Origin
Morningside Heights, NY
Late night in Morningside Heights on Sunday
Local time
2:18 AM
EDT
Current temp
58°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Morningside Heights, NY to Queens, 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
29m
Distance
15.7 mi
25 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Fair
3 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 27m
★
6 AM
0h 30m
8 AM
0h 35m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 31m
3 PM
0h 32m
5 PM
0h 35m
8 PM
0h 28m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Morningside Heights, NY
Renan Tagliaferro
Queens, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Morningside Heights to Queens is 15.7 miles and takes about 29 minutes via Grand Central Parkway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within New York, connecting two distinct parts of the state. The drive is primarily on highways, offering a quick transit between boroughs. Given its brevity, it's ideal for a same-day excursion, requiring no overnight stays. You'll spend most of your time on the Grand Central Parkway, a major artery for navigating the city.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Central Parkway | 7.1 mi | 10m |
| Robert F. Kennedy Bridge | 1.9 mi | 3m |
| West 125th Street | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Liberty Avenue | 1.5 mi | 4m |
| Van Wyck Expressway West | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Broadway | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Van Wyck Expressway | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| 104th Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Grand Central Parkway
— 7.1 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Morningside Heights, NY and Queens, NY.
1
Start on this road
37 ft
·
8 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto Broadway
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Broadway
3
Turn right onto West 125th Street
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
West 125th Street
Use the straight lane.
4
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
Toward I 278: Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, Bronx, Queens, Randalls lsland
5
Continue on Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
0.4 mi
·
40 sec
·
Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
6
Keep slight right at fork
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 46
Toward I 278 West: Queens, Airports, Citi Field
7
Merge onto I 278
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Continue on I 278; GCP
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Grand Central Parkway
9
Keep slight left at fork onto GCP
6.3 mi
·
8 min
·
Grand Central Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Exit 13
Toward I 678 South: Van Wyck Expressway, Kennedy Airport
11
Merge onto I 678
0.3 mi
·
25 sec
·
Van Wyck Expressway
12
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Exit 6
Toward Hillside Avenue, Jamaica Avenue, Atlantic Avenue
Use the right lane.
13
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
13 sec
Toward Hillside Avenue, Jamaica Avenue
Use the slight right lane.
14
Turn straight onto Van Wyck Expressway West
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Van Wyck Expressway West
Use the straight / right lanes.
15
Turn right onto Liberty Avenue
1.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Liberty Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
16
Turn left onto 104th Street
205 ft
·
9 sec
·
104th Street
17
Arrive at destination
104th Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 0.5 and 13 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.5 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
West 125th Street
Turn right onto West 125th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
7
2.7 mi into trip
|
~6m 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
6
5.5 mi into trip
|
~11m in
|
GCP / Grand Central Parkway
Keep slight left at fork onto GCP / Grand Central Parkway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
12.8 mi into trip
|
~22m in
Take the exit toward Hillside Avenue, Jamaica Avenue, Atlantic Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the right lane.
Exit 6
Toward Hillside Avenue, Jamaica Avenue, Atlanti...
9
13 mi into trip
|
~22m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Hillside Avenue, Jamaica Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward Hillside Avenue, Jamaica Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.55 one way
$5.10 round trip
$4.13/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.47 | $2.76 | $5.52 |
| premium | $4.87 | $3.01 | $6.02 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $3.34 | $6.68 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.65 | $0.75 |
| Efficient EV | 3.9 | 0 | $1.37 | $0.63 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.3 | 0 | $2.20 | $1.00 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Queens, NY
Late night in Queens on Sunday
Local time
2:18 AM
EDT
Current temp
42°F
Rain Showers
E 13 mph
97% 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
16 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
29m 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 a mix of highway and surface roads, with 53% of the drive on high-speed parkways. You'll experience a significant stretch of 7.1 miles on the Grand Central Parkway, offering uninterrupted driving. Expect to transition from urban streets to parkway cruising, with potentially dense traffic leading up to and on the main thoroughfares.
53% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.1 mi on Grand Central Parkway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.5 miles in near West 125th Street.
Driving Effort
10/10
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 13 decision points packed into just 15.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 29m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (West 125th Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.5 miles (GCP / Grand Central Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
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 Morningside Heights, NY and Queens, NY, road signs point toward Bronx, Randalls Lsland, Airports, Citi Field and Kennedy Airport.
Bronx
2.1 mi in
|
~4m
Randalls Lsland
2.1 mi in
|
~4m
Airports
2.7 mi in
|
~6m
Citi Field
2.7 mi in
|
~6m
Kennedy Airport
11.9 mi in
|
~20m
About the Cities
Arriving in Queens, NY
Full guide →Founded 1683
Queens is a crescent-shaped (with a tail) borough traversing the north-to-south width of Long Island and including two of the major New York City area airports, LaGuardia (LGA IATA) and John F. Kennedy International (JFK IATA). It also carries the largest ethnic diversity in its area of any region in the world, with many small enclaves. Jackson Heights, for example, includes a huge Indian area, followed by a Colombian area, and then a Mexican area. Each offers a wide array of authentic shops, native-style cuisine, and festivals modified only slightly by the generally colder New York City experience.
Top landmarks
- • Queensboro Bridge — bridge in New York City
- • Unisphere — Steel structure in Queens, New York
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 29m. Total distance: 15.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
29m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (53%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 7.1 miles on Grand Central Parkway. 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 Queens, 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 0.5 miles (West 125th Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.5 miles (GCP / Grand Central Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
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 Queens, 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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