Brookhaven, NY to Plandome Heights, NY is 46.2 miles and takes about 1h 5m via Long Island Expressway, with a fuel budget near $8 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within New York, connecting two points in the Northeast region. It's a relatively short drive, mostly on highways, making it ideal for a quick transit. Expect a straightforward drive that gets you to your destination without extensive detours or a long time commitment. Consider this route if you need to cover this distance efficiently within the state.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
Long Island Expressway
36.4 mi
48m
Horseblock Road
4.2 mi
6m
Northern Boulevard
1.5 mi
2m
Searingtown Road
1.2 mi
2m
Montauk Highway
0.8 mi
1m
Plandome Road
0.8 mi
1m
South Country Road
0.4 mi
1m
Express Drive North
0.2 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
Long Island Expressway
— 36.4 mi, about 48m
Traffic on I-495
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 16 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
2 PM
~4,880 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~521 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
9.4×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
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Averaged across 24 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Brookhaven, NY and Plandome Heights, NY.
1
Start on CR 36
0.4 mi·46 sec·South Country Road
2
Continue on South Country Road
354 ft·16 sec·South Country Road
3
Turn straight onto CR 80
0.8 mi·1 min·Montauk Highway
4
Turn left onto CR 16
4.2 mi·6 min·Horseblock Road
Use the left lane.
5
Turn left onto Express Drive North
0.2 mi·14 sec·Express Drive North
Use the left lane.
6
Take the ramp
0.2 mi·21 sec
Toward I 495 WEST: New York
7
Merge onto I 495
36 mi·48 min·Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi·29 sec
Exit 36Toward Searingtown Road, Shelter Rock RoadUse the slight right lane.
9
Continue on North Service Road
0.1 mi·16 sec·North Service Road
10
Turn right onto Searingtown Road
1.2 mi·2 min·Searingtown Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
11
Turn left onto NY 25A
1.5 mi·2 min·Northern Boulevard
Use the left lane.
12
Turn right onto Plandome Road
0.8 mi·1 min·Plandome Road
13
Arrive at destination
Plandome Road
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
The midpoint is around 23.1 miles from Brookhaven, NY, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 8
5 decision points cluster between mile 5.5 and 43.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
5.5 mi into trip|~8m in|Express Drive North
Turn left onto Express Drive North
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
5.9 mi into trip|~9m in|I 495 / Long Island Expressway
Merge onto I 495 / Long Island Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
42.3 mi into trip|~58m in
Take the exit toward Searingtown Road, Shelter Rock Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 36
Toward Searingtown Road, Shelter Rock Road
5
42.7 mi into trip|~58m in|Searingtown Road
Turn right onto Searingtown Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
43.9 mi into trip|~1h 1m in|NY 25A / Northern Boulevard
Turn left onto NY 25A / Northern Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.51 one way
$15.02 round trip
$4.13/gal25.4 MPG avg16 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.47
$8.13
$16.25
premium
$4.87
$8.85
$17.70
diesel
$5.40
$9.83
$19.66
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 16.2 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging
· 0 stops
· 69% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
13.9
0
$4.85
$2.22
Efficient EV
11.6
0
$4.04
$1.85
EV Truck/SUV
18.5
0
$6.47
$2.96
Gas CO2
16 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (69% 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.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Forecast as of Apr 26, 2026
Origin
Brookhaven, NY
Late night
in Brookhaven on Sunday
Local time
2:09 AM
EDT
Current temp
39°F
Rain Showers
E 9 mph97% chanceLive forecast
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 25 at 8:05PM EDT until April 26 at 11:00AM EDT by NWS Buffalo NY
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 25 at 1:03PM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY
Destination
Plandome Heights, NY
Late night
in Plandome Heights on Sunday
Local time
2:09 AM
EDT
Current temp
48°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
9 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
1h 5m on the road
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.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
This drive is primarily highway, with 79% of the route on high-speed roads. You'll encounter a longest stretch of 36.4 miles on the Long Island Expressway. After this extensive highway portion, you'll transition to surface roads like Horseblock Road and Northern Boulevard for the remainder of the trip. Expect a dense exit environment on the Long Island Expressway.
79% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 36.4 mi on Long Island Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Long Island Expressway and Horseblock Road. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 5.5 miles in near Express Drive North.
Driving Effort5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 46.2 miles you will encounter 8 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 5.5 miles (Express Drive North): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.9 miles (I 495 / Long Island Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 42.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Brookhaven is the largest town in Suffolk County, part of Long Island, New York. With 485,000 residents (2020). It includes a patchwork of villages and other communities, and is the only town on the island to touch both the Long Island Sound and Atlantic Ocean. The villages of Belle Terre, Bellport, Lake Grove, Mastic Beach, Old Field, Patchogue, Poquott, Port Jefferson, and Shoreham are semi-autonomous, and provide their own services in addition to those provided by the town. Other prominent communities include Mount Sinai, Stony Brook, and Fire Island, a long and car-free resort island off the south coast of the town.
Top landmarks
•Wardenclyffe Tower — early experimental wireless transmission station designed and built by Nikola Te...
•West Meadow Beach Historic District — historic district in the United States
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 5m. Total distance: 46.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 5m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (79%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 36.4 miles on Long Island Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 5.5 miles (Express Drive North): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.9 miles (I 495 / Long Island Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 42.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Fire Island National Seashore, Hamilton Grange National Memorial and General Grant National Memorial (6 total within detour distance). See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Plandome Heights, NY before heading back.
