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Trip from Brookhaven, NY to Elwood, NY

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

38m

Distance

25.4 mi

41 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 10 min
4 AM
0h 35m ★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 40m
3 PM
0h 41m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 37m

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

Downtown Elwood, NY, NY

Elwood, NY

Renan Tagliaferro

Trip Overview

The drive from Brookhaven, NY to Elwood, NY covers 25.4 miles and takes about 38m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Long Island Expressway, Veterans Memorial Highway, Horseblock Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 10.2 miles on Long Island Expressway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.18 one way before food or hotel costs.

About the Cities

Starting 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 38m. Total distance: 25.4 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

38m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (49%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mixed drive route profile with national parks nearby.

Drive Character

The drive from Brookhaven, NY to Elwood, NY covers 25.4 miles and takes about 38m, using a mix of highways and local roads.

Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 15 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Long Island Expressway is the longest continuous segment at about 10.2 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 1.2 miles in near CR 16 / Horseblock Road.

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 25.4 miles you will encounter 9 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 1.2 miles (CR 16 / Horseblock Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.5 miles (Express Drive North): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.9 miles (I 495 / Long Island Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 9 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

4
1.2 mi into trip | ~2m in | CR 16 / Horseblock Road

Turn left onto CR 16 / Horseblock Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
5.5 mi into trip | ~8m in | Express Drive North

Turn left onto Express Drive North

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
5.9 mi into trip | ~9m 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
16.1 mi into trip | ~23m in

Take the exit toward NY 454: Patchogue, Commack

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Exit 57 Toward NY 454: Patchogue, Commack
5
16.6 mi into trip | ~24m in | NY 454 / Veterans Memorial Highway

Turn right onto NY 454 / Veterans Memorial Highway

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.

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 Brookhaven, NY to Elwood, NY, road signs begin pointing toward Commack along the way.

Commack

16.1 mi in | ~23m

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Long Island Expressway 10.2 mi 13m
Veterans Memorial Highway 5.4 mi 7m
Horseblock Road 4.2 mi 6m
Jericho Turnpike 2.3 mi 4m
Montauk Highway 0.8 mi 1m
Veterans Highway 0.6 mi <1m
Elwood Road 0.5 mi <1m
South Country Road 0.4 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Long Island Expressway — 10.2 mi, about 13m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Brookhaven, NY and Elwood, NY.

1

Start on CR 36

0.4 mi · 46 sec · South Country Road
2

Continue on South Country Road

354 ft · 16 sec · South Country Road
3

Turn straight onto CR 80

0.8 mi · 1 min · Montauk Highway
4

Turn left onto CR 16

4.2 mi · 6 min · Horseblock Road
Use the left lane.
5

Turn left onto Express Drive North

0.2 mi · 14 sec · Express Drive North
Use the left lane.
6

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 21 sec
Toward I 495 WEST: New York
7

Merge onto I 495

10 mi · 13 min · Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 27 sec
Exit 57 Toward NY 454: Patchogue, Commack Use the slight right lane.
9

Turn straight onto Express Drive North

0.2 mi · 27 sec · Express Drive North
10

Turn right onto NY 454

3.7 mi · 5 min · Veterans Memorial Highway
Use the straight / right lanes.
11

Keep slight right at fork onto NY 454

0.6 mi · 52 sec · Veterans Highway
12

Continue on NY 454

1.7 mi · 2 min · Veterans Memorial Highway
13

Turn left onto NY 25

2.3 mi · 4 min · Jericho Turnpike
14

Turn right onto CR 10

0.5 mi · 58 sec · Elwood Road
15

Arrive at destination

CR 10

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.18 one way

$8.36 round trip

$4.18/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.52 $4.52 $9.04
premium $4.92 $4.92 $9.85
diesel $5.61 $5.61 $11.22

Estimated Tolls: $0.16

Jericho Turnpike (2.3 mi) $0.16

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

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Tolls

$0

Total

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 8.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 7.6 0 $2.67 $1.22
Efficient EV 6.4 0 $2.22 $1.02
EV Truck/SUV 10.2 0 $3.56 $1.63

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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Brookhaven, NY

Morning in Brookhaven on Saturday

Local time

8:06 AM

EDT

Current temp

43°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Elwood, NY

Morning in Elwood on Saturday

Local time

8:06 AM

EDT

Current temp

45°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

2 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

38m 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from Brookhaven, NY to Elwood, NY covers 25.4 miles and takes about 38m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Long Island Expressway, Veterans Memorial Highway, Horseblock Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 12.7 miles from Brookhaven, NY. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.18 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.

Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 25.4 miles you will encounter 9 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

The main spots that need attention: at 1.2 miles (CR 16 / Horseblock Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.5 miles (Express Drive North): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.9 miles (I 495 / Long Island Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

On the drive from Brookhaven, NY to Elwood, NY, road signs begin pointing toward Commack along the way.

Yes. Nearby national parks include Fire Island National Seashore.

How this page is built

Compiled by the Trip.ovh 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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