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Trip from Masontown, PA to Pittsburgh, PA

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

Drive Time

1h 20m

Distance

48.6 mi

78 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$8

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 19 min
4 AM
1h 14m ★
6 AM
1h 20m
8 AM
1h 33m
10 AM
1h 25m
12 PM
1h 23m
3 PM
1h 25m
5 PM
1h 32m
8 PM
1h 17m

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

Downtown Masontown, PA, PA

Masontown, PA

Jack Pace

city and county seat in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States

Pittsburgh, PA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

This 48.6-mile drive from Masontown, PA to Pittsburgh, PA takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes and is perfect for a single day trip. You'll primarily use the Mon/Fayette Expressway and PA 166, with a portion on Brownsville Road Extension. The estimated fuel cost is around $8. This route offers a mixed driving experience as you transition from the Northeast region of Pennsylvania into the heart of Pittsburgh. Its manageable length means you can easily fit it into a day without needing an overnight stay, giving you plenty of flexibility for exploring your destination.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Mon/Fayette Expressway 17.1 mi 18m
PA 166 8.3 mi 14m
Brownsville Road Extension 3.9 mi 7m
Brownsville Road 2.6 mi 4m
Saw Mill Run Boulevard 2.6 mi 5m
Market Street 2 mi 3m
McChain Road 1.8 mi 4m
Provost Road 1.3 mi 3m
Longest stretch: Mon/Fayette Expressway — 17.1 mi, about 18m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Masontown, PA and Pittsburgh, PA.

1

Start on West Church Avenue

22 ft · 7 sec · West Church Avenue
2

Turn left onto PA 166

0.7 mi · 1 min · North Main Street
3

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 24 sec
4

Merge onto PA 21; PA 166

1.0 mi · 1 min · McClellandtown Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
5

Turn left onto PA 166

1.0 mi · 1 min · Edenborn Road
Use the left lane.
6

Continue on PA 166

1.2 mi · 2 min · Ball Hill Road
7

Continue on PA 166

8.3 mi · 14 min · PA 166
8

Turn left onto National Pike

0.9 mi · 1 min · National Pike
9

Continue on Broadway Street

0.1 mi · 14 sec · Broadway Street
10

At end of road, turn left onto US 40

2.0 mi · 3 min · Market Street
Use the straight lane.
11

Take the exit

0.8 mi · 1 min
Toward PA Turnpike 43 North: California
12

Merge onto PA Tpke 43

17 mi · 18 min · Mon/Fayette Expressway
13

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 59 sec
Exit 48 Toward West Elizabeth, Finleyville
14

Turn left onto Finleyville Elrama Road

0.5 mi · 51 sec · Finleyville Elrama Road
15

Turn right onto McChain Road

70 ft · 1 sec · McChain Road
16

Keep slight left at fork onto McChain Road

1.7 mi · 4 min · McChain Road
17

Turn straight onto Brownsville Road Extension

3.9 mi · 7 min · Brownsville Road Extension
18

At end of road, turn left onto Brownsville Road

0.5 mi · 1 min · Brownsville Road
Use the straight lane.
19

Turn left onto Brownsville Road

2.1 mi · 3 min · Brownsville Road
Use the left lane.
20

Continue on Provost Road

1.3 mi · 2 min · Provost Road
21

Continue on Provost Road

202 ft · 7 sec · Provost Road
22

Turn left onto PA 51

0.3 mi · 48 sec · Saw Mill Run Boulevard
23

Continue on PA 51; Blue Belt

2.3 mi · 5 min · Saw Mill Run Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
24

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 15 sec
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
25

Continue on this road

361 ft · 12 sec · this road
26

Turn right onto Liberty Tunnels

1.2 mi · 2 min · Liberty Tunnels
Use the right lane.
27

Continue on Liberty Bridge

0.5 mi · 59 sec · Liberty Bridge
28

Turn straight onto Crosstown Boulevard

0.1 mi · 14 sec · Crosstown Boulevard
29

Continue on Sixth Avenue

366 ft · 16 sec · Sixth Avenue
30

Turn left onto Fifth Avenue

0.1 mi · 16 sec · Fifth Avenue
31

Turn right onto Grant Street

513 ft · 21 sec · Grant Street
Use the right lane.
32

Arrive at destination

Grant Street

Where to Stop

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

borough in Pennsylvania, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Charleroi, PA

24 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.

