Origin
Jamaica, NY
Late night in Jamaica on Sunday
Local time
3:31 AM
EDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Jamaica, NY to Whitestone, NY
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
14m
Distance
8.5 mi
14 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 13m
★
6 AM
0h 14m
8 AM
0h 17m
10 AM
0h 15m
12 PM
0h 15m
3 PM
0h 15m
5 PM
0h 16m
8 PM
0h 13m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Jamaica, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Whitestone, NY
Renan Tagliaferro
Trip Overview
Jamaica, NY to Whitestone, NY is 8.5 miles and takes about 14m via Van Wyck Expressway and Whitestone Expressway, 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. Given its highway-focused profile and brief duration, this route is ideal for a quick transit or a brief excursion. You'll be on major expressways for most of the journey, making it a straightforward drive with minimal complexity.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Van Wyck Expressway | 5.7 mi | 7m |
| Whitestone Expressway | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| 5th Avenue | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| Pinegrove Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Liberty Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| 149th Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Tuskegee Airmen Way | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Van Wyck Expressway East | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Van Wyck Expressway
— 5.7 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Jamaica, NY and Whitestone, 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
5.7 mi
·
7 min
·
Van Wyck Expressway
Use the slight right lane.
7
Merge onto I 678
1.8 mi
·
2 min
·
Whitestone Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
Exit 17
Toward 3rd Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn right onto 5th Avenue
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
5th Avenue
10
Turn right onto 149th Street
425 ft
·
18 sec
·
149th Street
11
Arrive at destination
149th Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 8 — 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
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Liberty Avenue
At end of road, turn left onto Liberty Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Take the ramp toward I 678 North: Van Wyck Expressway, Whitestone Bridge, Bronx
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 678 North: Van Wyck Expressway, Whites...
5
0.5 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
I 678 / Van Wyck Expressway
Merge onto I 678 / Van Wyck Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
7
8 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Take the exit toward 3rd Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 17
Toward 3rd Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.40 one way
$2.80 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $1.51 | $3.03 |
| premium | $4.92 | $1.65 | $3.29 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.88 | $3.75 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 3 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 | 2.6 | 0 | $0.89 | $0.41 |
| Efficient EV | 2.1 | 0 | $0.74 | $0.34 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.4 | 0 | $1.19 | $0.54 |
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
Whitestone, NY
Late night in Whitestone on Sunday
Local time
3:31 AM
EDT
Current temp
85°F
Mostly Sunny
SW 9 to 13 mph
3% chance
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
29 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
14m 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 heavily highway-focused, with 89% of it on expressways. You'll experience a consistent driving pace for the majority of the trip, including a significant 5.7-mile stretch on the Van Wyck Expressway. The drive primarily utilizes the Van Wyck Expressway and the Whitestone Expressway, offering a smooth, albeit fast-paced, journey. Expect a driving experience characterized by efficient travel on well-maintained arterial roads.
89% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.7 mi on Van Wyck Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Van Wyck Expressway and Whitestone Expressway. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Pinegrove Street.
Driving Effort
6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 8.5 miles you will encounter 9 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Pinegrove Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Liberty Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles: 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 14m. Total distance: 8.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
14m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (89%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 5.7 miles on Van Wyck 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 Whitestone, 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 0.2 miles (Liberty Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — General Grant National Memorial, Hamilton Grange National Memorial and African Burial Ground 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 Whitestone, 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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