Overview
Jericho Turnpike — New York State Route 25 — is one of Long Island’s oldest and most historically significant roads, following a corridor that has served as the island’s main east-west artery since colonial times. Running approximately 65 miles from the Nassau/Queens border at Floral Park to downtown Riverhead in eastern Suffolk County, Route 25 passes through the commercial hearts of Nassau County’s central communities before traversing the rural landscapes of the East End.
The road’s origins trace to Native American trails that early European settlers adopted in the 17th century. By the early 19th century it had been formalized as a turnpike — a privately operated toll road — taking its name from the Quaker settlement of Jericho, which was an important landmark on the route. After the turnpike era the road became a public highway and was eventually designated NY-25 in the state’s route numbering system.
Today Jericho Turnpike is a classic Long Island arterial: a predominantly at-grade road lined with commercial development, serving as Main Street for a succession of communities from the Nassau western suburbs through the Suffolk North Shore. In Nassau County, the corridor is densely developed with retail, restaurants, and commercial uses generating high pedestrian and vehicular turning movements. The Hicksville and Westbury sections are particularly dense, with traffic signal spacings of only a few hundred feet in places.
In Suffolk County the character changes notably as the road enters Huntington and transitions through the more historic streetscapes of Cold Spring Harbor, Centerport, Northport (via side routes), and ultimately the rural North Fork communities approaching Riverhead. By the time the road reaches the eastern stretches east of Smithtown, it serves primarily local traffic and provides access to the North Fork wine country.
Dangerous Sections
Westbury commercial corridor (Nassau County): The section of Jericho Turnpike through Westbury features some of the densest driveway and intersection conflicts on the route. Multiple studies have identified this segment as having elevated pedestrian crash rates due to the high volume of commercial activity and inadequate pedestrian infrastructure.
Hicksville (Nassau County): The Route 25/Broadway/Newbridge Road intersection complex in Hicksville is one of the most complex intersections in Nassau County, handling traffic from multiple major roads. Left-turn crashes are the dominant crash type.
Route 110 junction (Melville, Suffolk County): The crossing of Jericho Turnpike and Route 110 in Melville handles significant commercial traffic heading to and from the Hauppauge Industrial Park. This four-way intersection sees high volumes and frequent rear-end crashes during peak hours.
Towns Along This Route
Current Conditions
Check back for real-time conditions.
Recent Incidents
No recent incidents to display.
Accident Statistics
Jericho Turnpike’s crash data reflect its character as a high-volume, at-grade arterial with hundreds of conflict points. Total annual crashes across the 65-mile route are among the highest of any single road on Long Island. Rear-end crashes at traffic signals and left-turn crashes at driveways and unsignalized intersections are the dominant crash types.