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Trip from Spotswood, NJ to Passaic, NJ

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

Drive Time

59m

Distance

41.6 mi

67 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 14 min
4 AM
0h 55m ★
6 AM
0h 59m
8 AM
1h 9m
10 AM
1h 3m
12 PM
1h 2m
3 PM
1h 3m
5 PM
1h 9m
8 PM
0h 57m

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

Downtown Spotswood, NJ, NJ

Spotswood, NJ

Alexa V. Mato

city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States

Passaic, NJ

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Spotswood, NJ to Passaic, NJ covers 41.6 miles and takes about 59m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on New Jersey Turnpike, NJ 21, State Route 18 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 17.7 miles on New Jersey Turnpike. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.90 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 59m. Total distance: 41.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

59m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (86%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

This is a 59m highway drive covering 41.6 miles, with most of the trip on New Jersey Turnpike and NJ 21. The longest continuous stretch is about 17.7 miles on New Jersey Turnpike.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 22 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
New Jersey Turnpike is the longest continuous segment at about 17.7 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on New Jersey Turnpike and NJ 21. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2.6 miles in near CR 617 / Rues Lane.

Driving Effort 10/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 16 decision points packed into just 41.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 59m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 2.6 miles (CR 617 / Rues Lane): Lane positioning matters here; at 7.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 26 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 16 key points

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

6
2.6 mi into trip | ~5m in | CR 617 / Rues Lane

Turn right onto CR 617 / Rues Lane

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.
9
7.7 mi into trip | ~12m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 95 North, NJTP North: New York City

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 95 North, NJTP North: New York City
8
26 mi into trip | ~35m in

Take the exit toward Newark Airport, Elizabeth Seaport

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 13A Toward Newark Airport, Elizabeth Seaport
8
29.4 mi into trip | ~41m in | NJ 21

Keep slight left at fork onto NJ 21 toward NJ 21, US 22: Newark, Downtown

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight left / slight right lanes. Toward NJ 21, US 22: Newark, Downtown
8
40.8 mi into trip | ~57m in

Take the exit toward River Drive, Passaic

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 11A Toward River Drive, Passaic

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

Between Spotswood, NJ and Passaic, NJ, road signs point toward Njtp Toll: New Jersey Turnpike, Njtp North: New York City, Newark Airport, Elizabeth Seaport and Downtown.

Njtp Toll: New Jersey Turnpike

7.4 mi in | ~11m

Njtp North: New York City

7.7 mi in | ~12m

Newark Airport

26 mi in | ~35m

Elizabeth Seaport

26 mi in | ~35m

Downtown

29.4 mi in | ~41m | via NJ 21

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
New Jersey Turnpike 17.7 mi 21m
NJ 21 11.4 mi 16m
State Route 18 4.2 mi 5m
US 1 1.7 mi 2m
Summerhill Road 1.7 mi 3m
NJ 81 0.7 mi 1m
Rues Lane 0.7 mi 1m
Paulison Avenue 0.5 mi <1m
Longest stretch: New Jersey Turnpike — 17.7 mi, about 21m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

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

1

Start on Willard Clark Circle

236 ft · 15 sec · Willard Clark Circle
2

Turn left onto Eaton Avenue

332 ft · 16 sec · Eaton Avenue
3

Turn right onto Snowhill Street

0.3 mi · 44 sec · Snowhill Street
4

Continue on CR 615

0.5 mi · 55 sec · Main Street
5

Turn left onto CR 613

1.7 mi · 3 min · Summerhill Road
Use the straight lane.
6

Turn right onto CR 617

0.7 mi · 1 min · Rues Lane
Use the straight / right lanes.
7

Turn left onto NJ 18

4.2 mi · 5 min · State Route 18
8

Take the exit

487 ft · 20 sec
Toward I 95 Toll, NJTP Toll: New Jersey Turnpike
9

Continue on this road

0.2 mi · 50 sec · this road
Toward I 95 Toll, NJTP Toll: New Jersey Turnpike
10

Keep slight left at fork

0.3 mi · 36 sec
Toward I 95 North, NJTP North: New York City Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Keep slight right at fork

0.4 mi · 47 sec
12

Merge onto I 95; NJTP

18 mi · 21 min · New Jersey Turnpike
13

Take the exit

0.6 mi · 1 min
Exit 13A Toward Newark Airport, Elizabeth Seaport Use the slight right lane.
14

Merge onto NJ 81

0.7 mi · 1 min · NJ 81
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Keep slight left at fork

0.4 mi · 44 sec
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Continue on US 1; US 9

1.7 mi · 2 min · US 1; US 9
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17

Keep slight left at fork onto NJ 21

11 mi · 16 min · NJ 21
Toward NJ 21, US 22: Newark, Downtown Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
18

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 29 sec
Exit 11A Toward River Drive, Passaic Use the slight right lane.
19

Continue on CR 624

350 ft · 8 sec · River Drive
20

Turn left onto CR 618

0.5 mi · 54 sec · Paulison Avenue
21

Turn right onto Passaic Avenue

95 ft · 2 sec · Passaic Avenue
22

Arrive at destination

Passaic Avenue

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 20.8 mi from Spotswood, NJ · 29m into the drive

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Staten Island, NY

21 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

New York City, NY

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 41.6 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Staten Island, NY

Meal break

The midpoint is around 20.8 miles from Spotswood, NJ, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Passaic, NJ

Allow a few extra minutes for the final approach into Passaic, NJ if you are unfamiliar with the area.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.90 one way

$13.79 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 15 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $7.55 $15.11
premium $4.93 $8.07 $16.14
diesel $5.61 $9.18 $18.37

Estimated Tolls: $2.47

New Jersey Turnpike (17.7 mi) $2.47

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

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Tolls

$2

Total

$9

Estimated CO2 emission: 14.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 12.5 0 $4.37 $2.00
Efficient EV 10.4 0 $3.64 $1.66
EV Truck/SUV 16.6 0 $5.82 $2.66

Gas CO2

15 kg

EV CO2

5 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 16, 2026

Origin

Spotswood, NJ

Afternoon in Spotswood on Friday

Local time

3:24 PM

EDT

Current temp

45°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Passaic, NJ

Afternoon in Passaic on Friday

Local time

3:24 PM

EDT

Current temp

61°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

16 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

59m 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 Spotswood, NJ to Passaic, NJ covers 41.6 miles and takes about 59m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are New Jersey Turnpike, NJ 21, State Route 18. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 20.8 miles from Spotswood, NJ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $6.90 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 short but busy drive. With 16 decision points packed into just 41.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 59m.

The main spots that need attention: at 2.6 miles (CR 617 / Rues Lane): Lane positioning matters here; at 7.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 26 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Between Spotswood, NJ and Passaic, NJ, road signs point toward Njtp Toll: New Jersey Turnpike, Njtp North: New York City, Newark Airport, Elizabeth Seaport and Downtown.

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

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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