Origin
Jamaica, NY
Afternoon in Jamaica on Tuesday
Local time
2:49 PM
EDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Jamaica, NY to Long Island City, 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
19m
Distance
10.9 mi
18 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 18m
★
6 AM
0h 19m
8 AM
0h 23m
10 AM
0h 20m
12 PM
0h 20m
3 PM
0h 21m
5 PM
0h 22m
8 PM
0h 18m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Jamaica, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Long Island City, NY
Renan Tagliaferro
Trip Overview
Jamaica, NY to Long Island City, NY is 10.9 miles and takes about 19 minutes via the Long Island Expressway and Van Wyck Expressway, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a very short trip within New York, covering a small portion of the Northeast region. The drive is primarily focused on highway travel, making it a quick and direct connection between two points in the metropolitan area. Given its brevity, it's ideal for a quick transit or as a short segment of a larger journey. Plan for this to be a straightforward commute rather than an extensive road trip.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Long Island Expressway | 4.4 mi | 6m |
| Van Wyck Expressway | 3.6 mi | 4m |
| Hunters Point Avenue | 0.8 mi | 2m |
| 49th Avenue | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Pinegrove Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 21st Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Liberty Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Tuskegee Airmen Way | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Long Island Expressway
— 4.4 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Jamaica, NY and Long Island City, NY.
1
Start on Tuskegee Airmen Way
303 ft
·
17 sec
·
Tuskegee Airmen Way
2
Turn right onto Pinegrove Street
0.2 mi
·
44 sec
·
Pinegrove Street
3
At end of road, turn left onto Liberty Avenue
435 ft
·
13 sec
·
Liberty Avenue
4
Turn right onto Van Wyck Expressway East
77 ft
·
1 sec
·
Van Wyck Expressway East
5
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
Toward I 678 North: Van Wyck Expressway, Whitestone Bridge, Bronx
6
Merge onto I 678
3.6 mi
·
4 min
·
Van Wyck Expressway
Use the slight right lane.
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
4.4 mi
·
6 min
·
Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
43 sec
Exit 16
Toward Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, Hunters Point Avenue, Greenpoint Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Turn straight onto Laurel Hill Boulevard
80 ft
·
2 sec
·
Laurel Hill Boulevard
11
Keep slight right at fork onto Hunters Point Avenue
0.8 mi
·
2 min
·
Hunters Point Avenue
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
12
Continue on 49th Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
49th Avenue
13
Turn right onto NY 25A
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
21st Street
14
Turn sharp left onto Jackson Avenue
55 ft
·
1 sec
·
Jackson Avenue
15
Turn right onto 47th Avenue
37 ft
·
1 sec
·
47th Avenue
16
Arrive at destination
47th Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 10.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Pinegrove Street
Turn right onto Pinegrove Street
Navigation decision point
7
4.1 mi into trip
|
~6m 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
8
9.1 mi into trip
|
~13m in
Take the exit toward Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, Hunters Point Avenue, Greenpoint Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 16
Toward Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, Hunters Point...
6
9.5 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
Hunters Point Avenue
Keep slight right at fork onto Hunters Point Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
6
10.9 mi into trip
|
~19m in
|
Jackson Avenue
Turn sharp left onto Jackson Avenue
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.77 one way
$3.54 round trip
$4.13/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.47 | $1.92 | $3.83 |
| premium | $4.87 | $2.09 | $4.18 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.41 | $4.81 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.3 | 0 | $1.14 | $0.52 |
| Efficient EV | 2.7 | 0 | $0.95 | $0.44 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.4 | 0 | $1.53 | $0.70 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Long Island City, NY
Afternoon in Long Island City on Tuesday
Local time
2:49 PM
EDT
Current temp
56°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
19m 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 highway-focused drive has a 74% highway share, meaning you'll spend most of your time on well-maintained expressways. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 4.4 miles on the Long Island Expressway, offering a brief period of consistent speed. You'll navigate segments of the Van Wyck Expressway and Hunters Point Avenue, indicating a mix of high-speed travel and potentially some local road transitions as you approach your destination. Expect a busy, urban driving environment typical of the New York metropolitan area.
74% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.4 mi on Long Island Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Long Island Expressway and Van Wyck Expressway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Pinegrove Street.
Driving Effort
7/10
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 10.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 19m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Pinegrove Street): Navigation decision point; at 4.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
About the Cities
Starting in Jamaica, NY
Full guide →Jamaica is an expansive neighborhood located in eastern Queens. Historically consisting of predominantly black communities, Jamaica now is home to an extremely diverse array of peoples and cultures.
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 19m. Total distance: 10.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
19m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (74%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 4.4 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 Long Island 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 0.1 miles (Pinegrove Street): Navigation decision point; at 4.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Stonewall National Monument, African Burial Ground 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 Long Island 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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