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Trip from Parkchester, NY to Queens, NY

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

27m

Distance

13.8 mi

22 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 7 min
4 AM
0h 25m ★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 32m
10 AM
0h 29m
12 PM
0h 28m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 32m
8 PM
0h 26m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Downtown Parkchester, NY, NY

Parkchester, NY

Renan Tagliaferro

borough in New York City, New York, United States

Queens, NY

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Parkchester, NY to Queens, NY is 13.8 miles and takes about 27m via Van Wyck Expressway, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a short, straightforward trip entirely within New York, connecting two points in the Northeast region. Given its brief duration, it's ideal for a quick commute or a simple hop between boroughs. You'll be spending most of your time on major expressways, so expect a highway-focused experience. This route is best suited for those looking for efficiency and speed over leisurely exploration.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Van Wyck Expressway 4.3 mi 6m
Whitestone Expressway 2.3 mi 3m
Liberty Avenue 1.5 mi 4m
Bronx-Whitestone Bridge 1.3 mi 2m
Van Wyck Expressway West 0.9 mi 2m
Hutchinson River Expressway 0.8 mi 1m
Cross Bronx Expressway 0.4 mi <1m
Metropolitan Avenue 0.3 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Van Wyck Expressway — 4.3 mi, about 6m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Parkchester, NY and Queens, NY.

1

Start on Unionport Road

380 ft · 22 sec · Unionport Road
2

Continue on Unionport Road

479 ft · 28 sec · Unionport Road
3

Enter roundabout onto Metropolitan Avenue

128 ft · 5 sec · Metropolitan Avenue
4

Continue on Metropolitan Avenue

0.3 mi · 1 min · Metropolitan Avenue
5

Enter roundabout onto Cross Bronx Expressway Service Road

0.1 mi · 34 sec · Cross Bronx Expressway Service Road
6

Continue on Cross Bronx Expressway Service Road

511 ft · 17 sec · Cross Bronx Expressway Service Road
7

Take the ramp

0.1 mi · 18 sec
Toward I 95 North: Cross Bronx Expressway, New Haven Connecticut
8

Merge onto I 95

0.4 mi · 39 sec · Cross Bronx Expressway
9

Take the exit

0.9 mi · 2 min
Exit 6A Toward I 678 South: Whitestone Bridge, Queens Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Merge onto I 678

0.8 mi · 1 min · Hutchinson River Expressway
11

Continue on I 678

1.3 mi · 2 min · Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
12

Continue on I 678

2.3 mi · 3 min · Whitestone Expressway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
13

Keep slight left at fork onto I 678

4.3 mi · 6 min · Van Wyck Expressway
Toward I 678 South: Kennedy Airport Use the slight left lane.
14

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 31 sec
Exit 6 Toward Hillside Avenue, Jamaica Avenue, Atlantic Avenue Use the right lane.
15

Keep slight right at fork

0.1 mi · 13 sec
Toward Hillside Avenue, Jamaica Avenue Use the slight right lane.
16

Turn straight onto Van Wyck Expressway West

0.9 mi · 2 min · Van Wyck Expressway West
Use the straight / right lanes.
17

Turn right onto Liberty Avenue

1.5 mi · 4 min · Liberty Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
18

Turn left onto 104th Street

205 ft · 9 sec · 104th Street
19

Arrive at destination

104th Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 13

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.5 and 11.1 — 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 | ~2m in | Cross Bronx Expressway Service Road

Enter roundabout onto Cross Bronx Expressway Service Road

Roundabout - know your exit number before entering

8
1.3 mi into trip | ~4m in

Take the exit toward I 678 South: Whitestone Bridge, Queens

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 6A Toward I 678 South: Whitestone Bridge, Queens
7
6.6 mi into trip | ~13m in | I 678 / Van Wyck Expressway

Keep slight left at fork onto I 678 / Van Wyck Expressway toward I 678 South: Kennedy Airport

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left lane. Toward I 678 South: Kennedy Airport
8
10.9 mi into trip | ~19m 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
11.1 mi into trip | ~20m 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

$2.24 one way

$4.49 round trip

$4.13/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.47 $2.43 $4.85
premium $4.87 $2.64 $5.29
diesel $5.40 $2.94 $5.87

Estimated Tolls: $6.55

Whitestone Bridge $6.55

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Tolls

$7

Total

$9

Estimated CO2 emission: 4.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 4.1 0 $1.45 $0.66
Efficient EV 3.5 0 $1.21 $0.55
EV Truck/SUV 5.5 0 $1.93 $0.88

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.

Forecast as of Apr 25, 2026

Origin

Parkchester, NY

Late night in Parkchester on Sunday

Local time

2:06 AM

EDT

Current temp

61°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Queens, NY

Late night in Queens on Sunday

Local time

2:06 AM

EDT

Current temp

47°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

14 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

27m 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 leans heavily towards highway driving, with 65% of it on expressways. You'll spend a good portion of your 27-minute journey on the Van Wyck Expressway, including a continuous stretch of 4.3 miles. The primary roads guiding you are the Van Wyck Expressway and the Whitestone Expressway, suggesting a fast-paced, high-volume traffic environment for much of the trip. While Liberty Avenue is also mentioned, the overall profile indicates a dominant highway character, meaning you'll likely experience smooth, albeit busy, driving conditions for the majority of the 13.8 miles.

65% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.3 mi on Van Wyck Expressway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

9/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Van Wyck Expressway and Whitestone Expressway. 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 Cross Bronx Expressway Service Road.

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 13 decision points packed into just 13.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 27m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (Cross Bronx Expressway Service Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 1.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.6 miles (I 678 / Van Wyck Expressway): 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.

On the drive from Parkchester, NY to Queens, NY, road signs begin pointing toward New Haven Connecticut along the way.

New Haven Connecticut

0.7 mi in | ~3m

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 27m. Total distance: 13.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

27m 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 4.3 miles on Van Wyck Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $6.55 in tolls one way, starting with Whitestone Bridge. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.

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 (Cross Bronx Expressway Service Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 1.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.6 miles (I 678 / Van Wyck Expressway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes — Hamilton Grange National Memorial, General Grant 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 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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