Origin
Seaford, NY
Morning in Seaford on Monday
Local time
8:04 AM
EDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Seaford, NY to Syracuse, NY
Drive Time
5h 46m
Distance
283.9 mi
457 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$46
one way
EV Charging
Loading...
station data
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
5h 33m
★
6 AM
5h 47m
8 AM
6h 13m
10 AM
5h 56m
12 PM
5h 53m
3 PM
5h 57m
5 PM
6h 12m
8 PM
5h 39m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Seaford, NY
Mel Audelo
Syracuse, NY
Renan Tagliaferro
Trip Overview
The drive from Seaford, NY to Syracuse, NY covers 283.9 miles and takes about 5h 46m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on I 81, Christopher Columbus Highway, I 380 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 128.5 miles on I 81. At current regular gas prices, budget about $46.22 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
142 miles from Seaford, NY
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 2h 58m into the drive .
Drive Character
This is a 5h 46m highway drive covering 283.9 miles, with most of the trip on I 81 and Christopher Columbus Highway. The longest continuous stretch is about 128.5 miles on I 81.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 45 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
I 81 is the longest continuous segment at about 128.5 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 81 and Christopher Columbus Highway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 17.8 miles in.
Route Complexity
10/10
High effort - long or complex enough to need steady focus all day
This is a demanding drive. With 33 significant decision points across 283.9 miles, you will need to stay alert — especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 17.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 18 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 36.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 33 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
8
17.8 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Keep slight left at fork toward NY 24 West: Hempstead Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward NY 24 West: Hempstead Avenue
8
18 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Hempstead Avenue West
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward Hempstead Avenue West
8
36.8 mi into trip
|
~51m in
Take the exit toward I 95 South, NJTP South: Hackensack
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.
Toward I 95 South, NJTP South: Hackensack
8
37.1 mi into trip
|
~51m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 95 South, NJTP South: Hackensack
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward I 95 South, NJTP South: Hackensack
8
39.4 mi into trip
|
~54m in
Take the exit toward I 80 West: Paterson, Hackensack
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 69
Toward I 80 West: Paterson, Hackensack
Towns Along This Route
Between Seaford, NY and Syracuse, NY, road signs point toward Cross Island Parkway North, Hempstead Avenue West, Grandstand, Upper Level, Njtp South: Hackensack and Hackensack - among others.
Cross Island Parkway North
16.1 mi in
|
~21m
Hempstead Avenue West
17.9 mi in
|
~24m
Grandstand
18.1 mi in
|
~24m
Upper Level
34.3 mi in
|
~47m
|
via I 95; US 1
Njtp South: Hackensack
36.8 mi in
|
~51m
Hackensack
39.4 mi in
|
~54m
Albany
212.2 mi in
|
~4h 21m
|
via I 81
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 81 | 128.5 mi | 2h 31m |
| Christopher Columbus Highway | 68.2 mi | 1h 20m |
| I 380 | 27.7 mi | 30m |
| Keystone Shortway | 17.3 mi | 24m |
| Southern State Parkway | 13.2 mi | 17m |
| Cross Bronx Expressway | 6.6 mi | 8m |
| Clearview Expressway | 5 mi | 5m |
| Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway | 2.4 mi | 2m |
Longest stretch:
I 81
— 128.5 mi, about 2h 31m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Seaford, NY and Syracuse, NY.
1
Start on Merrick Road
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
·
Merrick Road
2
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Toward NY 135 North: Syosset
3
Merge onto NY 135
2.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway
Use the slight right lane.
4
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
Exit 4W
Toward SO West: New York
Use the right lane.
5
Merge onto SO
13 mi
·
17 min
·
Southern State Parkway
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
Toward Cross Island Parkway North, Whitestone Bridge
Use the slight right lane.
7
Merge onto CI
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Cross Island Parkway
8
Take the exit
317 ft
·
9 sec
Exit 26B
Toward NY 24: UBS Arena-Belmont Park
Use the slight right lane.
9
Keep slight left at fork
437 ft
·
12 sec
Toward NY 24 West: Hempstead Avenue
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
Toward Cross Island Parkway North, Hempstead Avenue West
11
Keep slight right at fork
266 ft
·
8 sec
Toward Hempstead Avenue West
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
12
Continue on this road
0.1 mi
·
13 sec
·
this road
Toward Grandstand, Hempstead Avenue West
13
Keep slight left at fork
100 ft
·
4 sec
Toward Hempstead Avenue
14
Turn right onto NY 24
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Hempstead Avenue
Use the right lane.