Popular next leg

Charleroi, PA to Pittsburgh, PA

27.4 mi · 49m

Pacing Suggestions

Buffington, PA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 11 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Charleroi, PA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 24.3 miles from Masontown, PA, 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 18

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.8 and 48.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0.8 mi into trip | ~2m in | PA 21; PA 166 / McClellandtown Road

Merge onto PA 21; PA 166 / McClellandtown Road

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

Use the straight / right lanes.
5
1.8 mi into trip | ~3m in | PA 166 / Edenborn Road

Turn left onto PA 166 / Edenborn Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
6
33.3 mi into trip | ~47m in

Take the exit toward West Elizabeth, Finleyville

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

Exit 48 Toward West Elizabeth, Finleyville
6
39.9 mi into trip | ~1h 1m in | Brownsville Road

At end of road, turn left onto Brownsville Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane.
7
48.5 mi into trip | ~1h 19m in | Grant Street

Turn right onto Grant Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$8.06 one way

$16.11 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 17 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $8.82 $17.65
premium $4.93 $9.43 $18.85
diesel $5.61 $10.73 $21.46

Estimated Tolls: $1.20

Mon/Fayette Expressway (17.1 mi) $1.20

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

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$8

Tolls

$1

Total

$9

Estimated CO2 emission: 17 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 14.6 0 $5.10 $2.33
Efficient EV 12.2 0 $4.25 $1.94
EV Truck/SUV 19.4 0 $6.80 $3.11

Gas CO2

17 kg

EV CO2

6 kg (65% 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 18, 2026

Origin

Masontown, PA

Morning in Masontown on Sunday

Local time

7:52 AM

EDT

Current temp

79°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Pittsburgh, PA

Morning in Pittsburgh on Sunday

Local time

7:52 AM

EDT

Current temp

73°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

73°F

Charleroi, PA

24 mi in

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

6 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

1h 20m 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 mixed drive on this 48.6-mile journey, with 52% of it being highway. The Mon/Fayette Expressway will provide a significant stretch of faster-paced driving, including a longest uninterrupted segment of 17.1 miles. As you progress, you'll transition from this expressway onto PA 166 and Brownsville Road Extension, likely experiencing more local road characteristics. This blend means you'll get a taste of both efficient highway travel and more community-oriented roadways as you approach Pittsburgh.

52% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
32 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 17.1 mi on Mon/Fayette Expressway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

9/10

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 0.8 miles in near PA 21; PA 166 / McClellandtown Road.

Driving Effort 9/10

Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 48.6 miles you will encounter 18 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 0.8 miles (PA 21; PA 166 / McClellandtown Road): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles (PA 166 / Edenborn Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 33.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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.

Between Masontown, PA and Pittsburgh, PA, road signs point toward Pa Turnpike 43 North: California, Elizabeth and Finleyville.

Pa Turnpike 43 North: California

15.4 mi in | ~27m

Elizabeth

33.3 mi in | ~47m

Finleyville

33.3 mi in | ~47m

About the Cities

Arriving in Pittsburgh, PA

Full guide →

The pleasure of Pittsburgh remains a well-kept secret. Though not built up by reputation, the city's unique combination of bridges, steep hills, and broad rivers make it one of the most naturally scenic cities in the country. Cheap food and beer abound in this true sports town and the locals are amazingly friendly. A city of about 303,000 (2021) in Allegheny County, at the center of a metro area of about 2.4 million in southwestern Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh is situated at the confluence of three rivers: the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers, which meet to form the Ohio River. The city's unique terrain has resulted in an unusual city design and a hodge-podge of unique neighborhood "pockets" with diverse ethnic and architectural heritage.

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 1h 20m. Total distance: 48.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 20m 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 17.1 miles on Mon/Fayette Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $1.20 in tolls one way, starting with Mon/Fayette Expressway. 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 Pittsburgh, PA 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 0.8 miles (PA 21; PA 166 / McClellandtown Road): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles (PA 166 / Edenborn Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 33.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes — Fort Necessity National Battlefield. 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 Pittsburgh, PA 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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