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
27.7 mi
45 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Hoboken, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Berkeley Heights, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
The drive from Hoboken, NJ to Berkeley Heights, NJ covers 27.7 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 Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway, New Jersey Turnpike Newark Bay Extension, Plainfield Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 15.9 miles on Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.63 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway | 15.9 mi | 18m |
| New Jersey Turnpike Newark Bay Extension | 8.1 mi | 8m |
| Plainfield Avenue | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| Willow Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Newark Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Jersey Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Drift Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| I 78 | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 36 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~3,598 veh/hr typical · worst 4,220
Quietest
2 AM
~240 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
15×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 48 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Hoboken, NJ and Berkeley Heights, NJ.
Start on 6th Street
Turn left onto Willow Avenue
Turn right onto Newark Street
Continue on Observer Highway
Turn left onto Monroe Street
Turn right onto Newark Street
Continue on Jersey Avenue
Turn right onto I 78; NJ 139
Keep slight right at fork onto I 78; NJTP
Keep slight right at fork onto I 78; NJTP
Continue on I 78
Keep slight right at fork onto I 78
Keep slight left at fork onto I 78
Merge onto I 78
Take the exit
Turn right onto Drift Road
Turn left onto CR 641
Turn right onto CR 512
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.8 and 25.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn left onto Monroe Street
Lane positioning matters here
Turn right onto I 78; NJ 139 / 14th Street Viaduct
Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight right at fork onto I 78; NJTP / New Jersey Turnpike Newark Bay Extension toward NJTP: New Jersey Turnpike
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork onto I 78 toward I 78 West: Clinton
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward Berkeley Heights, Scotch Plains
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$4.63 one way
$9.26 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $5.09 | $10.19 |
| premium | $5.01 | $5.47 | $10.93 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $6.11 | $12.21 |
Estimated Tolls: $1.14
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Tolls
$1
Total
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.3 | 0 | $2.91 | $1.33 |
| Efficient EV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.42 | $1.11 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.1 | 0 | $3.88 | $1.77 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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 Hoboken on Saturday
Local time
2:41 AM
EDT
Current temp
83°F
Sunny
Destination
Late night in Berkeley Heights on Saturday
Local time
2:41 AM
EDT
Current temp
83°F
Sunny
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
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.
27.7 mi in 37m, mostly highway — 15.9 mi of that is on Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway and New Jersey Turnpike Newark Bay Extension. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.8 miles in near Monroe Street.
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 15 decision points packed into just 27.7 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 0.8 miles (Monroe Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.3 miles (I 78; NJ 139 / 14th Street Viaduct): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.4 miles (I 78; NJTP / New Jersey Turnpike Newark Bay Extension): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
480 ft
Total Descent
259 ft
Highest Point
410 ft
~25.7 mi in
Elevation Range
404 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Hoboken, NJ to Berkeley Heights, NJ, road signs begin pointing toward Scotch Plains along the way.
Scotch Plains
Founded 1849
Hoboken (HOH-boh-kən) is a small city on the Hudson River in northeastern New Jersey. Once known only as the birthplace of baseball and crooner Frank Sinatra and the site of Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken has become a party town, rich in bars and clubs, and a bedroom community for young, mostly twenty-something professionals who work across the river in New York City
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 37m. Total distance: 27.7 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 (88%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
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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