Skip to main content

Trip from Passaic, NJ to Metuchen, NJ

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

41m

Distance

26.9 mi

43 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 10 min
4 AM
0h 38m ★
6 AM
0h 42m
8 AM
0h 48m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 43m
3 PM
0h 44m
5 PM
0h 48m
8 PM
0h 39m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States

Passaic, NJ

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Metuchen, NJ, NJ

Metuchen, NJ

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Passaic, NJ to Metuchen, NJ covers 26.9 miles and takes about 41m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Garden State Parkway, Lincoln Highway, Bloomfield Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 20.1 miles on Garden State Parkway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.46 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 41m. Total distance: 26.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

41m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (75%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

This is a 41m highway drive covering 26.9 miles, with most of the trip on Garden State Parkway and Lincoln Highway. The longest continuous stretch is about 20.1 miles on Garden State Parkway.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 18 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Garden State Parkway is the longest continuous segment at about 20.1 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Garden State Parkway and Lincoln Highway. You will hit about 11 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near CR 618 / Paulison Avenue.

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 26.9 miles you will encounter 11 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: near the start (CR 618 / Paulison Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 2.2 miles (CR 622 / Bloomfield Avenue): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 3.8 miles: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 11 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | CR 618 / Paulison Avenue

Turn right onto CR 618 / Paulison Avenue

Navigation decision point

4
2.2 mi into trip | ~3m in | CR 622 / Bloomfield Avenue

Enter roundabout onto CR 622 / Bloomfield Avenue

Roundabout - know your exit number before entering

6
3.8 mi into trip | ~6m in

Take the ramp toward GSP Toll South

Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch

Toward GSP Toll South
5
4 mi into trip | ~7m in | GSP / Garden State Parkway

Merge onto GSP / Garden State Parkway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
24.1 mi into trip | ~35m in

Take the exit toward NJ 27: Iselin, Metuchen

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Exit 132 Toward NJ 27: Iselin, Metuchen

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Passaic, NJ to Metuchen, NJ, road signs begin pointing toward Gsp Toll South along the way.

Gsp Toll South

3.8 mi in | ~6m

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Garden State Parkway 20.1 mi 28m
Lincoln Highway 1.4 mi 2m
Bloomfield Avenue 1.4 mi 2m
Middlesex Avenue 1.2 mi 2m
Broadway 1 mi 1m
West Passaic Avenue 0.5 mi <1m
East Passaic Avenue 0.4 mi <1m
Watchung Avenue 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Garden State Parkway — 20.1 mi, about 28m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Passaic, NJ and Metuchen, NJ.

1

Start on Passaic Avenue

95 ft · 7 sec · Passaic Avenue
2

Turn right onto CR 618

0.2 mi · 20 sec · Paulison Avenue
3

Turn left onto CR 622

1.0 mi · 1 min · Broadway
4

Continue on CR 622

0.2 mi · 17 sec · Bloomfield Avenue
5

Continue on CR 622

0.2 mi · 20 sec · Bloomfield Avenue
6

Continue on CR 622

0.6 mi · 55 sec · Bloomfield Avenue
Use the left lane.
7

Enter roundabout onto CR 622

160 ft · 2 sec · Bloomfield Avenue
8

Continue on CR 622

0.4 mi · 37 sec · Bloomfield Avenue
Use the straight lane.
9

Continue on CR 622

411 ft · 9 sec · Darling Avenue
10

Turn right onto CR 622

0.5 mi · 50 sec · West Passaic Avenue
11

Continue on CR 652

0.4 mi · 50 sec · East Passaic Avenue
12

Turn right onto CR 655

0.2 mi · 31 sec · Watchung Avenue
13

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 26 sec
Toward GSP Toll South
14

Merge onto GSP

20 mi · 28 min · Garden State Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 39 sec
Exit 132 Toward NJ 27: Iselin, Metuchen Use the slight right lane.
16

Turn right onto NJ 27

1.4 mi · 2 min · Lincoln Highway
Use the straight lane.
17

Continue on NJ 27

1.2 mi · 2 min · Middlesex Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
18

Arrive at destination

NJ 27

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.46 one way

$8.92 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $4.88 $9.77
premium $4.93 $5.22 $10.43
diesel $5.61 $5.94 $11.88

Estimated Tolls: $1.20

Garden State Parkway (20.1 mi) $1.20

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Tolls

$1

Total

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 9.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 8.1 0 $2.82 $1.29
Efficient EV 6.7 0 $2.35 $1.08
EV Truck/SUV 10.8 0 $3.77 $1.72

Gas CO2

9 kg

EV CO2

3 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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Passaic, NJ

Morning in Passaic on Friday

Local time

9:09 AM

EDT

Current temp

61°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Metuchen, NJ

Morning in Metuchen on Friday

Local time

9:09 AM

EDT

Current temp

46°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

15 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

41m 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 Passaic, NJ to Metuchen, NJ covers 26.9 miles and takes about 41m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Garden State Parkway, Lincoln Highway, Bloomfield Avenue. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 13.4 miles from Passaic, NJ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.46 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 26.9 miles you will encounter 11 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: near the start (CR 618 / Paulison Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 2.2 miles (CR 622 / Bloomfield Avenue): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 3.8 miles: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch.

On the drive from Passaic, NJ to Metuchen, NJ, road signs begin pointing toward Gsp Toll South along the way.

Yes. Nearby national parks include Thomas Edison National Historical Park, Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park and Morristown National Historical Park. There are 4 parks within detour distance of this route.

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. National park proximity is from the NPS API. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!

/500

Explore More

Return Trip

Metuchen, NJ to Passaic, NJ

Plan the drive back the other way.

26.9 mi 41m

Explore more options from Passaic, NJ or browse trips ending in Metuchen, NJ.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse NJ road trips.