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Trip from Dyker Heights, NY to Manhattan, NY

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 29, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

32m

Distance

14 mi

23 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
4 AM
0h 29m ★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 37m
10 AM
0h 34m
12 PM
0h 33m
3 PM
0h 34m
5 PM
0h 37m
8 PM
0h 30m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Downtown Dyker Heights, NY, NY

Dyker Heights, NY

Abhishek Navlakha

borough of New York City, New York, United States

Manhattan, NY

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Dyker Heights to Manhattan is 14 miles and takes about 32m via Gowanus Expressway/West Street, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within New York, connecting two Northeast regions. It's largely a local drive with a significant portion on expressways, so expect city traffic. Given its brevity, this route is ideal for a quick transfer or a day trip without extensive planning.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Gowanus Expressway 3.3 mi 4m
West Street 2.4 mi 6m
12th Avenue 1.8 mi 5m
West Side Highway 0.8 mi 1m
Bay Ridge Parkway 0.6 mi 1m
7th Avenue 0.5 mi 1m
West 86th Street 0.4 mi 1m
11th Avenue 0.4 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Gowanus Expressway — 3.3 mi, about 4m

Traffic on I-278

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

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 34 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 Dyker Heights, NY and Manhattan, NY.

1

Start on Bay Ridge Parkway

0.6 mi · 1 min · Bay Ridge Parkway
Use the straight / right lanes.
2

Turn right onto 7th Avenue

0.5 mi · 1 min · 7th Avenue
3

Turn left onto 65th Street

0.2 mi · 19 sec · 65th Street
4

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 20 sec
Toward I 278 East: Bronx, Queens, Manhattan
5

Merge onto I 278

3.3 mi · 4 min · Gowanus Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Keep slight left at fork

2.3 mi · 4 min
Exit 25 Toward Hugh L Carey Tunnel, Manhattan Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Keep slight right at fork

230 ft · 10 sec
Toward NY 9A North: West Street, Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel, George Washington Bridge Use the right lane.
8

At end of road, turn right onto NY 9A

2.4 mi · 6 min · West Street
Use the right lane.
9

Continue on NY 9A

0.4 mi · 1 min · 11th Avenue
Use the straight lane.
10

Continue on NY 9A

1.8 mi · 5 min · 12th Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
11

Continue on NY 9A

0.8 mi · 1 min · West Side Highway
12

Continue on HH; NY 9A

0.2 mi · 13 sec · Henry Hudson Parkway
13

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 27 sec
Toward West 79 Street Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Turn right onto West 79th Street

0.2 mi · 35 sec · West 79th Street
Use the right lane.
15

Turn left onto Broadway

0.4 mi · 56 sec · Broadway
16

Turn right onto West 86th Street

0.4 mi · 1 min · West 86th Street
17

Continue on 86th Street Transverse

0.2 mi · 35 sec · 86th Street Transverse
Toward East Side Use the straight / left lanes.
18

Arrive at destination

86th Street Transverse

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 12

5 decision points cluster between mile 4.7 and 12.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

9
4.7 mi into trip | ~8m in

Keep slight left at fork toward Hugh L Carey Tunnel, Manhattan

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 25 Toward Hugh L Carey Tunnel, Manhattan
8
7 mi into trip | ~12m in

Keep slight right at fork toward NY 9A North: West Street, Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel, George Washington Bridge

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the right lane. Toward NY 9A North: West Street, Holland Tunnel...
6
7 mi into trip | ~13m in | NY 9A / West Street

At end of road, turn right onto NY 9A / West Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
7
12.7 mi into trip | ~28m in

Take the exit toward West 79 Street

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward West 79 Street
6
12.8 mi into trip | ~28m in | West 79th Street

Turn right onto West 79th Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.33 one way

$4.66 round trip

$4.23/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.55 $2.51 $5.02
premium $4.99 $2.75 $5.50
diesel $5.35 $2.95 $5.90

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 4.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-27.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 4.2 0 $1.47 $0.67
Efficient EV 3.5 0 $1.22 $0.56
EV Truck/SUV 5.6 0 $1.96 $0.90

Gas CO2

5 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (60% 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 16, 2026

Origin

Dyker Heights, NY

Late night in Dyker Heights on Wednesday

Local time

3:46 AM

EDT

Current temp

48°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Manhattan, NY

Late night in Manhattan on Wednesday

Local time

3:46 AM

EDT

Current temp

58°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

10 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

32m on the road

Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

What kind of drive is this?

This drive leans heavily on local roads, with only 28% highway share, making it a turn-heavy experience. You'll navigate through city streets, transitioning onto the Gowanus Expressway for a stretch. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 3.3 miles on the Gowanus Expressway, offering a brief taste of faster travel before you re-enter more urbanized road conditions. Be prepared for frequent changes in speed and direction as you make your way into Manhattan.

Only 28% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 3.3 mi on Gowanus Expressway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

8/10

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 4.7 miles in.

Driving Effort 8/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 14 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 32m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 4.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 7 miles (NY 9A / West Street): Lane positioning matters here.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Dyker Heights, NY to Manhattan, NY, road signs begin pointing toward Queens along the way.

Queens

1.3 mi in | ~3m

About the Cities

Arriving in Manhattan, NY

Full guide →

Founded 1624

Wall Street. Madison Avenue. 34th Street. Broadway. Times Square. Manhattan is so well known that even the names of its streets have become iconic and understood the world over. This long, thin island is only one of New York City's five boroughs, but it's Manhattan that has the concrete canyons and the inimitable skyline; Manhattan that has the world's brightest theater district; Manhattan that has Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, and the Met; and Manhattan that includes iconic neighborhoods like Harlem, the Upper East Side, Times Square, and Greenwich Village. The rest of New York City has much to see and do, but it's Manhattan that represents the city—and sometimes the entire United States—to the world. You could spend a month on this tiny island and still not see all there is to see.

Top landmarks

  • Empire State Building — skyscraper located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA

City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 32m. Total distance: 14 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

32m 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 3.3 miles on Gowanus Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Manhattan, NY before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.

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 4.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 7 miles (NY 9A / West Street): Lane positioning matters here.

Yes — African Burial Ground National Monument, Castle Clinton National Monument and Federal Hall 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 Manhattan, NY before heading back.

How this page is built

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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