Origin
Middletown, DE
Late night in Middletown on Saturday
Local time
3:14 AM
EDT
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Middletown, DE to Newark, DE
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
27m
Distance
17.7 mi
28 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 25m
★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 32m
10 AM
0h 29m
12 PM
0h 28m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 32m
8 PM
0h 26m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Middletown, DE
Wikimedia Commons
Newark, DE
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Middletown, DE to Newark, DE covers 17.7 miles and takes about 27m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Summit Bridge Road, South College Avenue, North Broad Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 10.9 miles on Summit Bridge Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.93 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 27m. Total distance: 17.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
27m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 27m drive with frequent turns across 17.7 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 8 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Summit Bridge Road is the longest continuous segment at about 10.9 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near DE 71 / North Broad Street.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 27m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (DE 71 / North Broad Street): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles (DE 71 / Summit Bridge Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.9 miles (DE 896 / South College Avenue): Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 5 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
3
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
DE 71 / North Broad Street
Turn right onto DE 71 / North Broad Street
Navigation decision point
3
1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
DE 71 / Summit Bridge Road
Turn straight onto DE 71 / Summit Bridge Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight lanes.
4
11.9 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
DE 896 / South College Avenue
Keep slight right at fork onto DE 896 / South College Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
3
17.3 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
DE 273 / East Delaware Avenue
Turn right onto DE 273 / East Delaware Avenue
Navigation decision point
4
17.5 mi into trip
|
~26m in
|
Academy Street
Turn left onto Academy Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Summit Bridge Road | 10.9 mi | 14m |
| South College Avenue | 5.4 mi | 8m |
| North Broad Street | 1 mi | 2m |
| East Delaware Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Academy Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| East Main Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Summit Bridge Road
— 10.9 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Middletown, DE and Newark, DE.
1
Start on DE 299
99 ft
·
6 sec
·
East Main Street
2
Turn right onto DE 71
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
North Broad Street
3
Turn straight onto DE 71
11 mi
·
14 min
·
Summit Bridge Road
Use the left / straight lanes.
4
Keep slight right at fork onto DE 896
5.4 mi
·
8 min
·
South College Avenue
5
Turn right onto DE 273
0.2 mi
·
48 sec
·
East Delaware Avenue
6
Turn left onto Academy Street
492 ft
·
23 sec
·
Academy Street
7
Turn straight
260 ft
·
18 sec
8
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.93 one way
$5.87 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $3.21 | $6.43 |
| premium | $4.93 | $3.43 | $6.87 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.91 | $7.82 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.3 | 0 | $1.86 | $0.85 |
| Efficient EV | 4.4 | 0 | $1.55 | $0.71 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.1 | 0 | $2.48 | $1.13 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (67% 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
Newark, DE
Late night in Newark on Saturday
Local time
3:14 AM
EDT
Current temp
62°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
3 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
27m 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 Middletown, DE to Newark, DE covers 17.7 miles and takes about 27m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Summit Bridge Road, South College Avenue, North Broad Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 8.8 miles from Middletown, DE. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.93 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 is a straightforward 27m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (DE 71 / North Broad Street): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles (DE 71 / Summit Bridge Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.9 miles (DE 896 / South College Avenue): Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
The route from Middletown, DE to Newark, DE does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include First State National Historical Park.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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