The Throgs Neck Bridge is a suspension bridge opened on January 11, 1961, which carries Interstate 295 over the East River where it meets the Long Island Sound. The bridge connects the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx with the Bay Terrace section of Queens. It is the newest bridge across the East River and was built to relieve traffic on the Whitestone Bridge 2 miles to the west, which opened in 1939. The Throgs Neck Bridge is the easternmost crossing off of Long Island. Due to this and its proximity to both the Cross Bronx Expressway and the New England Thruway, it is the preferred route from Long Island to New Jersey via the George Washington Bridge, upstate New York, Connecticut and other points north and east.