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Trip from Harrison, NJ to Edison, NJ

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

40m

Distance

26.1 mi

42 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 11 min
4 AM
0h 37m ★
6 AM
0h 41m
8 AM
0h 48m
10 AM
0h 43m
12 PM
0h 43m
3 PM
0h 44m
5 PM
0h 47m
8 PM
0h 39m

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

town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States

Harrison, NJ

Wikimedia Commons

township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States

Edison, NJ

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Harrison, NJ to Edison, NJ is 26.1 miles and takes about 40m via Garden State Parkway and US 1, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This straightforward drive stays within New Jersey, moving you from the Northeast region to the same region. Expect a fairly direct trip with minimal fuss, making it a practical option for a quick journey between these two points. It's a good choice if you're looking for efficiency and a predictable travel time, suitable for a single-day excursion.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Garden State Parkway 14.5 mi 20m
US 1 5.1 mi 7m
Essex Freeway 2 mi 3m
Garden State Parkway Southbound 1.3 mi 1m
Plainfield Avenue 1.1 mi 2m
Harrison Avenue 0.2 mi <1m
Fulton Street 0.1 mi <1m
Reed Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Garden State Parkway — 14.5 mi, about 20m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Harrison, NJ and Edison, NJ.

1

Start on CR 508

0.2 mi · 26 sec · Harrison Avenue
2

Turn right onto Economy Supply Way

147 ft · 2 sec · Economy Supply Way
Use the right lane.
3

Continue on Economy Supply Way

129 ft · 4 sec · Economy Supply Way
4

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 27 sec
Toward I 280 West, GSP West
5

Merge onto I 280

2.0 mi · 3 min · Essex Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 26 sec
Exit 12A; 12B Toward GSP: Oraton Parkway, Clinton Street, East Orange Use the slight right lane.
7

Keep slight left at fork

0.3 mi · 36 sec
Exit 12B Toward GSP: Garden State Parkway, Oraton Parkway Use the slight left lane.
8

Keep slight left at fork

0.1 mi · 16 sec
Toward GSP South Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Continue on this road

0.3 mi · 40 sec · this road
10

Merge onto GSP

14 mi · 20 min · Garden State Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Continue on Garden State Parkway

1.3 mi · 1 min · Garden State Parkway Southbound
12

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 27 sec
Exit 130B-A Toward US 1: Newark, Trenton Use the slight right lane.
13

Keep slight right at fork

0.3 mi · 35 sec
Exit 130B Toward US 1 South: Trenton Use the slight right lane.
14

Merge onto US 1

0.1 mi · 12 sec · US 1
15

Continue on US 1

2.1 mi · 3 min · US 1
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Continue on US 1

2.8 mi · 4 min · US 1
17

Take the exit

208 ft · 3 sec
Use the slight right lane.
18

Turn straight onto Fulton Street

0.1 mi · 19 sec · Fulton Street
19

Turn right onto CR 529

1.1 mi · 2 min · Plainfield Avenue
20

Turn left onto Central Avenue

345 ft · 17 sec · Central Avenue
21

Turn right onto Reed Street

523 ft · 28 sec · Reed Street
22

Arrive at destination

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 14

5 decision points cluster between mile 2.5 and 19.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

8
2.5 mi into trip | ~4m in

Take the exit toward GSP: Oraton Parkway, Clinton Street, East Orange

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 12A; 12B Toward GSP: Oraton Parkway, Clinton Street, Eas...
10
2.7 mi into trip | ~4m in

Keep slight left at fork toward GSP: Garden State Parkway, Oraton Parkway

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

Use the slight left lane. Exit 12B Toward GSP: Garden State Parkway, Oraton Parkwa...
8
2.9 mi into trip | ~5m in

Keep slight left at fork toward GSP South

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward GSP South
8
19.1 mi into trip | ~28m in

Take the exit toward US 1: Newark, Trenton

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 130B-A Toward US 1: Newark, Trenton
9
19.3 mi into trip | ~28m in

Keep slight right at fork toward US 1 South: Trenton

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 130B Toward US 1 South: Trenton

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.33 one way

$8.65 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $4.74 $9.48
premium $4.93 $5.06 $10.12
diesel $5.61 $5.76 $11.53

Estimated Tolls: $0.95

Garden State Parkway (15.7 mi) $0.95

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

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 9.1 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 7.8 0 $2.74 $1.25
Efficient EV 6.5 0 $2.28 $1.04
EV Truck/SUV 10.4 0 $3.65 $1.67

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 20, 2026

Origin

Harrison, NJ

Late night in Harrison on Tuesday

Local time

5:10 AM

EDT

Current temp

61°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Edison, NJ

Late night in Edison on Tuesday

Local time

5:10 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

1 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

40m 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 predominantly a highway-focused drive, with an 87% highway share. You'll experience a significant stretch of 14.5 miles on the Garden State Parkway, offering a consistent pace. The drive utilizes major arteries like the Garden State Parkway, US 1, and the Essex Freeway, indicating a focus on efficient travel. The character is largely that of a swift transit, connecting points with minimal deviation from high-speed roadways.

87% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
22 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 14.5 mi on Garden State Parkway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Garden State Parkway and US 1. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2.5 miles in.

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 14 decision points packed into just 26.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 40m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 2.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

Between Harrison, NJ and Edison, NJ, road signs point toward Orange, Gsp South and Trenton.

Orange

2.5 mi in | ~4m

Gsp South

2.9 mi in | ~5m

Trenton

19.1 mi in | ~28m

About the Cities

Starting in Harrison, NJ

Full guide →

Harrison is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. This article also covers the town of Kearny.

Arriving in Edison, NJ

Full guide →

Edison is a city in Middlesex, New Jersey. The city is named after Thomas Alva Edison who carried out most of his life's work, including the invention of the phonograph and the lightbulb, here. Menlo Park, where Edison's laboratories were located has a Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Tower and Museum honoring him. The town of Edison now has a large concentration of Asians, and Oak Tree Road in Edison is the place to visit if you are looking for Indian food or Indian stores.

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 40m. Total distance: 26.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

40m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (87%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 14.5 miles on Garden State Parkway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.95 in tolls one way, starting with Garden State Parkway. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.

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 Edison, NJ 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 2.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes — Thomas Edison National Historical Park, Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park and Morristown National Historical Park (4 total within detour distance). 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 Edison, NJ 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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