Best Time to Drive from Manhattan to Clifton

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 Clifton 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	33	34	40	51	56	53	54	49	60	52	60	75	85	69	49	42	39
Tue	33	34	41	50	53	54	53	52	60	53	66	85	83	76	53	44	42
Wed	32	34	40	50	54	59	52	54	54	51	61	91	88	78	54	44	40
Thu	33	34	40	53	56	55	56	58	63	59	73	86	96	84	61	49	46
Fri	33	34	40	51	53	50	58	68	66	73	95	103	97	84	61	50	44
Sat	34	33	35	39	43	50	59	69	54	59	55	55	62	58	57	46	46
Sun	33	32	35	36	40	43	54	55	57	47	58	63	63	52	47	43	43

About this drive

On weekdays the 17-mile drive from Manhattan to Clifton (via NJ-495 West) usually takes as little as 32 minutes and up to 103 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 58 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (69 minutes).

About 10 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 7 miles surface streets (18 to 66 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Manhattan to central Clifton 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 Clifton?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am. The drive usually takes about 32 minutes then, versus up to 103 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 17-mile drive usually takes 32 to 103 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 58 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Manhattan to Clifton?

Leaving around 4 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 103 minutes.

More drives

Manhattan to Brooklyn · 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 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	33	34	40	51	56	53	54	49	60	52	60	75	85	69	49	42	39
Tue	33	34	41	50	53	54	53	52	60	53	66	85	83	76	53	44	42
Wed	32	34	40	50	54	59	52	54	54	51	61	91	88	78	54	44	40
Thu	33	34	40	53	56	55	56	58	63	59	73	86	96	84	61	49	46
Fri	33	34	40	51	53	50	58	68	66	73	95	103	97	84	61	50	44
Sat	34	33	35	39	43	50	59	69	54	59	55	55	62	58	57	46	46
Sun	33	32	35	36	40	43	54	55	57	47	58	63	63	52	47	43	43

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	33	34	40	51	56	53	54	49	60	52	60	75	85	69	49	42	39
Tue	33	34	41	50	53	54	53	52	60	53	66	85	83	76	53	44	42
Wed	32	34	40	50	54	59	52	54	54	51	61	91	88	78	54	44	40
Thu	33	34	40	53	56	55	56	58	63	59	73	86	96	84	61	49	46
Fri	33	34	40	51	53	50	58	68	66	73	95	103	97	84	61	50	44
Sat	34	33	35	39	43	50	59	69	54	59	55	55	62	58	57	46	46
Sun	33	32	35	36	40	43	54	55	57	47	58	63	63	52	47	43	43

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	33	34	40	51	56	53	54	49	60	52	60	75	85	69	49	42	39
Tue	33	34	41	50	53	54	53	52	60	53	66	85	83	76	53	44	42
Wed	32	34	40	50	54	59	52	54	54	51	61	91	88	78	54	44	40
Thu	33	34	40	53	56	55	56	58	63	59	73	86	96	84	61	49	46
Fri	33	34	40	51	53	50	58	68	66	73	95	103	97	84	61	50	44
Sat	34	33	35	39	43	50	59	69	54	59	55	55	62	58	57	46	46
Sun	33	32	35	36	40	43	54	55	57	47	58	63	63	52	47	43	43