Origin
Commerce City, CO
Late night in Commerce City on Friday
Local time
5:05 AM
MDT
Current temp
46°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Commerce City, CO to Brighton, CO
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
20m
Distance
14.8 mi
24 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 19m
★
6 AM
0h 21m
8 AM
0h 24m
10 AM
0h 22m
12 PM
0h 22m
3 PM
0h 22m
5 PM
0h 24m
8 PM
0h 20m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Commerce City, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Brighton, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a straightforward, quick transition between Commerce City and Brighton, Colorado, this 14.8-mile drive is an efficient option. You can expect to complete the trip in about 20 minutes, making it an easy day trip that requires no overnight stay. The route keeps you strictly on local roads, specifically Dexter Street, East 60th Avenue, and North Vasquez Boulevard, without any highway travel. With a fuel cost of only $2, it is a very budget-friendly transit through the Mountain West. Since there are no required stops, you have the flexibility to head out whenever it fits your schedule best.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 20m. Total distance: 14.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
20m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a turn-heavy local drive that demands your full attention as you navigate through these Colorado communities. Because the route has a zero-percent highway share, you will be navigating surface streets for the entire 20-minute duration. The road environment remains consistent throughout the journey, lacking any long, uninterrupted stretches of open pavement. You will find that the personality of this drive is functional and urban rather than scenic or relaxing. Prepare for frequent adjustments to your speed and direction as you transition between the various local roadways.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 15 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
CanAm Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 8.1 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 13 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Dexter Street.
Driving Effort
6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 14.8 miles you will encounter 13 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Dexter Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.3 miles: Navigation decision point; at 6.2 miles (US 85 / CanAm Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 13 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Dexter Street
At end of road, turn right onto Dexter Street
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
5
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Turn left
Navigation decision point
8
6.2 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
US 85 / CanAm Highway
Keep slight left at fork onto US 85 / CanAm Highway toward US 85 North: Greeley
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Exit 12
Toward US 85 North: Greeley
6
14.3 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Take the exit toward CO 7: Brighton
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward CO 7: Brighton
7
14.7 mi into trip
|
~20m in
|
Bush Street
Turn left onto Bush Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| CanAm Highway | 8.1 mi | 9m |
| Heartland Expressway | 2.7 mi | 3m |
| North Vasquez Boulevard | 2.6 mi | 3m |
| US 6 | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Dexter Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| South Main Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| West Bridge Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Bush Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
CanAm Highway
— 8.1 mi, about 9m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Commerce City, CO and Brighton, CO.
1
Start on this road
0.1 mi
·
55 sec
·
this road
2
At end of road, turn right onto Dexter Street
0.1 mi
·
33 sec
·
Dexter Street
3
Turn right
148 ft
·
16 sec
4
Turn left
96 ft
·
12 sec
5
At end of road, turn left onto East 60th Avenue
200 ft
·
12 sec
·
East 60th Avenue
6
Turn left onto US 6; US 85; CO 2
2.6 mi
·
3 min
·
North Vasquez Boulevard
Use the left lane.
7
Take the exit onto US 6; US 85
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
US 6; US 85
8
Merge onto I 76; US 6; US 85
2.7 mi
·
3 min
·
Heartland Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight left at fork onto US 85
8.1 mi
·
9 min
·
CanAm Highway
Exit 12
Toward US 85 North: Greeley
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
Toward CO 7: Brighton
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Enter roundabout onto West Bridge Street
48 ft
·
0 sec
·
West Bridge Street
12
Continue on West Bridge Street
413 ft
·
14 sec
·
West Bridge Street
13
Turn right onto South Main Street
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
·
South Main Street
14
Turn left onto Bush Street
414 ft
·
11 sec
·
Bush Street
Use the left lane.
15
Arrive at destination
Bush Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.23 one way
$4.46 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $2.36 | $4.72 |
| premium | $4.39 | $2.56 | $5.12 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.27 | $6.54 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.4 | 0 | $1.55 | $0.71 |
| Efficient EV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.30 | $0.59 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.9 | 0 | $2.07 | $0.95 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Brighton, CO
Late night in Brighton on Friday
Local time
5:05 AM
MDT
Current temp
44°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
2 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
20m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Commerce City, CO to Brighton, CO covers 14.8 miles and takes about 20m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are CanAm Highway, Heartland Expressway, North Vasquez Boulevard. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 7.4 miles from Commerce City, CO. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.23 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 14.8 miles you will encounter 13 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Dexter Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.3 miles: Navigation decision point; at 6.2 miles (US 85 / CanAm Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Commerce City, CO to Brighton, CO does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
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