Origin
Morningside Heights, NY
Late night in Morningside Heights on Sunday
Local time
2:25 AM
EDT
Current temp
58°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Morningside Heights, NY to Staten Island, 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
54m
Distance
26 mi
42 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 50m
★
6 AM
0h 54m
8 AM
1h 3m
10 AM
0h 57m
12 PM
0h 56m
3 PM
0h 58m
5 PM
1h 3m
8 PM
0h 52m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Morningside Heights, NY
Renan Tagliaferro
Staten Island, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Morningside Heights to Staten Island is 26 miles and takes about 54m via Gowanus Expressway, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within New York, traveling from the Northeast region to the Northeast region. It's a straightforward drive that's easy to complete in a single day, making it ideal for a quick transit or a short excursion. You'll find the route is a mix of highway and surface roads, offering a varied driving experience without being overly demanding. Given the relatively short distance, it's a manageable drive for most vehicle types.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Gowanus Expressway | 5.3 mi | 7m |
| Staten Island Expressway | 2.9 mi | 4m |
| Henry Hudson Parkway | 2.6 mi | 3m |
| West Street | 2.3 mi | 6m |
| Manor Road | 2.1 mi | 5m |
| 12th Avenue | 1.8 mi | 5m |
| Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| West Side Highway | 0.8 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Gowanus Expressway
— 5.3 mi, about 7m
Traffic on I-278
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 18 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~3,452 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~674 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
5.1×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 34 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Morningside Heights, NY and Staten Island, NY.
1
Start on this road
37 ft
·
8 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto Broadway
0.4 mi
·
51 sec
·
Broadway
3
Turn slight left
243 ft
·
10 sec
4
Continue on West 125th Street
0.2 mi
·
58 sec
·
West 125th Street
5
At end of road, turn left onto Marginal Street
323 ft
·
8 sec
·
Marginal Street
Use the straight lane.
6
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Toward NY 9A South: Henry Hudson Parkway
Use the straight lane.
7
Merge onto HH; NY 9A
2.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Henry Hudson Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Continue on NY 9A
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
West Side Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on NY 9A
1.8 mi
·
5 min
·
12th Avenue
Use the straight lane.
10
Continue on NY 9A
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
11th Avenue
11
Continue on NY 9A
2.3 mi
·
6 min
·
West Street
Use the straight lane.
12
Take the exit
2.6 mi
·
5 min
Exit 2
Toward Hugh L Carey Tunnel, Brooklyn
Use the left lane.
13
Continue on I 278
2.5 mi
·
3 min
·
Gowanus Expressway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
14
Keep slight right at fork onto I 278
0.2 mi
·
17 sec
·
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
Toward I 278: Staten Island
15
Continue on I 278
2.2 mi
·
3 min
·
Gowanus Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Keep slight right at fork onto I 278
0.6 mi
·
49 sec
·
Gowanus Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Continue on I 278
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
18
Continue on I 278
2.9 mi
·
4 min
·
Staten Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
Exit 12
Toward Slosson Avenue, Todt Hill Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
20
Continue on Reon Avenue
397 ft
·
9 sec
·
Reon Avenue
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
21
Continue on Reon Avenue
358 ft
·
8 sec
·
Reon Avenue
22
Keep slight left at fork onto North Gannon Avenue
0.1 mi
·
21 sec
·
North Gannon Avenue
23
Turn left onto Manor Road
0.8 mi
·
2 min
·
Manor Road
24
Continue on Manor Road
1.3 mi
·
3 min
·
Manor Road
25
Turn left onto Rockland Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Rockland Avenue
26
Continue on Richmond Road
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Richmond Road
27
Turn left onto Kensico Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Kensico Street
28
At end of road, turn left onto Clarke Avenue
284 ft
·
13 sec
·
Clarke Avenue
29
Turn right onto Cotter Avenue
0.3 mi
·
54 sec
·
Cotter Avenue
30
Continue on Corona Avenue
0.2 mi
·
40 sec
·
Corona Avenue
31
Turn right onto Croft Court
147 ft
·
6 sec
·
Croft Court
32
Arrive at destination
Croft Court
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 165 decision points cluster between mile 0.7 and 21.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
0.7 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
Marginal Street
At end of road, turn left onto Marginal Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
6
0.8 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the ramp toward NY 9A South: Henry Hudson Parkway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Toward NY 9A South: Henry Hudson Parkway
8
8.9 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Take the exit toward Hugh L Carey Tunnel, Brooklyn
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Exit 2
Toward Hugh L Carey Tunnel, Brooklyn
6
16.3 mi into trip
|
~33m in
|
I 278 / Gowanus Expressway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 278 / Gowanus Expressway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
21.3 mi into trip
|
~41m in
Take the exit toward Slosson Avenue, Todt Hill Road
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 12
Toward Slosson Avenue, Todt Hill Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.23 one way
$8.45 round trip
$4.13/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.47 | $4.57 | $9.15 |
| premium | $4.87 | $4.98 | $9.96 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $5.53 | $11.06 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.8 | 0 | $2.73 | $1.25 |
| Efficient EV | 6.5 | 0 | $2.28 | $1.04 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.4 | 0 | $3.64 | $1.66 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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
Staten Island, NY
Late night in Staten Island on Sunday
Local time
2:25 AM
EDT
Current temp
52°F
Rain Showers
E 9 to 14 mph
90% 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
6 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
54m 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 drive features a 42% highway share, with the longest continuous stretch measuring 5.3 miles on the Gowanus Expressway. You'll encounter a mix of highway and surface roads throughout the 26-mile trip. Expect to navigate urban merging and dense exits as you transition between these road types. The remaining portion of your drive will be on surface streets, offering a different pace than the expressway segments.
42% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
32 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.3 mi on Gowanus Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
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 0.7 miles in near Marginal Street.
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 16 decision points packed into just 26 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 54m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.7 miles (Marginal Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 8.9 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 Morningside Heights, NY to Staten Island, NY, road signs begin pointing toward Brooklyn along the way.
Brooklyn
8.9 mi in
|
~21m
About the Cities
Arriving in Staten Island, NY
Full guide →Founded 1683
Staten Island is New York City's "Forgotten Borough" across New York Harbor from Manhattan. Staten Island may seem like it's in an entirely different world than the hustle and bustle expected in New York City. However, it still has some of the features you've come to expect from the city. This combination of city influences and its rural origins have created a unique borough that is a great place to visit.
Top landmarks
- • Bayonne Bridge — arch bridge connecting Staten Island, NY with Bayonne, NJ
- • Staten Island Museum — museum in Staten Island, New York
- • Fort Wadsworth — United States military base
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 54m. Total distance: 26 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
54m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (42%). 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 5.3 miles on Gowanus 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 Staten Island, 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 0.7 miles (Marginal Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 8.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Castle Clinton National Monument, Federal Hall National Memorial and General Grant 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 Staten Island, 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, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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