15
Turn left onto Jamaica Avenue
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
·
Jamaica Avenue
16
Turn right onto NY 24
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
212th Street
17
Continue on I 295
5.0 mi
·
5 min
·
Clearview Expressway
Toward I 295 North: Clearview Expressway, Through Neck Bridge
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18
Continue on I 295
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Throgs Neck Bridge
19
Continue on I 295
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Throgs Neck Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
20
Keep slight left at fork onto I 295
6.6 mi
·
8 min
·
Cross Bronx Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
21
Keep slight left at fork onto I 95; US 1
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Trans-Manhattan Expressway
Toward Upper Level
22
Continue on I 95; US 1
0.6 mi
·
59 sec
·
George Washington Bridge (upper level)
23
Continue on I 95 EXPR; US 1 EXPR; US 9 EXPR
0.5 mi
·
48 sec
·
I 95 EXPR; US 1 EXPR; US 9 EXPR
24
Keep slight left at fork onto I 95 EXPR; US 1 EXPR; US 9 EXPR
0.6 mi
·
39 sec
·
I 95 EXPR; US 1 EXPR; US 9 EXPR
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
25
Keep slight left at fork onto I 95 EXPR; NJTP
0.1 mi
·
8 sec
·
I 95 EXPR; NJTP
26
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
Toward I 95 South, NJTP South: Hackensack
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
27
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi
·
29 sec
Toward I 95 South, NJTP South: Hackensack
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
28
Merge onto I 95; NJTP
2.0 mi
·
2 min
·
New Jersey Turnpike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
29
Take the exit
0.8 mi
·
1 min
Exit 69
Toward I 80 West: Paterson, Hackensack
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
30
Continue on I 80
68 mi
·
1 hr 20 min
·
Christopher Columbus Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
31
Keep slight left at fork onto I 80
5.5 mi
·
8 min
·
Keystone Shortway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
32
Keep slight left at fork onto I 80
12 mi
·
15 min
·
Keystone Shortway
33
Take the exit
0.7 mi
·
46 sec
Exit 293
Toward I 380 North: Scranton
34
Continue on I 380
28 mi
·
30 min
·
I 380
Use the straight lane.
35
Merge onto I 81
58 mi
·
1 hr 9 min
·
I 81
Use the straight lane.
36
Keep slight right at fork onto I 81
1.8 mi
·
2 min
·
I 81
Toward I 81 North: Syracuse, Albany
37
Keep slight left at fork onto I 81
66 mi
·
1 hr 17 min
·
I 81
Toward I 81 North: Syracuse
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
38
Keep slight left at fork onto I 81
0.2 mi
·
17 sec
·
I 81
Toward Syracuse
Use the straight lane.
39
Continue on I-81
0.4 mi
·
26 sec
·
I-81
40
Continue on I 81
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
I 81
41
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
Toward Adams Street, Harrison Street
Use the slight right lane.
42
Continue on Almond Street
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
·
Almond Street
Use the left / slight left / straight / right lanes.
43
Turn left onto NY 92
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
·
East Genesee Street
44
At end of road, turn right onto US 11
10 ft
·
0 sec
·
South State Street
45
Arrive at destination
US 11
Trip Plan
Morning Departure
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Evening Departure
A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 142 miles from Seaford, NY, or about 2h 58m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 128.5 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 80 miles or 1h 43m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 142 miles or 2h 58m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 4h 45m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Syracuse, NY than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Seaford, NY so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Seaford, NY
This is one driving day of about 283.9 miles and 5h 46m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 80 miles from Seaford, NY.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on I 81 for about 128.5 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 142 mi from Seaford, NY · 2h 58m into the drive
Mid-route town
Meal stop
142 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
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 80 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 142 miles from Seaford, NY, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before I 81 if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 128.5 miles.
Arriving in Syracuse, NY
The final approach into Syracuse, NY usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.
Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Syracuse, NY.
After long uninterrupted mileage, take five minutes before the last urban segment to reset and refocus on exits, merges, and city traffic.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$46.22 one way
$92.44 round trip
$4.14/gal
25.4 MPG avg
99 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.48 | $50.08 | $100.17 |
| premium | $4.88 | $54.58 | $109.16 |
| diesel | $5.64 | $63.07 | $126.15 |
Estimated Tolls: $22.83
George Washington Bridge
$16.00
Throgs Neck Bridge
$6.55
New Jersey Turnpike
(2 mi)
$0.28
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$46
Tolls
$23
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$94–$119
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 99.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-06.
Driving Electric?
About $30 in charging · 1 stop · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 85.2 | 1 | $29.81 | $13.63 |
| Efficient EV | 71 | 0 | $24.84 | $11.36 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 113.6 | 1 | $39.75 | $18.17 |
Gas CO2
99 kg
EV CO2
33 kg (67% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
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
Syracuse, NY
Morning in Syracuse on Monday
Local time
8:04 AM
EDT
Current temp
53°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Along the Route
59°F
Ramapo, NY
142 mi in
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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
1 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
5h 46m on the road
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Seaford, NY to Syracuse, NY covers 283.9 miles and takes about 5h 46m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are I 81, Christopher Columbus Highway, I 380. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 142 miles from Seaford, NY. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $46.22 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left. A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
Plan about 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, or rest. Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
This is a demanding drive. With 33 significant decision points across 283.9 miles, you will need to stay alert — especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 17.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 18 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 36.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Between Seaford, NY and Syracuse, NY, road signs point toward Cross Island Parkway North, Hempstead Avenue West, Grandstand, Upper Level, Njtp South: Hackensack and Hackensack - among others.
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