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Trip from New York City, NY to Plainview, NY

Last recalculated Apr 16, 2026

Drive Time

53m

Distance

33.1 mi

53 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 13 min
4 AM
0h 49m ★
6 AM
0h 53m
8 AM
1h 2m
10 AM
0h 56m
12 PM
0h 56m
3 PM
0h 57m
5 PM
1h 2m
8 PM
0h 51m

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

most populous city in the United States

New York City, NY

Wikimedia Commons

census-designated place in Eastern Nassau County, New York, United States

Plainview, NY

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

This 33.1-mile drive from New York City to Plainview, NY, is easily manageable as a single-day trip, taking approximately 53 minutes. The route is predominantly highway-focused, with 84% of the journey on major roadways like the Long Island Expressway, Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, and Northern State Parkway. With an estimated fuel cost of $5, this is an economical excursion within the Northeast region. Given its short duration and highway nature, no overnight stops are necessary, making it a straightforward transit rather than an extended exploration.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 53m. Total distance: 33.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

53m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (84%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

Expect a highway-focused drive for the majority of this 33.1-mile journey. With 84% of the route on major expressways, you'll experience a consistent pace for much of the trip. The longest uninterrupted stretch is a significant 21.4 miles on the Long Island Expressway, offering a chance to settle into a rhythm. This route prioritizes efficient travel over scenic detours, characterized by its primarily high-speed road segments.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 26 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 21.4 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Long Island Expressway and Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Chambers Street.

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 22 decision points packed into just 33.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 53m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (Chambers Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 22 key points

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

7
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | Chambers Street

Turn left onto Chambers Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / straight lanes.
8
6.3 mi into trip | ~13m in

Take the exit toward I 495: Midtown Tunnel, Eastern Long Island, 48th Street

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 35A-B Toward I 495: Midtown Tunnel, Eastern Long Isla...
10
6.5 mi into trip | ~13m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 495 East: Eastern Long Island, Riverhead, 48th Street

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

Use the straight / slight left lanes. Exit 35B Toward I 495 East: Eastern Long Island, Riverhe...
9
6.6 mi into trip | ~13m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 495 East: Eastern Long Island, Riverhead

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 35E Toward I 495 East: Eastern Long Island, Riverhe...
8
31.5 mi into trip | ~49m in

Take the exit toward Manetto Hill Road, Woodbury, Plainview

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 37 Toward Manetto Hill Road, Woodbury, Plainview

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between New York City, NY and Plainview, NY, road signs point toward Eastern Long Island, Riverhead and N East: Hauppauge.

Eastern Long Island

6.3 mi in | ~13m

Riverhead

6.5 mi in | ~13m

N East: Hauppauge

29.1 mi in | ~46m

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Long Island Expressway 21.4 mi 30m
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway 4.4 mi 7m
Northern State Parkway 1.9 mi 2m
Manetto Hill Road 1.4 mi 2m
Brooklyn Bridge 1.1 mi 2m
Prospect Street 0.2 mi <1m
Chambers Street 0.1 mi <1m
Centre Street 0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Long Island Expressway — 21.4 mi, about 30m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between New York City, NY and Plainview, NY.

1

Start on Broadway

79 ft · 10 sec · Broadway
2

Turn left onto Chambers Street

0.1 mi · 36 sec · Chambers Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
3

Turn right onto Centre Street

0.1 mi · 24 sec · Centre Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
4

Continue on Brooklyn Bridge

1.1 mi · 2 min · Brooklyn Bridge
5

Take the exit

343 ft · 9 sec
Toward I 278: Brooklyn Queens Expressway, Cadman Plaza West Use the right lane.
6

Turn right

254 ft · 9 sec
Toward I 278: Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
7

Turn right onto Cadman Plaza West

31 ft · 1 sec · Cadman Plaza West
8

Turn slight right

223 ft · 8 sec
Toward Brooklyn-Queens Expressway East
9

Turn slight right onto Prospect Street

0.2 mi · 52 sec · Prospect Street
Use the right lane.
10

Turn right onto Jay Street

276 ft · 17 sec · Jay Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
11

At end of road, turn left onto Sands Street

56 ft · 2 sec · Sands Street
Use the left lane.
12

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 23 sec
Toward I 278 East: Triborough Bridge, Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13

Merge onto I 278

3.6 mi · 5 min · Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Keep slight right at fork onto I 278

0.8 mi · 1 min · Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 15 sec
Exit 35A-B Toward I 495: Midtown Tunnel, Eastern Long Island, 48th Street Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Continue on this road

0.1 mi · 18 sec · this road
Exit 35 Toward I 495: Midtown Tunnel, Eastern Long Island, 48 Street
17

Keep slight right at fork

308 ft · 8 sec
Exit 35B Toward I 495 East: Eastern Long Island, Riverhead, 48th Street Use the straight / slight left lanes.
18

Keep slight left at fork

0.6 mi · 1 min
Exit 35E Toward I 495 East: Eastern Long Island, Riverhead Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19

Keep slight left at fork

0.5 mi · 1 min
Toward I 495 East: Eastern Long Island
20

Merge onto I 495

21 mi · 30 min · Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
21

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 52 sec
Exit 42 Toward N East: Hauppauge Use the slight right lane.
22

Merge onto N

1.9 mi · 2 min · Northern State Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
23

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 28 sec
Exit 37 Toward Manetto Hill Road, Woodbury, Plainview Use the slight right lane.
24

Turn right onto Manetto Hill Road

1.4 mi · 2 min · Manetto Hill Road
25

Turn slight right

137 ft · 5 sec
26

Arrive at destination

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 16.6 mi from New York City, NY · 28m into the drive

Downtown North Hills, NY, NY

Mid-route town

Meal stop

North Hills, NY

17 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Melville, NY

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 33 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

North Hills, NY

Meal break

The midpoint is around 16.6 miles from New York City, NY, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Plainview, NY

Allow a few extra minutes for the final approach into Plainview, NY if you are unfamiliar with the area.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.45 one way

$10.90 round trip

$4.18/gal 25.4 MPG avg 12 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.52 $5.89 $11.78
premium $4.92 $6.42 $12.83
diesel $5.61 $7.31 $14.62

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 11.6 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 9.9 0 $3.48 $1.59
Efficient EV 8.3 0 $2.90 $1.32
EV Truck/SUV 13.2 0 $4.63 $2.12

Gas CO2

12 kg

EV CO2

4 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 14, 2026

Origin

New York City, NY

Afternoon in New York City on Thursday

Local time

2:01 PM

EDT

Current temp

80°F

Sunny

SW 14 mph 14% chance Live forecast

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued April 14 at 5:45PM EDT until April 14 at 6:30PM EDT by NWS Albany NY

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued April 14 at 2:52PM EDT until April 14 at 10:00PM EDT by NWS Buffalo NY

Destination

Plainview, NY

Afternoon in Plainview on Thursday

Local time

2:01 PM

EDT

Current temp

45°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

46°F

North Hills, NY

17 mi in

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

35 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

53m 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from New York City, NY to Plainview, NY covers 33.1 miles and takes about 53m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Long Island Expressway, Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, Northern State Parkway. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 16.6 miles from New York City, NY. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.45 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 is a short but busy drive. With 22 decision points packed into just 33.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 53m.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Chambers Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Between New York City, NY and Plainview, NY, road signs point toward Eastern Long Island, Riverhead and N East: Hauppauge.
Yes. Nearby national parks include African Burial Ground National Monument, Castle Clinton National Monument and Federal Hall National Memorial. There are 6 parks within detour distance of this route.

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