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Trip from Queens, NY to Washington Heights, 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

30m

Distance

17.8 mi

29 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Fair

2 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
4 AM
0h 28m ★
6 AM
0h 31m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 33m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 33m
5 PM
0h 36m
8 PM
0h 29m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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borough in New York City, New York, United States

Queens, NY

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Washington Heights, NY, NY

Washington Heights, NY

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Queens, NY to Washington Heights, NY is 17.8 miles and takes about 30m via Van Wyck Expressway/I-95/Whitestone Expressway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within New York, connecting two points in the Northeast region. Given its brief duration and mostly highway profile, it's a straightforward transit designed for efficiency. Planning this drive is simple, and you can easily fit it into your day without needing an overnight stay.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Van Wyck Expressway 5.7 mi 7m
I 95 4.2 mi 5m
Whitestone Expressway 2 mi 2m
Liberty Avenue 1.5 mi 4m
Bronx-Whitestone Bridge 1.3 mi 1m
Hutchinson River Expressway 0.8 mi 1m
Washington Bridge 0.4 mi 1m
West 181st Street 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Van Wyck Expressway — 5.7 mi, about 7m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

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

1

Start on 104th Street

300 ft · 18 sec · 104th Street
2

Turn left onto 107th Avenue

266 ft · 16 sec · 107th Avenue
3

Turn left onto 105th Street

0.1 mi · 28 sec · 105th Street
4

Turn right onto Liberty Avenue

1.5 mi · 4 min · Liberty Avenue
5

Turn left onto Van Wyck Expressway East

77 ft · 1 sec · Van Wyck Expressway East
Use the left / straight lanes.
6

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 20 sec
Toward I 678 North: Van Wyck Expressway, Whitestone Bridge, Bronx
7

Merge onto I 678

5.7 mi · 7 min · Van Wyck Expressway
Use the slight right lane.
8

Merge onto I 678

2.0 mi · 2 min · Whitestone Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Continue on I 678

1.3 mi · 1 min · Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
10

Continue on I 678

0.8 mi · 1 min · Hutchinson River Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 28 sec
Exit 19S-W; 19N Toward I 95 South, I 278 West, I 95 North: George Washington Bridge, Manhattan, New Haven Connecticut Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Keep slight left at fork

0.3 mi · 50 sec
Exit 19S-W Toward I 95 South, I 278 West: George Washington Bridge, Manhattan Use the slight left lane.
13

Keep slight right at fork

0.3 mi · 44 sec
Toward I 95 South
14

Merge onto I 95

4.2 mi · 5 min · I 95
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 19 sec
Exit 1D-C-B Toward I 87: Queens, Albany, Major Deegan Expressway Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Keep slight left at fork

0.2 mi · 28 sec
Exit 1B Toward Amsterdam Avenue Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
17

Turn straight onto Washington Bridge

0.4 mi · 1 min · Washington Bridge
18

Continue on West 181st Street

0.2 mi · 43 sec · West 181st Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
19

Turn right onto Wadsworth Avenue

237 ft · 14 sec · Wadsworth Avenue
20

Turn left onto West 182nd Street

277 ft · 23 sec · West 182nd Street
21

Turn left onto US 9

229 ft · 4 sec · Broadway
22

Arrive at destination

US 9

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 16

5 decision points cluster between mile 1.7 and 16.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
1.7 mi into trip | ~5m in | Van Wyck Expressway East

Turn left onto Van Wyck Expressway East

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / straight lanes.
8
11.7 mi into trip | ~20m in

Take the exit toward I 95 South, I 278 West, I 95 North: George Washington Bridge, Manhattan, New Haven Connecticut

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 19S-W; 19N Toward I 95 South, I 278 West, I 95 North: Geor...
10
11.9 mi into trip | ~20m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 95 South, I 278 West: George Washington Bridge, Manhattan

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight left lane. Exit 19S-W Toward I 95 South, I 278 West: George Washingto...
8
16.7 mi into trip | ~27m in

Take the exit toward I 87: Queens, Albany, Major Deegan Expressway

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 1D-C-B Toward I 87: Queens, Albany, Major Deegan Expre...
9
16.8 mi into trip | ~27m in

Keep slight left at fork toward Amsterdam Avenue

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left / slight right lanes. Exit 1B Toward Amsterdam Avenue

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.89 one way

$5.79 round trip

$4.13/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.47 $3.13 $6.26
premium $4.87 $3.41 $6.82
diesel $5.40 $3.79 $7.57

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

$3

Tolls

$7

Total

$9

Estimated CO2 emission: 6.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 5.3 0 $1.87 $0.85
Efficient EV 4.5 0 $1.56 $0.71
EV Truck/SUV 7.1 0 $2.49 $1.14

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.

Forecast as of Apr 26, 2026

Origin

Queens, NY

Morning in Queens on Sunday

Local time

9:07 AM

EDT

Current temp

42°F

Rain Showers

E 12 mph 97% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 8:05PM EDT until April 26 at 11:00AM EDT by NWS Buffalo NY

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 1:03PM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY

Destination

Washington Heights, NY

Morning in Washington Heights on Sunday

Local time

9:07 AM

EDT

Current temp

42°F

Rain Showers

E 10 mph 97% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 8:05PM EDT until April 26 at 11:00AM EDT by NWS Buffalo NY

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 1:03PM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY

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

Very similar conditions

Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.

Road read

30m 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 is 71% highway, meaning you'll spend most of your time on expressways. The longest continuous stretch on these roads is 5.7 miles on the Van Wyck Expressway. You'll encounter a dense network of exits and merges typical of urban highway driving. Expect the transition to surface roads to happen relatively late in the trip.

71% 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: 5.7 mi on Van Wyck Expressway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Van Wyck Expressway and I 95. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.7 miles in near Van Wyck Expressway East.

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 16 decision points packed into just 17.8 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 1.7 miles (Van Wyck Expressway East): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 11.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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.

Between Queens, NY and Washington Heights, NY, road signs point toward Bronx, Manhattan, New Haven Connecticut and Albany.

Bronx

1.8 mi in | ~5m

Manhattan

11.7 mi in | ~20m

New Haven Connecticut

11.7 mi in | ~20m

Albany

16.7 mi in | ~27m

About the Cities

Starting 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

Arriving in Washington Heights, NY

Full guide →

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: 17.8 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 (71%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 5.7 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.

Yes — we found about 3 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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 Washington Heights, 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 1.7 miles (Van Wyck Expressway East): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 11.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

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 Washington Heights, 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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