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Trip from Livingston, NJ to Jersey City, NJ

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

27m

Distance

16.1 mi

26 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 7 min
4 AM
0h 25m ★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 32m
10 AM
0h 29m
12 PM
0h 28m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 31m
8 PM
0h 26m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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Downtown Livingston, NJ, NJ

Livingston, NJ

David Kanigan

Trip Overview

Livingston, NJ to Jersey City, NJ is 16.1 miles and takes about 27 minutes via Essex Freeway, Lincoln Highway, and Ferry Street, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within the Northeast region and the state of New Jersey, making it a straightforward local journey. You'll experience a mixed drive profile, suggesting a blend of highway speeds and more urban navigation. Given its short distance and duration, this route is ideal for a same-day trip with plenty of flexibility for when you depart.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Essex Freeway 7.8 mi 10m
Lincoln Highway 1.5 mi 2m
Ferry Street 1 mi 1m
East Mount Pleasant Avenue 0.9 mi 1m
Market Street 0.8 mi 1m
McCarter Highway 0.8 mi 2m
Raymond Boulevard 0.8 mi 1m
US 1 Truck 0.7 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Essex Freeway — 7.8 mi, about 10m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Livingston, NJ and Jersey City, NJ.

1

Start on NJ 10

0.9 mi · 1 min · East Mount Pleasant Avenue
2

Turn left onto CR 635

0.5 mi · 1 min · Shrewsbury Drive
3

Continue on CR 634

0.4 mi · 45 sec · Laurel Avenue
4

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 26 sec
Toward I 280 East: Newark
5

Merge onto I 280

7.8 mi · 10 min · Essex Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 34 sec
Exit 15 Toward NJ 21: Newark, Belleville, Prudential Center Use the slight right lane.
7

Turn right onto McCarter Highway

0.8 mi · 2 min · McCarter Highway
Use the left / right lanes.
8

Turn left onto Raymond Boulevard

0.3 mi · 36 sec · Raymond Boulevard
Use the left lane.
9

Turn straight onto Market Street

0.8 mi · 1 min · Market Street
Use the straight lane.
10

Continue on Ferry Street

1.0 mi · 1 min · Ferry Street
11

Continue on Raymond Boulevard

0.4 mi · 44 sec · Raymond Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
12

Continue on US 1 Truck; US 9 Truck

1.5 mi · 2 min · Lincoln Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13

Take the exit onto US 1 Truck; US 9 Truck

0.7 mi · 1 min · US 1 Truck; US 9 Truck
Toward US 1 Truck North, US 9 Truck North Use the left lane.
14

Turn right onto Duncan Avenue

0.4 mi · 51 sec · Duncan Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
15

Turn left onto Olean Avenue

316 ft · 13 sec · Olean Avenue
16

Arrive at destination

Olean Avenue

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 10

5 decision points cluster between mile 2 and 15 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
2 mi into trip | ~4m in | I 280 / Essex Freeway

Merge onto I 280 / Essex Freeway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
9.8 mi into trip | ~15m in

Take the exit toward NJ 21: Newark, Belleville, Prudential Center

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 15 Toward NJ 21: Newark, Belleville, Prudential Ce...
6
10 mi into trip | ~15m in | McCarter Highway

Turn right onto McCarter Highway

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / right lanes.
5
10.9 mi into trip | ~17m in | Raymond Boulevard

Turn left onto Raymond Boulevard

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
7
15 mi into trip | ~24m in | US 1 Truck; US 9 Truck

Take the exit onto US 1 Truck; US 9 Truck toward US 1 Truck North, US 9 Truck North

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

Use the left lane. Toward US 1 Truck North, US 9 Truck North

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.67 one way

$5.34 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $2.92 $5.85
premium $4.93 $3.12 $6.24
diesel $5.61 $3.55 $7.11

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 5.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 4.8 0 $1.69 $0.77
Efficient EV 4 0 $1.41 $0.64
EV Truck/SUV 6.4 0 $2.25 $1.03

Gas CO2

6 kg

EV CO2

2 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 19, 2026

Origin

Livingston, NJ

Morning in Livingston on Sunday

Local time

6:31 AM

EDT

Current temp

47°F

Rain Showers Likely

SE 3 mph 69% chance Live forecast

Freeze Watch

Freeze Watch issued April 19 at 2:19AM EDT until April 21 at 9:00AM EDT by NWS Upton NY

Freeze Watch

Freeze Watch issued April 19 at 1:11AM EDT until April 21 at 9:00AM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

Destination

Jersey City, NJ

Morning in Jersey City on Sunday

Local time

6:31 AM

EDT

Current temp

47°F

Rain Showers Likely

SE 6 mph 58% chance Live forecast

Freeze Watch

Freeze Watch issued April 19 at 2:19AM EDT until April 21 at 9:00AM EDT by NWS Upton NY

Freeze Watch

Freeze Watch issued April 19 at 1:11AM EDT until April 21 at 9:00AM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

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

Very similar conditions

Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.

Road read

27m on the road

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.

What kind of drive is this?

Expect a varied driving experience on this 16.1-mile journey. With 52% highway share, you'll encounter stretches of faster-paced driving, including a longest continuous segment of 7.8 miles on the Essex Freeway. As you transition to roads like Lincoln Highway and Ferry Street, the character will likely shift to more local traffic and signal lights. This mixed drive profile means you'll need to be adaptable, moving between open road conditions and more intricate urban driving.

52% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.8 mi on Essex Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

6/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 2 miles in near I 280 / Essex Freeway.

Driving Effort 6/10

Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 16.1 miles you will encounter 10 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 2 miles (I 280 / Essex Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 10 miles (McCarter Highway): 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 Livingston, NJ and Jersey City, NJ, road signs point toward Belleville and Prudential Center.

Belleville

9.8 mi in | ~15m

Prudential Center

9.8 mi in | ~15m

About the Cities

Arriving in Jersey City, NJ

Full guide →

Jersey City is New Jersey's second-largest city. Jersey City sits in Hudson County in the northeastern section of the state, across the Hudson from its older and bigger cousin, New York City, and south of Hoboken. It is frequently referred to as New York’s “sixth borough”. Until the early 1600s, the area was inhabited by Lenape Indians. The Dutch then settled here as a part of the colony of New Amsterdam. It evolved into an industrial powerhouse, with railroads winding up and down the city (some of these lines are still used today). Although Jersey City declined in the 1960s, an upswing began in the 1980s, and the city was transformed into what it is today.

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 27m. Total distance: 16.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

27m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (52%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 7.8 miles on Essex Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Yes — we found about 4 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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 Jersey City, 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 miles (I 280 / Essex Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 10 miles (McCarter Highway): 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 Jersey City, 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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