Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 5, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
37m
Distance
21.4 mi
34 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Wikimedia Commons
Surfside, FL
Wikimedia Commons
The drive from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Surfside, FL covers 21.4 miles and takes about 37m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on I 95, Collins Avenue, William Lehman Causeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 9.5 miles on I 95. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.31 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 95 | 9.5 mi | 10m |
| Collins Avenue | 4.4 mi | 10m |
| William Lehman Causeway | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| East Broward Boulevard | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Ives Dairy Road | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Biscayne Boulevard | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Harding Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| 92nd Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 28 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
3 PM
~7,556 veh/hr typical
Quietest
3 AM
~1,002 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
7.5×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 100 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Fort Lauderdale, FL and Surfside, FL.
Start on SR 842
Take the ramp
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto I 95
Take the exit
Turn left onto Ives Dairy Road
Turn right onto US 1
Turn left onto SR 856
Take the exit
Turn straight onto SR A1A
Continue on SR A1A
Turn right onto 92nd Street
Turn left onto Carlyle Avenue
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 1.8 and 21.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Keep slight left at fork toward I 95 South: Miami
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Merge onto I 95
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward Northeast 203rd Street, Ives Dairy Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Take the exit toward SR A1A South
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Turn left onto Carlyle Avenue
Navigation decision point
Regular Gas
$3.31 one way
$6.62 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.30 | $3.62 | $7.25 |
| premium | $4.63 | $3.90 | $7.79 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $4.72 | $9.43 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 57% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.4 | 0 | $2.25 | $1.03 |
| Efficient EV | 5.4 | 0 | $1.87 | $0.86 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.6 | 0 | $3.00 | $1.37 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (57% 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Late night in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday
Local time
5:01 AM
EDT
Current temp
81°F
Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Destination
Late night in Surfside on Saturday
Local time
5:01 AM
EDT
Current temp
82°F
Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
21.4 mi in 37m — 44% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: I 95.
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.8 miles in.
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 21.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 37m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.6 miles (I 95): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 12.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
46 ft
Total Descent
46 ft
Highest Point
27 ft
~1.5 mi in
Elevation Range
25 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Surfside, FL, road signs begin pointing toward Sr A1A South along the way.
Sr A1A South
Founded 1911
Fort Lauderdale is a coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean in the US state of Florida. It is known as the "Venice of America" due to its expansive canal system. Situated in Broward County in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area, the city's population is over 180,000 (2021). The city is most famous for its beaches and boats, and while the city of Fort Lauderdale is relatively small in area, the term 'Fort Lauderdale' is often used to refer to the larger metropolis that has grown up around it. It is the county seat for Broward county, and is part of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan area, which has over 6.1 million people (2019).
Top landmarks
Founded 1935
Surfside is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is just north of Miami Beach.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 37m. Total distance: 21.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
37m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (44%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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