New Jersey Route 495
Length: 2.7 miles
Termini: I-95 (NJTP, east fork), Exit 16E to New York stateline, Hudson River (in the Lincoln Tunnel)
Reason for decomissioning: Connector between the LIE and the Lincoln Tunnel (Mid-Manhattan Expressway) never built; route is Pennsylvania-standard.
History: From the early 1960s, when the Long Island Expressway was under construction and the Mid-Manhattan Expressway was proposed, this spur was I-495. Before that, it was just NJ 3; Goshua mistakenly shows this route as NJ 3 in a 1982 atlas. Some oldtimers in fact still call this "Route 3".
NJ realized 18 years late that the Mid-Manhattan Expy. was never to be built, so they demoted their section to NJ 495; 34th Street became NY 495 and connects the LIE with the Lincoln Tunnel. For continuity purposes, however, both NJ 495 and NY 495 are signed as I-495, creating an interesting situation: Seemingly, an interstate goes on city streets. Officially, it doesn't, however.
An interesting feature of NJ 495 is the "Helix". Because there is no room for a regular straight-on approach into the Hudson, NJ 495 has to make a loop into itself, going under itself and then entering the Lincoln Tunnel.
Once NY 495 enters NYC, it enters 34th Street via a short sidestreet called Dyer Avenue. To get to the LIE, drivers must take 34th to 3rd Avenue, which will lead to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel ramps.