Best Time to Drive from Manhattan to Hempstead

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 Hempstead 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	52	62	68	87	92	81	77	70	77	86	91	118	113	93	75	59	58
Tue	53	57	73	83	75	76	81	81	78	82	98	115	112	91	74	62	60
Wed	53	54	74	83	81	84	81	77	75	87	99	115	115	99	79	72	58
Thu	73	70	81	85	77	89	85	88	75	89	95	126	122	109	91	80	68
Fri	53	52	66	83	75	74	86	80	77	78	98	109	106	94	100	96	76
Sat	49	50	61	62	64	74	76	72	85	86	102	103	98	88	89	80	78
Sun	48	45	50	51	59	60	65	70	79	97	96	103	96	84	76	83	81

About this drive

On weekdays the 29-mile drive from Manhattan to Hempstead (via I-95 East and I-295 South) usually takes as little as 50 minutes and up to 126 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 80 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3:30 pm on Saturdays (108 minutes).

About 21 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 8 miles surface streets (21 to 49 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Manhattan to central Hempstead 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 Hempstead?

On weekdays, leave early in the morning or late in the evening. The drive usually takes about 50 minutes then, versus up to 126 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 29-mile drive usually takes 50 to 126 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 80 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Manhattan to Hempstead?

Leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 126 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 Clifton · Manhattan to New Rochelle · Manhattan to Passaic

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	52	62	68	87	92	81	77	70	77	86	91	118	113	93	75	59	58
Tue	53	57	73	83	75	76	81	81	78	82	98	115	112	91	74	62	60
Wed	53	54	74	83	81	84	81	77	75	87	99	115	115	99	79	72	58
Thu	73	70	81	85	77	89	85	88	75	89	95	126	122	109	91	80	68
Fri	53	52	66	83	75	74	86	80	77	78	98	109	106	94	100	96	76
Sat	49	50	61	62	64	74	76	72	85	86	102	103	98	88	89	80	78
Sun	48	45	50	51	59	60	65	70	79	97	96	103	96	84	76	83	81

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	52	62	68	87	92	81	77	70	77	86	91	118	113	93	75	59	58
Tue	53	57	73	83	75	76	81	81	78	82	98	115	112	91	74	62	60
Wed	53	54	74	83	81	84	81	77	75	87	99	115	115	99	79	72	58
Thu	73	70	81	85	77	89	85	88	75	89	95	126	122	109	91	80	68
Fri	53	52	66	83	75	74	86	80	77	78	98	109	106	94	100	96	76
Sat	49	50	61	62	64	74	76	72	85	86	102	103	98	88	89	80	78
Sun	48	45	50	51	59	60	65	70	79	97	96	103	96	84	76	83	81

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	52	62	68	87	92	81	77	70	77	86	91	118	113	93	75	59	58
Tue	53	57	73	83	75	76	81	81	78	82	98	115	112	91	74	62	60
Wed	53	54	74	83	81	84	81	77	75	87	99	115	115	99	79	72	58
Thu	73	70	81	85	77	89	85	88	75	89	95	126	122	109	91	80	68
Fri	53	52	66	83	75	74	86	80	77	78	98	109	106	94	100	96	76
Sat	49	50	61	62	64	74	76	72	85	86	102	103	98	88	89	80	78
Sun	48	45	50	51	59	60	65	70	79	97	96	103	96	84	76	83	81