Origin
Manhattan, NY
Late night in Manhattan on Sunday
Local time
5:28 AM
EDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Manhattan, NY to East Elmhurst, NY
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
19m
Distance
8.7 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 17m
★
6 AM
0h 19m
8 AM
0h 22m
10 AM
0h 20m
12 PM
0h 20m
3 PM
0h 20m
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.
Manhattan, NY
Wikimedia Commons
East Elmhurst, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Manhattan, NY to East Elmhurst, NY is 8.7 miles and takes about 19m via 3rd Avenue/Robert F. Kennedy Bridge/Astoria Boulevard South, 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. Expect a local driving experience with frequent turns, making it less about a continuous cruise and more about navigating city streets and bridge approaches. It's a quick hop, easily manageable within a single day, offering a straightforward way to get from one part of the city to another.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd Avenue | 2.1 mi | 5m |
| Robert F. Kennedy Bridge | 1.9 mi | 3m |
| Astoria Boulevard South | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Grand Central Parkway | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| East 84th Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| 86th Street Transverse | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| East 125th Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Astoria Boulevard | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
3rd Avenue
— 2.1 mi, about 5m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Manhattan, NY and East Elmhurst, NY.
1
Start on 86th Street Transverse
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
86th Street Transverse
2
Continue on East 84th Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
East 84th Street
3
Turn left onto 3rd Avenue
2.1 mi
·
5 min
·
3rd Avenue
4
Turn right onto East 125th Street
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
·
East 125th Street
Use the right lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
Toward I 278: Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, Bronx, Queens, Randalls lsland
6
Continue on Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
0.4 mi
·
40 sec
·
Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
7
Keep slight right at fork
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 46
Toward I 278 West: Queens, Airports, Citi Field
8
Merge onto I 278
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on I 278; GCP
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Grand Central Parkway
10
Keep slight left at fork onto GCP
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Grand Central Parkway
11
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
Exit 5
Toward Astoria Boulevard, 82nd Street, Airport Terminal A, Terminal B Wait Area
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Continue on Astoria Boulevard South
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Astoria Boulevard South
Use the straight lane.
13
Arrive at destination
Astoria Boulevard
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 2.8 and 7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
2.8 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
East 125th Street
Turn right onto East 125th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
3 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Take the ramp toward I 278: Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, Bronx, Queens, Randalls lsland
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 278: Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, Bronx,...
7
3.6 mi into trip
|
~9m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 278 West: Queens, Airports, Citi Field
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 46
Toward I 278 West: Queens, Airports, Citi Field
5
4.1 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
I 278 / Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
Merge onto I 278 / Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
7 mi into trip
|
~15m in
Take the exit toward Astoria Boulevard, 82nd Street, Airport Terminal A, Terminal B Wait Area
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 5
Toward Astoria Boulevard, 82nd Street, Airport...
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.41 one way
$2.83 round trip
$4.13/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.47 | $1.53 | $3.06 |
| premium | $4.87 | $1.67 | $3.33 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $1.85 | $3.70 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.6 | 0 | $0.91 | $0.42 |
| Efficient EV | 2.2 | 0 | $0.76 | $0.35 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.5 | 0 | $1.22 | $0.56 |
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
East Elmhurst, NY
Late night in East Elmhurst on Sunday
Local time
5:28 AM
EDT
Current temp
61°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
10 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
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 route is characterized as a 'turn-heavy local drive,' with only a 16% highway share, meaning you'll encounter numerous intersections and traffic signals. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll experience is 2.1 miles along 3rd Avenue. You'll navigate through city streets, transition onto the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, and then continue on Astoria Boulevard South. The drive's personality is one of constant engagement with urban infrastructure rather than open road cruising.
Only 16% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 2.1 mi on 3rd Avenue.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 2.8 miles in near East 125th 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 8.7 miles you will encounter 7 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 2.8 miles (East 125th Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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.
Between Manhattan, NY and East Elmhurst, NY, road signs point toward Bronx, Queens, Randalls Lsland, Airports, Citi Field and Airport Terminal A - among others.
Bronx
3 mi in
|
~8m
Queens
3 mi in
|
~8m
Randalls Lsland
3 mi in
|
~8m
Airports
3.6 mi in
|
~9m
Citi Field
3.6 mi in
|
~9m
Airport Terminal A
7 mi in
|
~15m
Terminal B Wait Area
7 mi in
|
~15m
About the Cities
Starting 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 19m. Total distance: 8.7 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.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 2.1 miles on 3rd Avenue. 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 East Elmhurst, 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 2.8 miles (East 125th Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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 East Elmhurst, 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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