Best Time to Drive from Staten Island to Lower Manhattan

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 Lower Manhattan 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	19	25	34	43	39	32	29	29	27	27	27	30	29	32	24	21	21
Tue	19	25	41	51	51	40	34	30	27	26	27	29	35	34	26	21	21
Wed	19	27	40	51	50	41	33	33	29	30	30	28	35	34	26	22	22
Thu	19	26	37	48	49	40	33	34	30	31	30	32	38	40	30	23	22
Fri	19	23	34	37	34	30	28	28	28	33	38	43	45	41	32	24	22
Sat	19	19	20	21	23	26	31	32	34	33	34	30	30	31	27	25	23
Sun	18	19	19	19	20	21	24	28	30	34	32	29	28	28	26	25	24

About this drive

On weekdays the 15-mile drive from Staten Island to Lower Manhattan (via I-278 East and I-278 North) usually takes as little as 19 minutes and up to 54 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 30 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2:30 pm on Saturdays (36 minutes).

About 14 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.4 miles surface streets (3 to 7 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Staten Island (Willow Road East) to central Lower Manhattan (Wall Street) 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 Lower Manhattan?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am. The drive usually takes about 19 minutes then, versus up to 54 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Staten Island to Lower Manhattan?

The 15-mile drive usually takes 19 to 54 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 30 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Staten Island to Lower Manhattan?

Leaving around 8:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 54 minutes.

More drives

Lower Manhattan to Staten Island (return trip) · Staten Island to Midtown 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 · Staten Island to Queens

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	19	25	34	43	39	32	29	29	27	27	27	30	29	32	24	21	21
Tue	19	25	41	51	51	40	34	30	27	26	27	29	35	34	26	21	21
Wed	19	27	40	51	50	41	33	33	29	30	30	28	35	34	26	22	22
Thu	19	26	37	48	49	40	33	34	30	31	30	32	38	40	30	23	22
Fri	19	23	34	37	34	30	28	28	28	33	38	43	45	41	32	24	22
Sat	19	19	20	21	23	26	31	32	34	33	34	30	30	31	27	25	23
Sun	18	19	19	19	20	21	24	28	30	34	32	29	28	28	26	25	24

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	19	25	34	43	39	32	29	29	27	27	27	30	29	32	24	21	21
Tue	19	25	41	51	51	40	34	30	27	26	27	29	35	34	26	21	21
Wed	19	27	40	51	50	41	33	33	29	30	30	28	35	34	26	22	22
Thu	19	26	37	48	49	40	33	34	30	31	30	32	38	40	30	23	22
Fri	19	23	34	37	34	30	28	28	28	33	38	43	45	41	32	24	22
Sat	19	19	20	21	23	26	31	32	34	33	34	30	30	31	27	25	23
Sun	18	19	19	19	20	21	24	28	30	34	32	29	28	28	26	25	24

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	19	25	34	43	39	32	29	29	27	27	27	30	29	32	24	21	21
Tue	19	25	41	51	51	40	34	30	27	26	27	29	35	34	26	21	21
Wed	19	27	40	51	50	41	33	33	29	30	30	28	35	34	26	22	22
Thu	19	26	37	48	49	40	33	34	30	31	30	32	38	40	30	23	22
Fri	19	23	34	37	34	30	28	28	28	33	38	43	45	41	32	24	22
Sat	19	19	20	21	23	26	31	32	34	33	34	30	30	31	27	25	23
Sun	18	19	19	19	20	21	24	28	30	34	32	29	28	28	26	25	24