Origin
Little Neck, NY
Late night in Little Neck on Tuesday
Local time
5:03 AM
EDT
Current temp
50°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Little Neck, NY to Manhattan, 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
30m
Distance
16.3 mi
26 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 28m
★
6 AM
0h 30m
8 AM
0h 35m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 32m
5 PM
0h 35m
8 PM
0h 29m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Little Neck, NY
Renan Tagliaferro
Manhattan, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Little Neck, NY to Manhattan, NY is 16.3 miles and takes about 30m via Long Island Expressway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This quick trip stays within New York, moving from the Northeast region to the Northeast. It's a straightforward, highway-focused drive that serves as a common commute or a short hop into the city. Given its short distance, this route is ideal for a same-day trip, allowing ample time for activities upon arrival in Manhattan.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Long Island Expressway | 9.9 mi | 14m |
| Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Lower Level | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Queensboro Plaza | 0.7 mi | <1m |
| Madison Avenue | 0.7 mi | 2m |
| 3rd Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Horace Harding Expressway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Hunters Point Avenue | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Van Dam Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Long Island Expressway
— 9.9 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Little Neck, NY and Manhattan, NY.
1
Start on 52nd Avenue
369 ft
·
23 sec
·
52nd Avenue
2
Turn left onto Marathon Parkway
0.1 mi
·
21 sec
·
Marathon Parkway
3
Turn right onto Horace Harding Expressway
0.5 mi
·
50 sec
·
Horace Harding Expressway
4
Take the ramp
523 ft
·
12 sec
Toward I 495 West: Long Island Expressway, West Manhattan
Use the straight / left lanes.
5
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
Toward I 495 West: Manhattan
Use the straight lane.
6
Merge onto I 495
9.9 mi
·
14 min
·
Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
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.
8
Turn straight onto Laurel Hill Boulevard
80 ft
·
2 sec
·
Laurel Hill Boulevard
9
Keep slight right at fork onto Hunters Point Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Hunters Point Avenue
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
10
Turn right onto Van Dam Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Van Dam Street
11
Continue on Van Dam Street
113 ft
·
8 sec
·
Van Dam Street
12
Turn left onto NY 25
0.4 mi
·
35 sec
·
Queens Boulevard
13
Continue on NY 25
0.7 mi
·
57 sec
·
Queensboro Plaza
14
Continue on NY 25
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Lower Level
15
Keep slight right at fork onto NY 25
317 ft
·
11 sec
·
NY 25
Toward 60th Street West
Use the slight right lane.
16
Turn left onto East 60th Street
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
·
East 60th Street
17
Turn right onto 3rd Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
3rd Avenue
Use the right lane.
18
Turn left onto East 72nd Street
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
·
East 72nd Street
Use the left lane.
19
Turn right onto Madison Avenue
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Madison Avenue
20
Turn left onto East 85th Street
507 ft
·
12 sec
·
East 85th Street
21
Continue on 86th Street Transverse
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
86th Street Transverse
Toward West Side
22
Arrive at destination
86th Street Transverse
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 155 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 14.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.6 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Take the ramp toward I 495 West: Long Island Expressway, West Manhattan
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / left lanes.
Toward I 495 West: Long Island Expressway, West...
8
0.7 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 495 West: Manhattan
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Toward I 495 West: Manhattan
8
11 mi into trip
|
~16m 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
11.4 mi into trip
|
~17m 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.
7
14.1 mi into trip
|
~23m in
|
NY 25
Keep slight right at fork onto NY 25 toward 60th Street West
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward 60th Street West
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.68 one way
$5.37 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $2.90 | $5.80 |
| premium | $4.92 | $3.16 | $6.32 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.60 | $7.20 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.71 | $0.78 |
| Efficient EV | 4.1 | 0 | $1.43 | $0.65 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.5 | 0 | $2.28 | $1.04 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
Manhattan, NY
Late night in Manhattan on Tuesday
Local time
5:03 AM
EDT
Current temp
57°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
7 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
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 drive is primarily a highway-focused experience, with 65% of the journey utilizing major roadways. You'll spend a significant portion of your time on the Long Island Expressway, including the longest stretch of 9.9 miles uninterrupted by exits. The route involves navigating through Queensboro Plaza before culminating on the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Lower Level. Expect a consistent pace dictated by highway speeds for most of this transit.
65% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
22 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 9.9 mi on Long Island Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Long Island Expressway and Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Lower Level. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.6 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 15 decision points packed into just 16.3 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 0.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 0.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 11 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Little Neck, NY to Manhattan, NY, road signs begin pointing toward 60Th Street West along the way.
60Th Street West
14.1 mi in
|
~23m
|
via NY 25
About the Cities
Arriving in Manhattan, NY
Full guide →Founded 1624
Wall Street. Madison Avenue. 34th Street. Broadway. Times Square. Manhattan is so well known that even the names of its streets have become iconic and understood the world over. This long, thin island is only one of New York City's five boroughs, but it's Manhattan that has the concrete canyons and the inimitable skyline; Manhattan that has the world's brightest theater district; Manhattan that has Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, and the Met; and Manhattan that includes iconic neighborhoods like Harlem, the Upper East Side, Times Square, and Greenwich Village. The rest of New York City has much to see and do, but it's Manhattan that represents the city—and sometimes the entire United States—to the world. You could spend a month on this tiny island and still not see all there is to see.
Top landmarks
- • Empire State Building — skyscraper located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA
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 30m. Total distance: 16.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
30m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (65%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 9.9 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 Manhattan, 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 0.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 0.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 11 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — General Grant National Memorial, Hamilton Grange 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 Manhattan, 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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