Origin
East Haven, CT
Late night in East Haven on Tuesday
Local time
5:16 AM
EDT
Current temp
42°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from East Haven, CT to Meriden, CT
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
31m
Distance
23.4 mi
38 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 29m
★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 37m
10 AM
0h 34m
12 PM
0h 33m
3 PM
0h 34m
5 PM
0h 37m
8 PM
0h 30m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
East Haven, CT
Wikimedia Commons
Meriden, CT
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
East Haven, CT to Meriden, CT is 23.4 miles and takes about 31 minutes via I 91, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This straightforward drive stays within Connecticut, heading north from the Northeast region. It's a quick trip, largely focused on efficient highway travel, making it ideal for a short hop between these two cities. Expect minimal time on the road, perfect for when you need to get from point A to point B without a significant time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 91 | 16.6 mi | 19m |
| East Main Street | 2.2 mi | 3m |
| East Ferry Street | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Frontage Road | 0.7 mi | <1m |
| Saltonstall Parkway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Farren Avenue | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Forbes Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Hemingway Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 91
— 16.6 mi, about 19m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between East Haven, CT and Meriden, CT.
1
Start on Hemingway Avenue
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
·
Hemingway Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
2
Turn left onto US 1
0.5 mi
·
50 sec
·
Saltonstall Parkway
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
3
Continue on US 1
0.7 mi
·
55 sec
·
Frontage Road
4
Continue on US 1
0.3 mi
·
31 sec
·
Forbes Avenue
5
Turn right onto Townsend Avenue
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
·
Townsend Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
Continue on Fairmont Avenue
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
·
Fairmont Avenue
7
Turn right onto Farren Avenue
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
·
Farren Avenue
8
Turn left onto East Ferry Street
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
East Ferry Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
9
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Toward I 91 North: Hartford
10
Merge onto I 91
17 mi
·
19 min
·
I 91
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 16
Toward East Main Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight left at fork
199 ft
·
10 sec
Toward East Main Street
13
Turn left onto East Main Street
2.2 mi
·
3 min
·
East Main Street
Use the left lane.
14
Arrive at destination
West Main Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 1.8 and 21.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
1.8 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
Townsend Avenue
Turn right onto Townsend Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
2.6 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
East Ferry Street
Turn left onto East Ferry Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
4 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
I 91
Merge onto I 91
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
20.6 mi into trip
|
~27m in
Take the exit toward East Main Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 16
Toward East Main Street
5
21.1 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Keep slight left at fork toward East Main Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward East Main Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.77 one way
$7.53 round trip
$4.09/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.50 | $4.14 | $8.29 |
| premium | $4.86 | $4.48 | $8.96 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.17 | $10.33 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7 | 0 | $2.46 | $1.12 |
| Efficient EV | 5.9 | 0 | $2.05 | $0.94 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.4 | 0 | $3.28 | $1.50 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Meriden, CT
Late night in Meriden on Tuesday
Local time
5:16 AM
EDT
Current temp
60°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
18 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
31m 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.
What kind of drive is this?
This route is primarily highway-focused, with 73% of the drive occurring on major roadways like I 91. You'll experience a consistent drive for the longest stretch of 16.6 miles on I 91, offering a straightforward, uninterrupted journey. While East Main Street and East Ferry Street offer brief transitions, the overall character is that of efficient travel. The drive is designed for speed and directness, minimizing local traffic and maximizing forward momentum.
73% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 16.6 mi on I 91.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 91 and East Main Street. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.8 miles in near Townsend Avenue.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 9 decision points packed into just 23.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 31m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.8 miles (Townsend Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.6 miles (East Ferry Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 4 miles (I 91): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in East Haven, CT
Full guide →East Haven is a town in Connecticut three minutes' drive from New Haven and 35 miles from Hartford. It is part of the Greater New Haven area, founded in 1683. The town's population was 28,000 as of 2020. While East Haven has been well-known for a large Italian-American population, the town has received many newer immigrants, particularly from Ecuador, since the late 20th century. The shape of the town is vertically long, and split into three different areas: Foxon, the Center, and Momauguin. Foxon is the northernmost section and is surrounded Branford and North Branford as well as New Haven. The Center is not geographically the center of town, but contains the town hall, library, and the green, surrounded by a suburban area. Momauguin, to the south, borders New Haven along the coastline and contains the Tweed New Haven Regional Airport.
Arriving in Meriden, CT
Full guide →Meriden is a city in the Connecticut River Valley. Although not a major tourist destination, it does have an architecturally notable center.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 31m. Total distance: 23.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
31m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (73%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 16.6 miles on I 91. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Meriden, CT before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 1.8 miles (Townsend Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.6 miles (East Ferry Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 4 miles (I 91): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Weir Farm National Historical Park. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Meriden, CT before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner 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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