Origin
Hillside, NY
Morning in Hillside on Sunday
Local time
8:00 AM
EDT
Current temp
48°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Hillside, NY to New York City, NY
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
30m
Distance
15.5 mi
25 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 28m
★
6 AM
0h 31m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 33m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 33m
5 PM
0h 36m
8 PM
0h 29m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Hillside, NY
Renan Tagliaferro
New York City, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Hillside to New York City is a quick 15.5-mile journey that typically takes about 30 minutes. Since this is a short trip within the Northeast, you can easily complete it in a single day without needing an overnight stay. You will primarily navigate the Long Island Expressway, the Van Wyck Expressway, and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to reach your destination. With a fuel cost of just $2, it is a highly economical route for commuters or casual travelers. Because there are no required stops, you have total flexibility in your schedule. It is a straightforward, practical link between these two New York locations.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Long Island Expressway | 3.4 mi | 5m |
| Van Wyck Expressway | 2.8 mi | 4m |
| Brooklyn-Queens Expressway | 2 mi | 3m |
| Williamsburg Bridge | 1.9 mi | 4m |
| Jamaica Avenue | 1.8 mi | 5m |
| Delancey Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Broadway | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Kenmare Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Long Island Expressway
— 3.4 mi, about 5m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Hillside, NY and New York City, NY.
1
Start on Jamaica Avenue
301 ft
·
11 sec
·
Jamaica Avenue
2
Continue on Jamaica Avenue
1.7 mi
·
4 min
·
Jamaica Avenue
Use the left / straight lanes.
3
Turn right onto Van Wyck Expressway
0.1 mi
·
21 sec
·
Van Wyck Expressway
4
Continue on 138th Street
298 ft
·
6 sec
·
138th Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
5
Take the ramp
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
Toward I 678 North: Van Wyck Expressway, Whitestone Bridge, Bronx
6
Merge onto I 678
2.7 mi
·
3 min
·
Van Wyck Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.6 mi
·
58 sec
Exit 12B
Toward I 495 West: Midtown Tunnel
Use the slight right lane.
8
Merge onto I 495
3.4 mi
·
5 min
·
Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
1.0 mi
·
1 min
Exit 17W
Toward I 278 West: Brooklyn
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
10 sec
Toward I 278 West: Brooklyn, 48th Street
11
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi
·
31 sec
Toward I 278 West: Brooklyn
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
12
Merge onto I 278
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
13
Keep slight left at fork onto Williamsburg Bridge
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Williamsburg Bridge
Exit 32A
Toward Williamsburg Bridge, Manhattan
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
14
Keep slight left at fork onto Williamsburg Bridge
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Williamsburg Bridge
Use the slight left lane.
15
Continue on Delancey Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Delancey Street
Use the straight lane.
16
Continue on Kenmare Street
0.2 mi
·
57 sec
·
Kenmare Street
17
At end of road, turn left onto Lafayette Street
0.2 mi
·
43 sec
·
Lafayette Street
Use the left lane.
18
Turn right onto Howard Street
510 ft
·
24 sec
·
Howard Street
19
Turn left onto Broadway
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Broadway
Use the straight lane.
20
Arrive at destination
Broadway
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 165 decision points cluster between mile 4.7 and 14.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
4.7 mi into trip
|
~9m in
Take the exit toward I 495 West: Midtown Tunnel
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 12B
Toward I 495 West: Midtown Tunnel
7
8.7 mi into trip
|
~15m 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
9.8 mi into trip
|
~17m 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
9
12.1 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
Williamsburg Bridge
Keep slight left at fork onto Williamsburg Bridge toward Williamsburg Bridge, Manhattan
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Exit 32A
Toward Williamsburg Bridge, Manhattan
7
14.7 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
Lafayette Street
At end of road, turn left onto Lafayette Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.55 one way
$5.10 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $2.76 | $5.52 |
| premium | $4.92 | $3.00 | $6.01 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.42 | $6.84 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.6 | 0 | $1.63 | $0.74 |
| Efficient EV | 3.9 | 0 | $1.36 | $0.62 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.2 | 0 | $2.17 | $0.99 |
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.
Destination
New York City, NY
Morning in New York City on Sunday
Local time
8:00 AM
EDT
Current temp
59°F
Patchy Fog then Mostly Sunny
E 6 to 14 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 18 at 2:37AM EDT until April 19 at 12:00AM EDT by NWS Burlington VT
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
11 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
30m 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.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a mixed driving experience that blends major expressway segments with urban transit. Highways account for 52% of this route, meaning you will spend roughly half your time on high-speed roads and the remainder navigating local traffic patterns. You will encounter the longest uninterrupted stretch of 3.4 miles while traveling on the Long Island Expressway. As you transition between the various expressways, the character of the drive shifts from open lanes to the tighter, more congested flow typical of the New York City region. Staying alert is essential as you move through these busy interchanges.
52% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 3.4 mi on Long Island 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 4.7 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 16 decision points packed into just 15.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 4.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 8.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
52 ft
9 ft
Total Climb
9 ft
Total Descent
43 ft
Highest Point
52 ft
~2.6 mi in
Elevation Range
43 ft
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 Hillside, NY and New York City, NY, road signs point toward Bronx and Manhattan.
Bronx
1.9 mi in
|
~5m
Manhattan
12.1 mi in
|
~21m
|
via Williamsburg Bridge
About the Cities
Starting in Hillside, NY
Full guide →Arriving in New York City, NY
Full guide →“The City That Never Sleeps” · Founded 1624
New York (known as "The Big Apple", "NYC," and often called "New York City") is a global center for media, entertainment, art, fashion, research, finance, and trade. The bustling, cosmopolitan heart of the 4th largest metropolis in the world and by far the most populous city in the United States, New York has long been a key entry point and a defining city for the nation. From the Statue of Liberty in the harbor to the Empire State Building towering over the Manhattan skyline, from the tunnels of the subway to the riches of Wall Street, from the bright signs of Times Square to the naturalistic beauty of Central Park, and from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York's landmarks are quintessential American landmarks. The city's neighborhoods and streets are so iconic they have become ingrained into the American consciousness.
Top landmarks
- • Statue of Liberty — American icon in New York, United States
- • National September 11 Memorial & Museum — memorial & museum in New York City commemorating the September 11, 2001 attacks
- • Plaza Hotel — hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York City
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
This 15.5-mile, 30-minute drive is perfect for a quick same-day round trip. You'll spend most of your time on the highway (52%), making it an easy escape.
Family Friendly
While very short at 15.5 miles and 30 minutes, the 10/10 complexity might be stressful for families navigating into NYC.
Solo Traveler
At only 15.5 miles, this drive is incredibly short for a solo trip, and the 10/10 complexity might be more of a hassle than engaging for a solo adventure.
EV Driver
This 15.5-mile route is easily manageable on a single EV charge, especially with a drive time of just 30 minutes and minimal elevation changes.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (52%). 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 3.4 miles on Long Island 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 New York City, 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: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 8.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.8 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 New York City, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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