In 1988, as part of a proposed $3 billion bond issue, the New York state government proposed adding a fourth lane in each direction to I-495 between Jericho and Medford. After years of discussion, in 1991, the state approved the construction of the fourth lanes to I-495 east of the Cross Island Parkway; the additional lanes would be marked as high-occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV). The lanes were built in subsequent sections. The first section to open, a 12-mile section in western Suffolk County, was opened in May 1994. The lanes soon became well known due to a combination of advertising and free publicity in news articles, and they were heavily patronized even outside of peak hours. The lanes were completed on June 30, 2005, at which point they ran from exit 32 in eastern Queens to exit 64 at Medford in Suffolk County.