Sunrise Highway: When It Beats the LIE

The Problem

The Long Island Expressway — I-495 — is Long Island’s primary east-west artery, and it suffers for it. From the Queens border to Riverhead, the LIE carries the bulk of the island’s through-traffic, commuters, and freight. When it bogs down, the delays are legendary. The LIE’s peak congestion zones — the mid-island stretch through Melville (exits 40-52) and the eastern bottleneck approaching Manorville (exits 60-70) — regularly produce 30-60 minute delays.

Three miles south, Sunrise Highway (Route 27) runs a parallel course from Valley Stream all the way to Montauk. West of Oakdale, Sunrise is a divided highway with traffic signals. East of Oakdale, it becomes a limited-access expressway. It’s never as fast as a free-flowing LIE, but the LIE is almost never free-flowing when you need it to be.

The fundamental question every Long Island driver faces: when is Sunrise actually faster than the LIE? The answer isn’t “always” — but it’s more often than you’d think.

The Shortcut

The Decision Framework

Use Sunrise instead of the LIE when:

• LIE travel time is showing 20+ minutes over normal on Google Maps/Waze
• It’s Friday PM eastbound (almost always a yes)
• There’s an accident on the LIE between your origin and destination
• You’re traveling between western Nassau and central/eastern Suffolk during rush

Getting Between the Two

You can switch between the LIE and Sunrise at multiple points:

Connection	LIE Exit	Notes
Wantagh State Pkwy	Exit 44W (via NSP)	North-south connector
Route 135 (Seaford-Oyster Bay)	Exit 44	Direct expressway connection
Route 110 (Broadhollow Rd)	Exit 49	Through Melville/Farmingdale
Nicolls Road (CR 97)	Exit 53 (via Sagtikos)	Through Bohemia
William Floyd Pkwy (CR 46)	Exit 68	Eastern Suffolk connector

The Route

1. From western Nassau eastbound: Take Southern State east to one of the above connectors, then south to Sunrise. Or pick up Sunrise directly from Merrick Road / Hempstead Turnpike area.
2. Sunrise Highway eastbound through Nassau is a surface road with lights — expect 30-35 MPH average. Not fast, but predictable.
3. Sunrise Highway east of CR 93 (East Patchogue) becomes a limited-access expressway. Speed limit is 55, actual flow is 55-65. This is where the real time savings happens.
4. Continue on Sunrise to your destination or hop back onto the LIE east of the congestion zone (Exit 62 area via William Floyd or Exit 68 area).

When to Use It

• Friday PM eastbound, 2:00-8:00 PM. This is the single best use case. The LIE eastbound between exits 49-70 turns into a crawl as Hampton-bound weekend traffic stacks up. Sunrise eastbound is busy but moves at 40-55 MPH through the same zone. You can save 30+ minutes on a bad Friday.
• Any weekday PM eastbound when LIE shows red. Tuesday-Thursday at 5:00-6:30 PM, the LIE eastbound jams between exits 49-57 with Suffolk commuters heading home. Sunrise parallels this stretch with far less congestion.
• Summer Saturdays eastbound. Beach traffic jams the LIE. Sunrise feeds directly into the South Shore beach communities without the expressway drama.
• Whenever there’s an accident on the LIE east of Exit 44. Any accident in the LIE’s eastern half — bail to Sunrise.

When NOT to Use It

• AM rush westbound. Sunrise Highway’s traffic lights through Nassau make it slower than the LIE westbound in the morning, even with LIE congestion. The signal timing is set for eastbound flow.
• The Oakdale merge zone (see our separate guide). Sunrise Highway near Oakdale has its own notorious bottleneck where it transitions from surface road to expressway. If that zone is backed up, you’re trading one jam for another.
• Short trips within Nassau County. If you’re only going 5-10 miles, the traffic lights on Sunrise eat any advantage. The LIE, even slow, covers short Nassau distances faster because it’s limited-access.
• Late night. After 8 PM, the LIE is wide open. No traffic lights beats traffic lights every time.

Time Savings

Friday PM eastbound (the big one): 15-30 minutes saved between Farmingdale and Shirley. On the worst Fridays (Memorial Day weekend, July 4th week), savings can exceed 45 minutes.

Normal weekday PM eastbound: 10-15 minutes saved when the LIE is showing red between exits 49-57.

Weekday AM eastbound: 5-10 minutes saved if the LIE has an incident. Otherwise, marginal.

Caveat: These estimates assume you’re switching between the LIE and Sunrise using the north-south parkway connectors. If you’re driving surface streets to reach Sunrise, add 5-10 minutes for traffic lights and intersections.

Pro Tips

• The “Sunrise Express” section east of East Patchogue is the hidden gem. Most Nassau drivers don’t even know it becomes a freeway. Once you’re past the lights, it’s smooth cruising.
• Sunrise Highway speed cameras exist in the Lindenhurst and West Babylon areas. Multiple fixed cameras on the commercial stretches enforce 30-40 MPH zones. Don’t blow through them.
• Gas is cheaper on Sunrise than on the LIE. Service areas along the LIE charge a premium. Sunrise has competitive stations every half-mile through the commercial stretches.
• Friday tip: check the Hamptons traffic report on WCBS 880 or 1010 WINS around 2 PM. They call out the LIE eastbound conditions early. If they’re already reporting delays at 2 PM, Sunrise is your move.
• Route 27A (Montauk Highway) runs even further south and has no synchronized lights — it’s a true local road. But in desperate situations, it moves when both the LIE and Sunrise are stopped. It’s your Plan C.
• The Sunrise Highway / Southern State Parkway overlap in western Nassau confuses GPS apps. They’re the same road for a stretch near Valley Stream. Don’t panic if your GPS seems to reroute — it’s probably just label confusion.