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Trip from Hartford, CT to West Haven, CT

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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

55m

Distance

39.9 mi

64 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 13 min
4 AM
0h 51m ★
6 AM
0h 55m
8 AM
1h 4m
10 AM
0h 59m
12 PM
0h 58m
3 PM
0h 59m
5 PM
1h 4m
8 PM
0h 53m

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

Downtown Hartford, CT, CT

Hartford, CT

Wikimedia Commons

city in Connecticut, United States

West Haven, CT

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

This straightforward 39.9-mile drive from Hartford to West Haven, CT, is designed for a single day, taking approximately 55 minutes. You'll primarily navigate on I-91 and the Berlin Turnpike, with a significant portion of the journey on highways. With a projected fuel cost of $6, this trip is very budget-friendly. Given its short duration and focused profile, it's an easy transit rather than an extended exploration. This drive stays within the Northeast region, specifically within Connecticut, making it a simple local commute or an easy add-on to a larger regional itinerary.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 91 19 mi 23m
Berlin Turnpike 11 mi 14m
North Broad Street 3.7 mi 4m
Broad Street 1.9 mi 3m
I 95 1.2 mi 1m
Maple Avenue 0.8 mi 1m
Elm Street 0.8 mi 1m
Campbell Avenue 0.4 mi <1m
Longest stretch: I 91 — 19 mi, about 23m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Hartford, CT and West Haven, CT.

1

Start on Armory Road

111 ft · 15 sec · Armory Road
2

Turn right onto Capitol Avenue

382 ft · 16 sec · Capitol Avenue
3

Turn left onto Broad Street

1.9 mi · 3 min · Broad Street
Use the left lane.
4

Turn right onto Maple Avenue

0.8 mi · 1 min · Maple Avenue
5

Continue on Berlin Turnpike

11 mi · 14 min · Berlin Turnpike
Use the straight lane.
6

Continue on US 5; CT 15

3.7 mi · 4 min · North Broad Street
7

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 30 sec
Exit 64A Toward I 91 South: New Haven, New York City Use the slight left lane.
8

Merge onto I 91

19 mi · 23 min · I 91
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Merge onto I 95

1.2 mi · 1 min · I 95
10

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 45 sec
Exit 44 Toward CT 10: Downtown, West Haven Use the slight right lane.
11

Turn left onto CT 10

0.3 mi · 38 sec · Ella T. Grasso Boulevard
Use the left / straight lanes.
12

Turn left onto Kimberly Avenue

0.2 mi · 22 sec · Kimberly Avenue
13

Turn straight onto Elm Street

0.8 mi · 1 min · Elm Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
14

Turn left onto Campbell Avenue

0.4 mi · 53 sec · Campbell Avenue
15

Turn left onto New Street

0.1 mi · 27 sec · New Street
16

Turn right onto Washington Avenue

68 ft · 2 sec · Washington Avenue
17

Arrive at destination

Washington Avenue

Where to Stop

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

Downtown Meriden, CT, CT

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Meriden, CT

20 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 Haven, CT

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 39.9 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Wallingford, CT

Meal break

The midpoint is around 20 miles from Hartford, CT, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

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

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 13

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 38.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | Capitol Avenue

Turn right onto Capitol Avenue

Navigation decision point

6
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | Broad Street

Turn left onto Broad Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
8
17.5 mi into trip | ~25m in

Take the exit toward I 91 South: New Haven, New York City

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

Use the slight left lane. Exit 64A Toward I 91 South: New Haven, New York City
8
37.9 mi into trip | ~50m in

Take the exit toward CT 10: Downtown, West Haven

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 44 Toward CT 10: Downtown, West Haven
7
38.1 mi into trip | ~51m in | CT 10 / Ella T. Grasso Boulevard

Turn left onto CT 10 / Ella T. Grasso Boulevard

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / straight lanes.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.42 one way

$12.85 round trip

$4.09/gal 25.4 MPG avg 14 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.50 $7.07 $14.13
premium $4.86 $7.64 $15.28
diesel $5.61 $8.81 $17.62

Estimated Tolls: $0.77

Berlin Turnpike (11 mi) $0.77

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

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Tolls

$1

Total

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 14 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 12 0 $4.19 $1.92
Efficient EV 10 0 $3.49 $1.60
EV Truck/SUV 16 0 $5.59 $2.55

Gas CO2

14 kg

EV CO2

5 kg (64% 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 Jun 20, 2022

Origin

Hartford, CT

Morning in Hartford on Tuesday

Local time

6:24 AM

EDT

Current temp

66°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

West Haven, CT

Morning in West Haven on Tuesday

Local time

6:24 AM

EDT

Current temp

43°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

23 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

55m 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?

Expect a highway-focused drive for about 78% of this 39.9-mile trip. You'll spend a good amount of time on I-91, including a continuous stretch of 19 miles. The transition onto the Berlin Turnpike and then North Broad Street will shift the character slightly from pure interstate to a more arterial road feel. While not a winding scenic route, it offers a direct and efficient path, allowing you to cover the distance quickly. The overall impression is one of functional transit, prioritizing speed and directness.

78% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 19 mi on I 91.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 91 and Berlin Turnpike. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Capitol 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 13 decision points packed into just 39.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 55m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (Capitol Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Broad Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 17.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

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 Hartford, CT to West Haven, CT, road signs begin pointing toward New York City along the way.

New York City

17.5 mi in | ~25m

About the Cities

Starting in Hartford, CT

Full guide →

Hartford is the capital of the state of Connecticut in the United States of America. It is home to the country's oldest public art museum (Wadsworth Atheneum), and the Mark Twain House, in which the author wrote his most famous works and raised his family. Mark Twain wrote in 1868, "Of all the beautiful towns it has been my fortune to see this is the chief."

Top landmarks

  • Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art — art museum in Hartford, Connecticut
  • Connecticut State Capitol — state capitol building of the U.S. state of Connecticut
  • Mark Twain House — non-profit organization in the USA

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 55m. Total distance: 39.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

55m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (78%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 19 miles on I 91. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.77 in tolls one way, starting with Berlin Turnpike. 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 West Haven, 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: near the start (Capitol Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Broad Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 17.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

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 West Haven, 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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