area via Route 110 north).

Total bypass distance is roughly 12 miles vs. 4 miles on the LIE — but you’re moving at 35-45 MPH instead of 5-10.

When to Use It

• Weekdays, 4:00-7:00 PM westbound. This is the bread-and-butter use case. The LIE jams up with Melville/Hauppauge office workers heading west.
• Friday PM rush, any direction. Fridays are chaos on the LIE between Exits 49-53 because you get the normal commute PLUS early Hamptons traffic heading east.
• After major events at Stony Brook or the Coliseum area when they dump traffic back onto the LIE.
• Anytime Google Maps or Waze shows red/dark red on the LIE between Exits 53-49. Trust the data and bail early.

When NOT to Use It

• During Stony Brook University class changes (roughly 10 AM and 2-3 PM during fall/spring semesters). Nicolls Road near campus gets its own congestion, especially at the Stony Brook Road and Route 347 intersections further north. If you’re joining Nicolls south of Veterans Memorial Highway, this is less of an issue.
• When there’s construction on Nicolls Road. Suffolk County regularly does road work on CR 97. Check 511NY before committing.
• If your destination is north of the LIE. This bypass takes you south. If you’re heading to Huntington or points north of the expressway, you’re better off toughing it out or using Route 110 north.
• Late evening (after 7:30 PM). The LIE usually clears up by then, and the extra miles aren’t worth it.

Time Savings

On a typical Tuesday-Thursday PM rush: 10-15 minutes saved. The LIE crawl that takes 25-35 minutes gets replaced by a 15-20 minute drive on Nicolls Road and Sunrise.

On a Friday PM rush or pre-holiday: 15-20+ minutes saved. When the LIE is truly gridlocked (we’re talking Exit 53 to Exit 49 at 45+ minutes), this bypass is a no-brainer.

On a rainy day or during an accident between exits 49-53: 20-30 minutes saved. Accidents in this stretch are common because of the lane-shifting and aggressive driving near the Route 110 merge. When rubber meets guardrail, the whole corridor locks up.

Caveat: Your GPS will sometimes try to route you back onto the LIE via Veterans Memorial Highway or other east-west connectors. Ignore it unless the LIE has actually cleared. Waze is notorious for optimistic re-routing in this area.

Pro Tips

• Check the Exit 52 webcam (available on 511NY) before you commit. If you can see brake lights stacking past the overpass, bail at 53.
• The left lane on Nicolls Road southbound moves faster between Veterans Memorial Highway and Sunrise because right-lane traffic backs up at the strip mall entrances near Bohemia.
• If you need gas or coffee, there’s a cluster of stations at Nicolls and Veterans Memorial Highway. Don’t wait for Sunrise — the stations there are always packed during rush.
• Sunrise Highway westbound has synchronized lights between Bohemia and Sayville if you hold 40 MPH. Hit the first green and ride the wave.
• Locals call this the “Nicolls Slide.” If someone at the office mentions taking the Slide home, this is what they mean.
• Return route in the morning: This works in reverse for AM eastbound commuters. Take Sunrise east to Nicolls north, then hop on the LIE east past the morning jam at Exit 49.