Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
28m
Distance
15.9 mi
26 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Borough Park, NY
Wikimedia Commons
East Elmhurst, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Borough Park, NY to East Elmhurst, NY is 15.9 miles and takes about 28m via Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This quick trip stays within New York, connecting two points in the Northeast region. It's a primarily highway-focused drive, making it an efficient option for getting across town or connecting to other travel. Given its short distance and duration, this route is best suited for a same-day excursion without the need for overnight stays. Plan for a straightforward journey that prioritizes speed and directness.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn-Queens Expressway | 9.6 mi | 15m |
| Astoria Boulevard South | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Prospect Expressway | 1 mi | 1m |
| Fort Hamilton Parkway | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Brooklyn-Queens Expressway East | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Gowanus Expressway | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| McDonald Avenue | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| NY 27 | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 12 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~3,452 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~674 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
5.1×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 34 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Borough Park, NY and East Elmhurst, NY.
Start on 12th Avenue
Turn slight left onto New Utrecht Avenue
Turn right onto Fort Hamilton Parkway
Continue on Caton Avenue
Turn left onto NY 27 Truck
Turn right onto Terrace Place
Turn left onto 18th Street
Take the ramp
Merge onto NY 27
Keep slight left at fork onto NY 27
Merge onto I 278
Keep slight right at fork onto I 278
Keep slight left at fork onto I 278
Keep slight right at fork onto Brooklyn-Queens Expressway East
Take the exit
Turn straight onto Boody Street
Turn straight onto Astoria Boulevard South
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 1.4 and 14.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn left onto NY 27 Truck / McDonald Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork onto NY 27 toward I 278 East: Queens, Bronx
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork onto I 278 / Brooklyn-Queens Expressway toward I 278 East: Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, RFK Bridge, Hamilton Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork onto Brooklyn-Queens Expressway East toward La Guardia Airport
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward Terminal A, Wait Area B
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$2.58 one way
$5.17 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.47 | $2.80 | $5.59 |
| premium | $4.87 | $3.05 | $6.09 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $3.38 | $6.76 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.67 | $0.76 |
| Efficient EV | 4 | 0 | $1.39 | $0.64 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.4 | 0 | $2.23 | $1.02 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Late night in Borough Park on Sunday
Local time
3:52 AM
EDT
Current temp
66°F
Partly Sunny
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 24 at 11:36AM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY
Destination
Late night in East Elmhurst on Sunday
Local time
3:52 AM
EDT
Current temp
66°F
Partly Sunny
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 24 at 11:36AM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
This route is heavily weighted towards highway driving, with 81% of it on high-speed roads. You'll experience a highway-focused drive for the majority of your trip, including a significant 9.6-mile stretch on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The primary roads include the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, Astoria Boulevard South, and Prospect Expressway, indicating a mix of major arteries. Expect a relatively uninterrupted journey with limited opportunities for spontaneous stops due to the nature of the main thoroughfares. The character of the drive is defined by its efficiency and consistent pace.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and Astoria Boulevard South. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.4 miles in near NY 27 Truck / McDonald Avenue.
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 15.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 28m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.4 miles (NY 27 Truck / McDonald Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.1 miles (NY 27): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.9 miles (I 278 / Brooklyn-Queens Expressway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Borough Park, NY and East Elmhurst, NY, road signs point toward Bronx, La Guardia Airport, Terminal A and Wait Area B.
Bronx
La Guardia Airport
Terminal A
Wait Area B
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 28m. Total distance: 15.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
28m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (81%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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