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Trip from Jackson Heights, NY to Washington Heights, NY

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

18m

Distance

9 mi

14 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$1

one way

EV Charging

Fair

3 stations

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 17m ★
6 AM
0h 18m
8 AM
0h 21m
10 AM
0h 19m
12 PM
0h 19m
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.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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Downtown Jackson Heights, NY, NY

Jackson Heights, NY

Renan Tagliaferro

Downtown Washington Heights, NY, NY

Washington Heights, NY

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Jackson Heights, NY to Washington Heights, NY is 9 miles and takes about 18m via Harlem River Drive, with a fuel budget near $1 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within New York, connecting two neighborhoods in the Northeast region. Given its quick duration and minimal highway use, it's an easy local excursion. You'll primarily navigate surface roads, making it a straightforward and accessible drive for anyone looking to cover a short distance within the city.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Harlem River Drive 2.3 mi 3m
Robert F. Kennedy Bridge 1.9 mi 3m
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway West 0.9 mi 1m
Grand Central Parkway 0.7 mi 1m
Northern Boulevard 0.7 mi 1m
West 179th Street 0.3 mi 1m
Broadway 0.1 mi <1m
Amsterdam Avenue <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Harlem River Drive — 2.3 mi, about 3m

Traffic on I-95

Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 7 FHWA count stations on your route.

Peak

7 AM

~4,026 veh/hr typical

Quietest

2 AM

~1,234 veh/hr

Peak-to-quiet ratio

3.3×

busier at peak than in the quiet hours

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 21 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 Jackson Heights, NY and Washington Heights, NY.

1

Start on 82nd Street

35 ft · 5 sec · 82nd Street
2

Turn right onto NY 25A

0.7 mi · 1 min · Northern Boulevard
3

Turn slight right

262 ft · 11 sec
4

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 24 sec
Toward I 278 East: Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
5

Merge onto I 278

0.9 mi · 1 min · Brooklyn-Queens Expressway West
6

Merge onto GCP; I 278

0.7 mi · 1 min · Grand Central Parkway
7

Continue on I 278

1.6 mi · 2 min · Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
8

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 20 sec
Exit 46 Toward Manhattan, Randalls Island Use the slight right lane.
9

Keep slight left at fork

0.5 mi · 1 min
Exit 46 Toward Manhattan, Randalls Island
10

Continue on Robert F. Kennedy Bridge

0.4 mi · 41 sec · Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
11

Keep slight right at fork

127 ft · 3 sec
Toward Harlem River Drive North, 125th Street, 2nd Avenue Use the slight right lane.
12

Keep slight right at fork

0.4 mi · 53 sec
Toward Harlem River Drive North Use the slight right lane.
13

Merge onto HRD

2.3 mi · 3 min · Harlem River Drive
14

Take the exit

0.5 mi · 1 min
Exit 24 Toward I 95 South, US 1 South: George Washington Bridge, Amsterdam Avenue, West 179 Street Use the slight left lane.
15

Keep slight left at fork

0.1 mi · 22 sec
Toward Amsterdam Avenue, West 179th Street, Yeshiva University Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
16

Turn right onto Amsterdam Avenue

125 ft · 9 sec · Amsterdam Avenue
17

Turn left onto West 179th Street

0.3 mi · 1 min · West 179th Street
Toward G.W. Bridge, Fort Tryon Park, Cloisters Museum
18

Turn right onto US 9

0.1 mi · 23 sec · Broadway
19

Arrive at destination

US 9

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 14

5 decision points cluster between mile 4.2 and 8.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

8
4.2 mi into trip | ~8m in

Take the exit toward Manhattan, Randalls Island

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 46 Toward Manhattan, Randalls Island
7
4.3 mi into trip | ~8m in

Keep slight left at fork toward Manhattan, Randalls Island

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Exit 46 Toward Manhattan, Randalls Island
8
5.2 mi into trip | ~10m in

Keep slight right at fork toward Harlem River Drive North, 125th Street, 2nd Avenue

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

Use the slight right lane. Toward Harlem River Drive North, 125th Street,...
8
7.9 mi into trip | ~14m in

Take the exit toward I 95 South, US 1 South: George Washington Bridge, Amsterdam Avenue, West 179 Street

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight left lane. Exit 24 Toward I 95 South, US 1 South: George Washingto...
8
8.4 mi into trip | ~16m in

Keep slight left at fork toward Amsterdam Avenue, West 179th Street, Yeshiva University

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

Use the slight left / slight right lanes. Toward Amsterdam Avenue, West 179th Street, Yes...

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.46 one way

$2.93 round trip

$4.13/gal 25.4 MPG avg 3 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.47 $1.58 $3.17
premium $4.87 $1.72 $3.45
diesel $5.40 $1.91 $3.83

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, 2026-04-20.

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.

Forecast as of Apr 26, 2026

Origin

Jackson Heights, NY

Morning in Jackson Heights on Sunday

Local time

10:28 AM

EDT

Current temp

57°F

Partly Sunny

NE 12 mph 14% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 26 at 12:24AM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 8:05PM EDT until April 26 at 11:00AM EDT by NWS Buffalo NY

Destination

Washington Heights, NY

Morning in Washington Heights on Sunday

Local time

10:28 AM

EDT

Current temp

57°F

Partly Sunny

NE 10 mph 12% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 26 at 12:24AM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 8:05PM EDT until April 26 at 11:00AM EDT by NWS Buffalo NY

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

Very similar conditions

Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.

Road read

18m 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?

This route is mostly surface roads, with only 19% on highways. You'll experience about 2.3 miles on Harlem River Drive as the longest continuous stretch. Expect urban merging and traffic patterns as you transition between these roads and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway West.

Only 19% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 2.3 mi on Harlem River Drive.

How Hard Is This Drive?

9/10

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 4.2 miles in.

Driving Effort 9/10

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 14 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 18m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 4.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

Between Jackson Heights, NY and Washington Heights, NY, road signs point toward Manhattan, Randalls Island, Harlem River Drive North and Yeshiva University.

Manhattan

4.2 mi in | ~8m

Randalls Island

4.2 mi in | ~8m

Harlem River Drive North

5.2 mi in | ~10m

Yeshiva University

8.4 mi in | ~16m

About the Cities

Arriving in Washington Heights, NY

Full guide →

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 18m. Total distance: 9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

18m 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 2.3 miles on Harlem River Drive. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Yes — we found about 1 rest area or service plaza within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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 Washington 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 4.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes — Hamilton Grange National Memorial, General Grant National Memorial and Stonewall National Monument (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 Washington 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, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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