Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
20m
Distance
8 mi
13 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Brooklyn, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Long Island City, NY
Renan Tagliaferro
Brooklyn, NY to Long Island City, NY is 8 miles and takes about 20m via Washington Avenue, Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, and McGuinness Boulevard South, with a fuel budget near $1 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within New York and the Northeast region, making it a straightforward local journey. Expect a drive that involves frequent turns and navigating city streets. Given its brevity, this route is ideal for a quick transit or a starting point for exploring more of the city. Plan for this trip to be a single-day adventure.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Avenue | 2.6 mi | 6m |
| Brooklyn-Queens Expressway | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| McGuinness Boulevard South | 1.1 mi | 3m |
| Pulaski Bridge | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Flatbush Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Flushing Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Rogers Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Caton Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Brooklyn, NY and Long Island City, NY.
Start on Nostrand Avenue
Turn right onto Snyder Avenue
Turn right onto Rogers Avenue
Turn left onto NY 27
Turn slight right onto NY 27
Turn right onto Flatbush Avenue
Keep slight right at fork onto Washington Avenue
Turn right onto Flushing Avenue
Turn left onto Classon Avenue
Turn left onto Kent Avenue
Turn right onto Williamsburg Street East
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 278
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Turn left onto McGuinness Boulevard South
Turn straight onto Pulaski Bridge
Turn slight right
Turn right onto Jackson Avenue
Turn sharp left onto 47th Avenue
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn right onto Rogers Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Turn left onto NY 27 / Linden Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward McGuinness Boulevard, Humboldt Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork toward McGuinness Boulevard North, Meeker Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Turn sharp left onto 47th Avenue
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$1.30 one way
$2.60 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.47 | $1.41 | $2.81 |
| premium | $4.87 | $1.53 | $3.07 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.77 | $3.53 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.4 | 0 | $0.84 | $0.38 |
| Efficient EV | 2 | 0 | $0.70 | $0.32 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.2 | 0 | $1.12 | $0.51 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 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
Afternoon in Brooklyn on Tuesday
Local time
2:51 PM
EDT
Current temp
86°F
Mostly Sunny
Destination
Afternoon in Long Island City on Tuesday
Local time
2:51 PM
EDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
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 characterized as a turn-heavy local drive, with only 17% of the journey on highways. You'll experience a dynamic driving environment, moving from Washington Avenue for its longest uninterrupted stretch of 2.6 miles to sections of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and McGuinness Boulevard South. The profile suggests a need for constant attention to navigation and traffic conditions, as you'll be frequently adjusting your course. It's less about open road cruising and more about efficient urban transit.
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near Rogers Avenue.
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 17 decision points packed into just 8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 20m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Rogers Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.5 miles (NY 27 / Linden Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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 Brooklyn, NY and Long Island City, NY, road signs point toward La Guardia Airport and Mcguinness Boulevard North.
La Guardia Airport
Mcguinness Boulevard North
Founded 1634
Brooklyn, the "Borough of Homes and Churches," is one of the five boroughs of New York City. It used to be a separate city, and still feels much like one. It has about 2.5 million inhabitants. If separated from the rest of New York City, Brooklyn would be the 4th most populous American city. Brooklyn is on the westernmost point of Long Island and shares a land boundary with Queens, which partially encircles Brooklyn to the north, east and south; Manhattan lies across the East River to the west and north of Brooklyn, and Staten Island is across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to the southwest. Brooklyn is enjoying a period of growth and affluence not seen since before World War II. The Brooklyn Academy of Music boasts world-class theater performances, and the nearby Barclays Center is the home of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 20m. Total distance: 8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
20m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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