Montauk Highway: The Scenic South Shore Route

The Problem

Sunrise Highway (NY-27) is the south shore’s expressway — a wide, fast, multi-lane road that carries the bulk of east-west traffic through the southern half of Long Island. And that’s its problem. Sunrise handles commuter traffic, beach traffic, Hamptons weekend traffic, shopping traffic, and truck traffic simultaneously. Between Massapequa and Patchogue, it’s an expressway. East of Patchogue, it narrows to a surface road and becomes the de facto highway to the Hamptons. When it jams, it jams hard. An accident near Exit 44 (Amityville) can back up traffic for 45 minutes. A summer Friday afternoon east of Shirley turns the road into a 30-mile parking lot. And there’s Montauk Highway — running parallel about a mile to the south, passing through every beach town and village along the shore, mostly forgotten by the GPS algorithms and mostly flowing.

The Shortcut

Montauk Highway, officially New York Route 27A, is one of the oldest roads on Long Island. It predates the expressway system by decades. The road hugs the south shore from its western origin near Valley Stream, running east through Freeport, Merrick, Amityville, Lindenhurst, Babylon, Bay Shore, Islip, Sayville, Patchogue, Mastic, and then continuing as the main road through the Hamptons — Westhampton, Hampton Bays, Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, all the way to Montauk Point.

The move: When Sunrise Highway is showing red on the traffic map, exit south onto any cross street and pick up Montauk Highway running east-west parallel to Sunrise. The two roads are rarely more than a mile apart through Nassau and western Suffolk. Through central and eastern Suffolk, they converge and separate but always stay within a couple of miles.

Key access points (west to east):

• Merrick Road area: Montauk Highway and Merrick Road merge/overlap through Freeport and Merrick. You can pick up Montauk from Meadowbrook Parkway south.
• Amityville: Broadway (Route 110 south) connects Sunrise to Montauk Highway in under a mile.
• Babylon: Deer Park Avenue south from Sunrise crosses Montauk Highway at the Babylon Village border.
• Bay Shore: Take Fifth Avenue south from Sunrise to reach Montauk Highway near the Fire Island ferry terminal.
• Patchogue: Waverly Avenue south from Sunrise drops you on Montauk Highway at the Patchogue Village waterfront.
• East of Patchogue: Sunrise and Montauk Highway run very close together and share intersections. Switching between them is trivial.

When to Use It

• Summer Fridays (2 PM onward) heading east. This is the single best use case. Sunrise Highway east of Patchogue is the main Hamptons artery, and on summer Fridays it grinds to a halt from Exit 58 (Shirley) all the way to Hampton Bays. Montauk Highway through Mastic, Eastport, and Westhampton runs parallel and carries a fraction of the volume.
• Weekday rush hours through western Suffolk. When Sunrise is backed up through Amityville, Lindenhurst, and Babylon (very common 4:30 PM–6:30 PM), Montauk Highway through these same towns keeps moving at 25-30 mph.
• Sunday evenings heading west from the Hamptons. The return trip is just as bad as the outbound. Sunrise Highway westbound from Southampton to Patchogue on a Sunday at 5 PM can take two hours. Montauk Highway west is slower in posted speed but actual travel time is often 30-40 minutes less.
• When your destination is a south shore village. If you’re going to Babylon Village, Bay Shore waterfront, Patchogue Village, or any of the Fire Island ferry terminals, Montauk Highway is literally their main street. Taking Sunrise and exiting south is less direct than just staying on Montauk.

When NOT to Use It

• Through the Hamptons on summer weekends during the day. Montauk Highway IS the main street of every Hampton village. Saturday afternoon in Southampton, the road is lined with parked cars, pedestrians crossing constantly, and traffic backed up at every light. The speed limit drops to 25 mph and you won’t even reach it.
• For long-distance express travel. If Sunrise is flowing and you’re going from Massapequa to Patchogue, Sunrise at 55 mph is vastly faster than Montauk at 35 mph with lights. Only use Montauk when Sunrise is broken.
• Late night. Montauk Highway through residential areas has aggressive speed enforcement. Small village police departments in Lindenhurst, Babylon, and Bay Shore love writing tickets on Montauk Highway after 10 PM when the road is empty and drivers get complacent. Sunrise is better at night — it’s flowing and there’s less enforcement.
• During major village events. Babylon Village summer concerts, Bay Shore’s Alive After Five events, Patchogue’s downtown festivals — these shut down portions of Montauk Highway or create gridlock. Check local event calendars if you’re planning to use this route on a weekend evening.

Time Savings

Typical summer Friday at 4 PM, Patchogue to Westhampton Beach:

That’s 15-35 minutes saved at peak. On a regular weekday when Sunrise has an incident, savings of 5-15 minutes through any given section.

In the western Nassau/Suffolk section (Amityville to Babylon), typical weekday rush:

Pro Tips

• Montauk Highway has many names. In different towns, it’s called Main Street, Montauk Highway, South Country Road, or just “27A.” Your GPS knows them all, but road signs can be confusing. If you’re heading east and the road changes names, you’re probably still on Montauk Highway.
• The Babylon Village stretch is the prettiest part. Montauk Highway through Babylon Village runs along the waterfront near Argyle Lake. It’s a pleasant drive when you’re not in a rush. But the road narrows to one lane each direction through the village, so don’t expect speed.
• Railroad crossings. Montauk Highway crosses the LIRR Montauk Branch at grade in several locations — notably in Amityville, Babylon, Bay Shore, and Patchogue. When trains pass, the gates come down and you wait 2-3 minutes. It’s usually not a big deal, but during rush hour with frequent train service, you might hit two or three crossings.
• Fuel prices vary wildly. Gas in the village centers on Montauk Highway is typically 15-25 cents more per gallon than the stations on Sunrise Highway. The stations near Amityville and Lindenhurst on Montauk are the cheapest. Hampton stations are the most expensive on all of Long Island.
• The Fire Island ferry connection. If you’re heading to Fire Island, Montauk Highway passes through Bay Shore (ferry to Kismet, Saltaire, Fair Harbor, Ocean Beach) and Patchogue (ferry to Davis Park, Watch Hill). You’ll never need Sunrise Highway at all.
• Use this route to discover south shore restaurants. Every village on Montauk Highway has a walkable downtown with restaurants and bars. Babylon Village, Patchogue, and Bay Shore all have thriving food scenes. The drive is slower, but you’ll find your new favorite place.
• Waze will try to put you back on Sunrise. Navigation apps are biased toward higher-speed roads. Override the suggestion and stay on Montauk Highway if you can see that Sunrise is red. Trust your local knowledge over the algorithm.