Best Time to Drive from Manhattan to Brooklyn

None of this drive is measured by working traffic sensors right now. The rest is estimated from nearby sensors, typical speeds and street traffic, so times can be off. Why so few sensors work.

Typical drive time by departure time

Minutes from Manhattan to Brooklyn by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	27	37	46	55	56	61	60	56	57	56	57	73	79	74	57	50	38
Tue	27	43	51	59	58	62	66	60	62	57	63	75	79	77	71	57	70
Wed	28	38	51	54	59	60	65	61	61	61	62	75	83	80	68	58	69
Thu	28	37	48	56	63	62	67	64	65	63	69	77	82	78	70	63	71
Fri	42	41	48	52	56	57	65	63	61	60	69	77	75	66	60	57	55
Sat	29	27	35	37	40	56	54	57	57	59	59	61	66	66	69	61	62
Sun	29	26	27	30	36	39	52	51	54	55	57	62	67	65	63	61	58

About this drive

On weekdays the 15-mile drive from Manhattan to Brooklyn (via I-478 East and NY-9A South) usually takes as little as 27 minutes and up to 83 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 pm on Wednesdays. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 61 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 5:30 pm on Saturdays (70 minutes).

About 8 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 7 miles surface streets (19 to 51 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Manhattan to central Brooklyn along the route on the map. Starting or ending elsewhere in a big city can add or save several minutes.

Simulated from typical freeway speeds at each point of the drive for the time you would reach it, from every 5-minute reading we have recorded. We don't have sensors on surface streets yet, so the time on them is estimated from how congested the freeways around each end of the drive are at that time, in both directions: streets jam when the freeways do.

Questions

What is the best time to drive from Manhattan to Brooklyn?

On weekdays, leave early in the morning or late in the evening. The drive usually takes about 27 minutes then, versus up to 83 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Manhattan to Brooklyn?

The 15-mile drive usually takes 27 to 83 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 61 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Manhattan to Brooklyn?

Leaving around 4:30 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 83 minutes.

More drives

Manhattan to Staten Island · Manhattan to Newark · Manhattan to East Flatbush · Manhattan to Elizabeth · Manhattan to Bushwick · Manhattan to Gravesend · Manhattan to Fordham · Manhattan to Flatbush · Manhattan to Clifton · Manhattan to New Rochelle · Manhattan to Passaic · Manhattan to Bayside

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	27	37	46	55	56	61	60	56	57	56	57	73	79	74	57	50	38
Tue	27	43	51	59	58	62	66	60	62	57	63	75	79	77	71	57	70
Wed	28	38	51	54	59	60	65	61	61	61	62	75	83	80	68	58	69
Thu	28	37	48	56	63	62	67	64	65	63	69	77	82	78	70	63	71
Fri	42	41	48	52	56	57	65	63	61	60	69	77	75	66	60	57	55
Sat	29	27	35	37	40	56	54	57	57	59	59	61	66	66	69	61	62
Sun	29	26	27	30	36	39	52	51	54	55	57	62	67	65	63	61	58

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	27	37	46	55	56	61	60	56	57	56	57	73	79	74	57	50	38
Tue	27	43	51	59	58	62	66	60	62	57	63	75	79	77	71	57	70
Wed	28	38	51	54	59	60	65	61	61	61	62	75	83	80	68	58	69
Thu	28	37	48	56	63	62	67	64	65	63	69	77	82	78	70	63	71
Fri	42	41	48	52	56	57	65	63	61	60	69	77	75	66	60	57	55
Sat	29	27	35	37	40	56	54	57	57	59	59	61	66	66	69	61	62
Sun	29	26	27	30	36	39	52	51	54	55	57	62	67	65	63	61	58

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	27	37	46	55	56	61	60	56	57	56	57	73	79	74	57	50	38
Tue	27	43	51	59	58	62	66	60	62	57	63	75	79	77	71	57	70
Wed	28	38	51	54	59	60	65	61	61	61	62	75	83	80	68	58	69
Thu	28	37	48	56	63	62	67	64	65	63	69	77	82	78	70	63	71
Fri	42	41	48	52	56	57	65	63	61	60	69	77	75	66	60	57	55
Sat	29	27	35	37	40	56	54	57	57	59	59	61	66	66	69	61	62
Sun	29	26	27	30	36	39	52	51	54	55	57	62	67	65	63	61	58