Origin
Ronkonkoma, NY
Late night in Ronkonkoma on Sunday
Local time
4:03 AM
EDT
Current temp
48°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Ronkonkoma, NY to Brookhaven, NY
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
19m
Distance
12.8 mi
21 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 18m
★
6 AM
0h 20m
8 AM
0h 23m
10 AM
0h 21m
12 PM
0h 20m
3 PM
0h 21m
5 PM
0h 23m
8 PM
0h 19m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Ronkonkoma, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 12.8-mile drive from Ronkonkoma to Brookhaven, NY, is a quick hop that can be completed in about 19 minutes. It's an easy one-day trip, perfect for those looking for a straightforward journey within the Northeast region. The route utilizes a mix of major roads including the Long Island Expressway, Horseblock Road, and Montauk Highway, offering a varied driving experience. With an estimated fuel cost of just $2, this trip is incredibly budget-friendly. You won't need an overnight stay, making it ideal for a spontaneous outing or a quick errand.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Long Island Expressway | 6.4 mi | 8m |
| Horseblock Road | 4.1 mi | 6m |
| Montauk Highway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Express Drive South | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| South Country Road | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Ronkonkoma Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Long Island Expressway
— 6.4 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Ronkonkoma, NY and Brookhaven, NY.
1
Start on Ronkonkoma Avenue
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
Ronkonkoma Avenue
2
Turn left onto Express Drive South
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
·
Express Drive South
Use the left lane.
3
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
Toward I 495 east: Riverhead
4
Merge onto I 495
6.4 mi
·
8 min
·
Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Exit 65
Toward CR 16: Horse Block Road, Centereach, Shirley
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Turn straight onto Express Drive South
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
·
Express Drive South
Toward I 495, CR 101: Yaphank, Riverhead
7
Turn slight right onto CR 16
4.1 mi
·
6 min
·
Horseblock Road
Use the right lane.
8
At end of road, turn right onto CR 80
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Montauk Highway
Use the right lane.
9
Turn left onto CR 36
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
·
South Country Road
Use the left lane.
10
Arrive at destination
CR 36
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 12.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Express Drive South
Turn left onto Express Drive South
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
0.7 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
I 495 / Long Island Expressway
Merge onto I 495 / Long Island Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
7.1 mi into trip
|
~10m in
Take the exit toward CR 16: Horse Block Road, Centereach, Shirley
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 65
Toward CR 16: Horse Block Road, Centereach, Shi...
6
11.6 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
CR 80 / Montauk Highway
At end of road, turn right onto CR 80 / Montauk Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
12.5 mi into trip
|
~18m in
|
CR 36 / South Country Road
Turn left onto CR 36 / South Country Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.11 one way
$4.21 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $2.28 | $4.56 |
| premium | $4.92 | $2.48 | $4.96 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.83 | $5.65 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.8 | 0 | $1.34 | $0.61 |
| Efficient EV | 3.2 | 0 | $1.12 | $0.51 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.1 | 0 | $1.79 | $0.82 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Brookhaven, NY
Late night in Brookhaven on Sunday
Local time
4:03 AM
EDT
Current temp
77°F
Mostly Sunny
SW 10 mph
0% 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
29 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
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?
Expect a mixed drive on this route, with about 50% of the journey on highways. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 6.4 miles on the Long Island Expressway, providing a good opportunity for consistent speed. As you transition off the expressway onto Horseblock Road and then Montauk Highway, the character of the drive will change, likely becoming more localized. This blend of faster-paced highway travel and more typical road conditions means you'll experience different driving environments within this short distance.
50% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.4 mi on Long Island Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near Express Drive South.
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 12.8 miles you will encounter 8 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 0.2 miles (Express Drive South): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.7 miles (I 495 / Long Island Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 7.1 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.
Between Ronkonkoma, NY and Brookhaven, NY, road signs point toward Centereach, Shirley, Cr 101: Yaphank and Riverhead.
Centereach
7.1 mi in
|
~10m
Shirley
7.1 mi in
|
~10m
Cr 101: Yaphank
7.3 mi in
|
~10m
|
via Express Drive South
Riverhead
7.3 mi in
|
~10m
|
via Express Drive South
About the Cities
Starting in Ronkonkoma, NY
Full guide →Islip (pronounced "ICE-lip") is a town on Long Island in the state of New York. Located within Suffolk County, the Town of Islip includes the villages of Brightwaters, Islandia, Ocean Beach and Saltaire. It also includes numerous hamlets including Bay Shore and Sayville which are ferry terminals for Fire Island. Other prominent communities are Bayport, Brentwood, Central Islip, Hauppauge, Islip village (the town seat), and Ronkonkoma.
Arriving in Brookhaven, NY
Full guide →Founded 1655
Brookhaven is the largest town in Suffolk County, part of Long Island, New York. With 485,000 residents (2020). It includes a patchwork of villages and other communities, and is the only town on the island to touch both the Long Island Sound and Atlantic Ocean. The villages of Belle Terre, Bellport, Lake Grove, Mastic Beach, Old Field, Patchogue, Poquott, Port Jefferson, and Shoreham are semi-autonomous, and provide their own services in addition to those provided by the town. Other prominent communities include Mount Sinai, Stony Brook, and Fire Island, a long and car-free resort island off the south coast of the town.
Top landmarks
- • Wardenclyffe Tower — early experimental wireless transmission station designed and built by Nikola Te...
- • West Meadow Beach Historic District — historic district in the United States
- • Stony Brook Grist Mill — watermill
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: 12.8 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.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (50%). 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 6.4 miles on Long Island 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 Brookhaven, 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 0.2 miles (Express Drive South): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.7 miles (I 495 / Long Island Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 7.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Fire Island National Seashore. 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 Brookhaven, 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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Brookhaven, NY
More from Ronkonkoma, NY
More trips to Brookhaven, NY
Explore more options from Ronkonkoma, NY or browse trips ending in Brookhaven, NY.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse NY road trips.