Origin
Tonawanda, NY
Morning in Tonawanda on Tuesday
Local time
8:32 AM
EDT
Current temp
60°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Tonawanda, NY to Amherst, NY
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
12m
Distance
6.6 mi
11 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Sparse
1 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 11m
★
6 AM
0h 12m
8 AM
0h 15m
10 AM
0h 13m
12 PM
0h 13m
3 PM
0h 13m
5 PM
0h 15m
8 PM
0h 12m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Tonawanda, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Amherst, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a quick transition between Tonawanda and Amherst, New York, this 6.6-mile trip is as straightforward as it gets. Expect to spend about 11 minutes behind the wheel, making this a perfect candidate for a single-day trip. You will navigate entirely through the Northeast region, staying on local surface streets rather than hopping on a major interstate. With fuel costs estimated at just $1, it is an incredibly economical journey for your daily commute or errands. Since the route requires zero stops, you can easily complete the drive in one efficient go. It is a practical, no-nonsense connection that gets you from point A to point B without any need for an overnight stay.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Youngmann Expressway | 3.4 mi | 4m |
| Twin Cities Memorial Highway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Young Street | 0.8 mi | 2m |
| Millersport Highway | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Broad Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Seymour Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Youngmann Expressway
— 3.4 mi, about 4m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Tonawanda, NY and Amherst, NY.
1
Start on NY 265
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
·
Seymour Street
2
Turn left onto Broad Street
0.3 mi
·
42 sec
·
Broad Street
3
Continue on Young Street
0.8 mi
·
2 min
·
Young Street
4
Turn left
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
5
Turn straight onto NY 425
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Twin Cities Memorial Highway
6
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Toward I 290 East
7
Merge onto I 290
3.4 mi
·
4 min
·
Youngmann Expressway
8
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
54 sec
Exit 5A
Toward NY 263 South: Millersport Highway South
Use the slight right lane.
9
Turn straight onto NY 263
0.4 mi
·
56 sec
·
Millersport Highway
Use the left lane.
10
Arrive at destination
NY 263
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 65 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 5.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Broad Street
Turn left onto Broad Street
Navigation decision point
3
1.2 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Turn left
Navigation decision point
3
2.3 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Take the ramp toward I 290 East
Navigation decision point
Toward I 290 East
3
2.5 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
I 290 / Youngmann Expressway
Merge onto I 290 / Youngmann Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining
7
5.9 mi into trip
|
~10m in
Take the exit toward NY 263 South: Millersport Highway South
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 5A
Toward NY 263 South: Millersport Highway South
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.09 one way
$2.17 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
2 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $1.17 | $2.35 |
| premium | $4.92 | $1.28 | $2.56 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.46 | $2.91 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 50% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2 | 0 | $0.69 | $0.32 |
| Efficient EV | 1.7 | 0 | $0.58 | $0.26 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 2.6 | 0 | $0.92 | $0.42 |
Gas CO2
2 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (50% 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
Amherst, NY
Morning in Amherst on Tuesday
Local time
8:32 AM
EDT
Current temp
72°F
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
SW 14 to 22 mph
84% 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
12 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
12m 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 turn-heavy local drive as you navigate through the heart of the area. You will primarily utilize Broad Street, Young Street, and the Twin Cities Memorial Highway to complete your journey. Because this route features a 0% highway share, you should prepare for a traditional urban driving experience rather than a high-speed interstate cruise. The character of the road is defined by frequent intersections and local traffic patterns rather than long, uninterrupted stretches. Staying alert for turns is essential, as the path relies on local infrastructure to bridge the gap between these two neighboring communities.
52% 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: 3.4 mi on Youngmann Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Broad Street.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 12m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Broad Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.2 miles: Navigation decision point; at 2.3 miles: Navigation decision point.
About the Cities
Arriving in Amherst, NY
Full guide →Amherst is a town in the Northtowns of Erie County, New York.
Top landmarks
- • Entranceway at Main Street at Roycroft Boulevard — residential landscape feature in Amherst, New York state, USA
- • Entranceways at Main Street at Lamarck Drive and Smallwood Drive — residential landscape feature in Amherst, New York state, USA
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
This 6.6-mile drive is perfect for a same-day round trip, clocking in at just 11 minutes each way. You'll barely have time to finish a podcast before you're back.
Family Friendly
With only 6.6 miles and an 11-minute drive, this route is super short and manageable for kids. It's mostly local roads, so you won't be dealing with fast highway speeds.
Solo Traveler
At 6.6 miles and only 11 minutes, this is an incredibly easy and quick drive for a solo traveler. You can knock it out in minutes without any fuss.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
This 11-minute drive is about as straightforward as it gets for a first-timer. At 6.6 miles with zero highway, you'll be navigating local streets with minimal stress.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 3.4 miles on Youngmann Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 0.1 miles (Broad Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.2 miles: Navigation decision point; at 2.3 miles: Navigation decision point.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Amherst, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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