Origin
Elmhurst, NY
Morning in Elmhurst on Tuesday
Local time
6:37 AM
EDT
Current temp
55°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Elmhurst, NY to Brooklyn Heights, NY
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
17m
Distance
9 mi
14 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 16m
★
6 AM
0h 18m
8 AM
0h 21m
10 AM
0h 19m
12 PM
0h 18m
3 PM
0h 19m
5 PM
0h 21m
8 PM
0h 17m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Elmhurst, NY
Mel Audelo
Brooklyn Heights, NY
Sarah O'Shea
Trip Overview
Elmhurst, NY to Brooklyn Heights, NY is 9 miles and takes about 17m via Brooklyn-Queens Expressway/Long Island Expressway/Tillary Street, with a fuel budget near $1 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within New York, connecting two points in the Northeast region. It's a straightforward urban drive, perfect for a quick transit or a minimal travel day. Expect a mixed environment as you navigate city streets and expressways. Given its brevity, this route offers a lot of flexibility for when you choose to depart and if you decide to make any unscheduled stops.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn-Queens Expressway | 4.2 mi | 7m |
| Long Island Expressway | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Tillary Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Queens Boulevard | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Hoffman Drive | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Henry Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Clark Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Cadman Plaza West | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
— 4.2 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Elmhurst, NY and Brooklyn Heights, NY.
1
Start on Grand Avenue
42 ft
·
4 sec
·
Grand Avenue
2
Turn right onto Queens Boulevard
0.2 mi
·
47 sec
·
Queens Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
3
Turn slight right onto Hoffman Drive
0.2 mi
·
44 sec
·
Hoffman Drive
4
Turn right onto Woodhaven Boulevard
185 ft
·
6 sec
·
Woodhaven Boulevard
Use the right lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.8 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 495 West: Long Island Expressway, Midtown Tunnel
6
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
Toward I 495 West: Midtown Tunnel, Manhattan
Use the slight left lane.
7
Merge onto I 495
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
1.0 mi
·
1 min
Exit 17W
Toward I 278 West: Brooklyn
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
10 sec
Toward I 278 West: Brooklyn, 48th Street
10
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi
·
31 sec
Toward I 278 West: Brooklyn
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
11
Merge onto I 278
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
12
Keep slight right at fork onto I 278
2.3 mi
·
3 min
·
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
Toward I 278 West: Staten Island
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
13
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
Exit 29
Toward Tillary Street, Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Civic Center, Long Island University, NYC College of Technology, NYU Brooklyn, Downtown Brooklyn
Use the right lane.
14
Continue on Tillary Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Tillary Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
15
Turn right onto Cadman Plaza West
262 ft
·
14 sec
·
Cadman Plaza West
Use the right lane.
16
Turn left onto Clark Street
503 ft
·
28 sec
·
Clark Street
17
Turn left onto Henry Street
0.1 mi
·
40 sec
·
Henry Street
18
Turn left onto Pierrepont Street
70 ft
·
2 sec
·
Pierrepont Street
19
Arrive at destination
Pierrepont Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 155 decision points cluster between mile 1.3 and 8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
1.3 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 495 West: Midtown Tunnel, Manhattan
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left lane.
Toward I 495 West: Midtown Tunnel, Manhattan
7
2.3 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Take the exit toward I 278 West: Brooklyn
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 17W
Toward I 278 West: Brooklyn
7
3.4 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 278 West: Brooklyn
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward I 278 West: Brooklyn
7
5.8 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
I 278 / Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 278 / Brooklyn-Queens Expressway toward I 278 West: Staten Island
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward I 278 West: Staten Island
9
8 mi into trip
|
~13m in
Take the exit toward Tillary Street, Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Civic Center, Long Island University, NYC College of Technology, NYU Brooklyn, Downtown Brooklyn
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the right lane.
Exit 29
Toward Tillary Street, Manhattan Bridge, Brookl...
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.48 one way
$2.96 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $1.60 | $3.20 |
| premium | $4.92 | $1.74 | $3.49 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.99 | $3.97 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.7 | 0 | $0.94 | $0.43 |
| Efficient EV | 2.3 | 0 | $0.79 | $0.36 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.6 | 0 | $1.26 | $0.58 |
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.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Brooklyn Heights, NY
Morning in Brooklyn Heights on Tuesday
Local time
6:37 AM
EDT
Current temp
59°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
4 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
17m 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 9-mile drive features a mixed profile, with 55% of it on highways like the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and Long Island Expressway. You'll encounter stretches of faster-paced driving, including one continuous segment of 4.2 miles on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. As you transition from expressways to Tillary Street, anticipate a change in pace and potentially more immediate urban interactions. The road character shifts from open highway to more engaged city driving, requiring attention to local traffic patterns.
55% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.2 mi on Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.3 miles in.
Driving Effort
10/10
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 15 decision points packed into just 9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 17m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 3.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Elmhurst, NY and Brooklyn Heights, NY, road signs point toward Manhattan, Brooklyn Civic Center, Long Island University, Nyc College Of Technology, Nyu Brooklyn and Brooklyn.
Manhattan
1.3 mi in
|
~3m
Brooklyn Civic Center
8 mi in
|
~13m
Long Island University
8 mi in
|
~13m
Nyc College Of Technology
8 mi in
|
~13m
Nyu Brooklyn
8 mi in
|
~13m
Brooklyn
8 mi in
|
~13m
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 17m. Total distance: 9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
17m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (55%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 4.2 miles on Brooklyn-Queens 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 Brooklyn Heights, 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 1.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 3.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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 Brooklyn Heights, 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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