Moving Between Queens and Brooklyn: The BQE, New Truck Routes and Building Types
Moving between Queens and Brooklyn? Which roads moving trucks can use, the October 2026 truck route changes near Maspeth and Ridgewood, and building tips.
Updated October 11, 2026
Most moves from Queens to Manhattan are short in miles, but the East River decides how the day goes. The truck has to fit the crossing, stay off the roads closed to commercial vehicles, and reach a building that usually has its own move rules. Here is what we plan for on a Queens to Manhattan move.
Three ways across the East River
Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. NYC DOT says the bridge connects Manhattan and Queens and opened to traffic on June 18, 1909. Both of its levels carry four lanes. From Astoria, Long Island City and Sunnyside it is the most direct way to Midtown and the East Side.
Queens Midtown Tunnel. MTA Bridges and Tunnels posts a height limit of 12 feet 1 inch and a width limit of 8 feet 6 inches, and it does not allow any hazardous materials in the tunnel. Many box trucks are taller than that, so a larger moving truck usually takes a bridge instead.
Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) Bridge. It links Queens with Manhattan and the Bronx. MTA lists a clearance of 15 feet 2 inches leaving Queens on the Queens span. It is the natural route to East Harlem, Harlem and the Upper East Side.
Roads a moving truck cannot use
NYC DOT closes several roads to commercial vehicles, including the F.D.R. Drive in Manhattan, the Henry Hudson Parkway north of 59th Street, and the Grand Central Parkway, except the stretch between the Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) Bridge and the western leg of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. In Manhattan a moving truck uses avenues and streets on the truck route network and leaves them only to reach the stop. That is why a Manhattan delivery can take longer than the map suggests, and why an early start helps.
The congestion toll below 60th Street
The MTA Congestion Relief Zone covers local streets and avenues in Manhattan south of and including 60th Street. The F.D.R. Drive, the West Side Highway/Route 9A and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connections to West Street are not part of the zone. Peak hours are 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, and overnight rates are 75% lower. Trucks pay a higher toll than cars, and the MTA gives a crossing credit to E-ZPass vehicles that enter during peak hours through one of four tolled entries, one of them the Queens Midtown Tunnel. When you compare estimates for a move into the zone, ask each mover how tolls are handled.
Manhattan buildings: the dock, the elevator and the COI
Most Manhattan elevator buildings ask for a booked move time, a reserved service elevator and a certificate of insurance (COI) that names the building and its managing agent. Ask management for their sample COI a week before the move; we send the COI your building asks for. Ask where the truck should stop, whether there is a loading dock with a height limit, and whether moves are allowed on weekends. A walk-up in Manhattan needs the same planning as one in Astoria: measure stair turns and doors for sofas, beds and dressers.
A simple plan for moving day
Book the earliest move window both buildings allow. Pack the night before and keep a bag with documents, medicine, chargers and keys with you. Tell the crew about anything over six feet long, glass tops, mirrors and TVs. If the new building has a short move window, we load the truck so the pieces for the first rooms come off first.
Common questions
Can a moving truck use the Queens Midtown Tunnel?
Only if it fits: MTA posts a 12 feet 1 inch height limit and an 8 feet 6 inches width limit, and no hazardous materials are allowed. Taller trucks use a bridge.
Can a moving truck drive on the FDR Drive?
No. NYC DOT lists the F.D.R. Drive among the roads closed to commercial vehicles.
When does the Manhattan congestion toll apply?
Peak rates run 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends in Manhattan south of and including 60th Street; overnight rates are 75% lower.
Do Manhattan buildings need a COI from the movers?
Most elevator buildings do. Ask management for their sample certificate about a week before and send it to your mover.
Get your written estimate
Call (718) 782-0272 or send the quote form on our home page with both addresses, the floors, elevator or stairs, your date and your main items. You get a written estimate before moving day. Astoria Queens Movers is part of A & A Alliance Moving Inc, a family business since 1999; licenses and history are on our company facts page.
Rules, tolls and city services change. The facts on this page come from the official sources listed below (checked October 11, 2026); confirm on the linked page before you book.
Official sources
- NYC DOT: Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge
- MTA Bridges and Tunnels: trucks and commercial vehicles
- NYC DOT: Parkway truck restrictions
- MTA: Congestion Relief Zone tolls
- NYC DOT: Trucks and commercial vehicles
