Best Time to Drive from Staten Island to Chinatown

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 Staten Island to Chinatown 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	32	53	66	73	72	65	58	61	61	62	62	70	69	66	53	40	38
Tue	31	54	73	79	81	74	69	63	60	62	65	69	72	68	59	49	46
Wed	32	56	68	77	76	70	66	64	62	64	69	75	72	69	60	48	48
Thu	32	56	69	79	78	73	67	69	67	69	69	76	78	73	67	56	49
Fri	32	53	66	71	66	64	64	65	65	74	75	82	80	74	68	58	52
Sat	28	29	34	46	51	60	65	66	73	74	75	71	71	70	63	59	56
Sun	28	28	29	33	40	48	54	60	64	72	72	66	65	63	55	55	48

About this drive

On weekdays the 20-mile drive from Staten Island to Chinatown (via I-278 North and I-278 East) usually takes as little as 31 minutes and up to 84 minutes, when leaving around 8:30 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 65 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2:30 pm on Saturdays (77 minutes).

About 14 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 6 miles surface streets (13 to 31 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Staten Island to central Chinatown 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 Staten Island to Chinatown?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am. The drive usually takes about 31 minutes then, versus up to 84 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Staten Island to Chinatown?

The 20-mile drive usually takes 31 to 84 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 65 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Staten Island to Chinatown?

Leaving around 8:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 84 minutes.

More drives

Chinatown to Staten Island (return trip) · Staten Island to Midtown Manhattan · Staten Island to Lower Manhattan · Staten Island to Harlem · Staten Island to Downtown Brooklyn · Staten Island to Bay Ridge · Staten Island to Coney Island · Staten Island to Flushing · Staten Island to Fordham · Staten Island to Co-op City · Staten Island to LGA · Staten Island to Brooklyn

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	32	53	66	73	72	65	58	61	61	62	62	70	69	66	53	40	38
Tue	31	54	73	79	81	74	69	63	60	62	65	69	72	68	59	49	46
Wed	32	56	68	77	76	70	66	64	62	64	69	75	72	69	60	48	48
Thu	32	56	69	79	78	73	67	69	67	69	69	76	78	73	67	56	49
Fri	32	53	66	71	66	64	64	65	65	74	75	82	80	74	68	58	52
Sat	28	29	34	46	51	60	65	66	73	74	75	71	71	70	63	59	56
Sun	28	28	29	33	40	48	54	60	64	72	72	66	65	63	55	55	48

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	32	53	66	73	72	65	58	61	61	62	62	70	69	66	53	40	38
Tue	31	54	73	79	81	74	69	63	60	62	65	69	72	68	59	49	46
Wed	32	56	68	77	76	70	66	64	62	64	69	75	72	69	60	48	48
Thu	32	56	69	79	78	73	67	69	67	69	69	76	78	73	67	56	49
Fri	32	53	66	71	66	64	64	65	65	74	75	82	80	74	68	58	52
Sat	28	29	34	46	51	60	65	66	73	74	75	71	71	70	63	59	56
Sun	28	28	29	33	40	48	54	60	64	72	72	66	65	63	55	55	48

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	32	53	66	73	72	65	58	61	61	62	62	70	69	66	53	40	38
Tue	31	54	73	79	81	74	69	63	60	62	65	69	72	68	59	49	46
Wed	32	56	68	77	76	70	66	64	62	64	69	75	72	69	60	48	48
Thu	32	56	69	79	78	73	67	69	67	69	69	76	78	73	67	56	49
Fri	32	53	66	71	66	64	64	65	65	74	75	82	80	74	68	58	52
Sat	28	29	34	46	51	60	65	66	73	74	75	71	71	70	63	59	56
Sun	28	28	29	33	40	48	54	60	64	72	72	66	65	63	55	55	48