Origin
Wakefield, NY
Late night in Wakefield on Friday
Local time
12:38 AM
EDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Wakefield, NY to Jamaica, NY
Last recalculated Apr 17, 2026
Drive Time
30m
Distance
16.5 mi
27 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 27m
★
6 AM
0h 30m
8 AM
0h 35m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 31m
3 PM
0h 32m
5 PM
0h 35m
8 PM
0h 28m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Wakefield, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Jamaica, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This 16.5-mile drive from Wakefield to Jamaica, NY, is a quick 30-minute trip that can easily be completed in a single day. Primarily utilizing major expressways like the Van Wyck Expressway, Whitestone Expressway, and Bruckner Expressway, this route is heavily highway-focused, with 65% of the journey on these types of roads. With an estimated fuel cost of around $3, it's an economical option for getting across this part of New York. The straightforward nature of this drive makes it ideal for a simple point-to-point transit rather than an extended road trip experience.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 30m. Total distance: 16.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
30m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (65%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
Expect a highway-focused experience for most of this 16.5-mile journey, with 65% of the route involving expressways. You'll navigate primarily on the Van Wyck Expressway, Whitestone Expressway, and Bruckner Expressway. The longest continuous stretch on this route is 4.3 miles on the Van Wyck Expressway, so you'll be in a consistent highway environment for a significant portion. This drive's personality is defined by steady, albeit potentially busy, expressway travel within the urban landscape of New York.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 22 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Van Wyck Expressway is the longest continuous segment at about 4.3 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Van Wyck Expressway and Whitestone Expressway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 5.3 miles in near I 95.
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 17 decision points packed into just 16.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 5.3 miles (I 95): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 17 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
8
5.3 mi into trip
|
~11m in
|
I 95
Keep slight right at fork onto I 95 toward I 95 South, to I 678 South: Cross Bronx Expressway, George Washington Bridge, Newark, Whitestone Bridge
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 95 South, to I 678 South: Cross Bronx...
9
5.5 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Take the exit toward I 678 South: Whitestone Bridge, Bruckner Boulevard
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 6A
Toward I 678 South: Whitestone Bridge, Bruckner...
8
5.7 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 678 South: Whitestone Bridge
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Toward I 678 South: Whitestone Bridge
8
14.8 mi into trip
|
~25m in
Take the exit toward Hillside Avenue, Jamaica Avenue, Atlantic Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the right lane.
Exit 6
Toward Hillside Avenue, Jamaica Avenue, Atlanti...
9
15.1 mi into trip
|
~26m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Hillside Avenue, Jamaica Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward Hillside Avenue, Jamaica Avenue
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 Wakefield, NY to Jamaica, NY, road signs begin pointing toward Newark along the way.
Newark
5.3 mi in
|
~11m
|
via I 95
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Van Wyck Expressway | 4.3 mi | 6m |
| Whitestone Expressway | 2.3 mi | 3m |
| Bruckner Expressway | 1.9 mi | 2m |
| Bronx-Whitestone Bridge | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| New England Thruway | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| Hutchinson River Expressway | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| Van Wyck Expressway West | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Baychester Avenue | 0.9 mi | 2m |
Longest stretch:
Van Wyck Expressway
— 4.3 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Wakefield, NY and Jamaica, NY.
1
Start on Nereid Avenue
0.2 mi
·
41 sec
·
Nereid Avenue
2
Turn right onto Ely Avenue
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Ely Avenue
3
Turn left onto East 233rd Street
0.2 mi
·
38 sec
·
East 233rd Street
4
Turn right onto Baychester Avenue
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Baychester Avenue
Use the right lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
Toward I 95 South: New England Thruway, George Washington Bridge
6
Merge onto I 95
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
New England Thruway
7
Continue on I 95
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Bruckner Expressway
Use the straight / right lanes.
8
Keep slight right at fork onto I 95
0.6 mi
·
54 sec
·
Bruckner Expressway
Toward I 95 South: George Washington Bridge
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight right at fork onto I 95
0.2 mi
·
12 sec
·
I 95
Toward I 95 South, to I 678 South: Cross Bronx Expressway, George Washington Bridge, Newark, Whitestone Bridge
Use the slight right lane.
10
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
Exit 6A
Toward I 678 South: Whitestone Bridge, Bruckner Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
Toward I 678 South: Whitestone Bridge
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
12
Merge onto I 678
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Hutchinson River Expressway
13
Continue on I 678
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
14
Continue on I 678
2.3 mi
·
3 min
·
Whitestone Expressway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
15
Keep slight left at fork onto I 678
4.3 mi
·
6 min
·
Van Wyck Expressway
Toward I 678 South: Kennedy Airport
Use the slight left lane.
16
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Exit 6
Toward Hillside Avenue, Jamaica Avenue, Atlantic Avenue
Use the right lane.
17
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
13 sec
Toward Hillside Avenue, Jamaica Avenue
Use the slight right lane.
18
Turn straight onto Van Wyck Expressway West
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Van Wyck Expressway West
Use the straight / right lanes.
19
Turn left onto Liberty Avenue
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
·
Liberty Avenue
Use the straight / left lanes.
20
Turn right onto Inwood Street
0.2 mi
·
44 sec
·
Inwood Street
21
Turn right onto Tuskegee Airmen Way
56 ft
·
2 sec
·
Tuskegee Airmen Way
22
Arrive at destination
Tuskegee Airmen Way
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.72 one way
$5.43 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $2.94 | $5.87 |
| premium | $4.92 | $3.20 | $6.40 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.64 | $7.29 |
Estimated Tolls: $6.64
Whitestone Bridge
$6.55
New England Thruway
(1.2 mi)
$0.09
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Tolls
$7
Total
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5 | 0 | $1.73 | $0.79 |
| Efficient EV | 4.1 | 0 | $1.44 | $0.66 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.6 | 0 | $2.31 | $1.06 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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.
Destination
Jamaica, NY
Late night in Jamaica on Friday
Local time
12:38 AM
EDT
Current temp
85°F
Mostly Sunny
SW 6 to 12 mph
3% chance
Live forecast
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 15 at 11:57PM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY
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
17 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
30m 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 Wakefield, NY to Jamaica, NY covers 16.5 miles and takes about 30m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Van Wyck Expressway, Whitestone Expressway, Bruckner Expressway. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 8.3 miles from Wakefield, NY. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.72 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 17 decision points packed into just 16.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
The main spots that need attention: at 5.3 miles (I 95): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
On the drive from Wakefield, NY to Jamaica, NY, road signs begin pointing toward Newark along the way.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Hamilton Grange National Memorial, General Grant National Memorial and African Burial Ground National Monument. There are 6 parks within detour distance of this route.
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