Origin
Plainfield, NJ
Late night in Plainfield on Tuesday
Local time
5:00 AM
EDT
Current temp
45°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Plainfield, NJ to East Orange, NJ
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
28m
Distance
16.8 mi
27 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 26m
★
6 AM
0h 29m
8 AM
0h 34m
10 AM
0h 30m
12 PM
0h 30m
3 PM
0h 31m
5 PM
0h 33m
8 PM
0h 27m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Plainfield, NJ
Thomas Parker
East Orange, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Spanning just 16.8 miles, this quick trip from Plainfield to East Orange is an efficient transit across New Jersey. You can easily complete the entire journey in about 28 minutes, making it a perfect one-day excursion that requires no overnight stops. Budgeting approximately $3 for fuel covers your travel costs, keeping this route highly economical. Since both cities are located within the Northeast region, you will remain in a familiar urban landscape throughout the duration of your drive. Because it is a short, straightforward commute, you have plenty of flexibility to plan your departure around your personal schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| US 22 | 9.2 mi | 14m |
| Garden State Parkway | 3.8 mi | 5m |
| South Oraton Parkway | 1 mi | 1m |
| Leland Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Maybaum Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Parkway Drive | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Speedway Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Mountain Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
US 22
— 9.2 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Plainfield, NJ and East Orange, NJ.
1
Start on Leland Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Leland Avenue
2
At end of road, turn right onto CR 642
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
Mountain Avenue
3
Merge onto US 22
2.4 mi
·
3 min
·
US 22
4
Continue on US 22
5.4 mi
·
8 min
·
US 22
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Continue on US 22
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
US 22
6
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
Toward GSP Toll North: Paterson
7
Merge onto GSP
3.8 mi
·
5 min
·
Garden State Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
Exit 144
Toward CR 510
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn straight onto Eastern Parkway
518 ft
·
17 sec
·
Eastern Parkway
10
Continue on Speedway Avenue
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
Speedway Avenue
11
At end of road, turn left onto CR 510
511 ft
·
10 sec
·
South Orange Avenue
Use the left / right lanes.
12
Turn slight right onto Maybaum Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Maybaum Avenue
13
Continue on Birchwood Avenue
362 ft
·
9 sec
·
Birchwood Avenue
14
Continue on South Oraton Parkway
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
·
South Oraton Parkway
Use the straight lane.
15
Keep slight left at fork onto South Oraton Parkway
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
South Oraton Parkway
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
16
Keep slight left at fork onto Parkway Drive
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
Parkway Drive
17
Turn sharp left onto North Arlington Avenue
343 ft
·
11 sec
·
North Arlington Avenue
Use the left lane.
18
Turn slight left onto Parkway Drive
0.1 mi
·
12 sec
·
Parkway Drive
19
Arrive at destination
Parkway Drive
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 16.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.6 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
CR 642 / Mountain Avenue
At end of road, turn right onto CR 642 / Mountain Avenue
Navigation decision point
7
14.2 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Take the exit toward CR 510
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 144
Toward CR 510
8
14.7 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
CR 510 / South Orange Avenue
At end of road, turn left onto CR 510 / South Orange Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / right lanes.
6
15.5 mi into trip
|
~26m in
|
South Oraton Parkway
Keep slight left at fork onto South Oraton Parkway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
8
16.6 mi into trip
|
~28m in
|
North Arlington Avenue
Turn sharp left onto North Arlington Avenue
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.79 one way
$5.57 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $3.05 | $6.10 |
| premium | $4.93 | $3.26 | $6.52 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.71 | $7.42 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.23
Garden State Parkway
(3.8 mi)
$0.23
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Tolls
$0
Total
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.9 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 | 5 | 0 | $1.76 | $0.81 |
| Efficient EV | 4.2 | 0 | $1.47 | $0.67 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.7 | 0 | $2.35 | $1.08 |
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.
Destination
East Orange, NJ
Late night in East Orange on Tuesday
Local time
5:00 AM
EDT
Current temp
61°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
16 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
28m 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 experience as 86% of your trip takes place on major thoroughfares. You will navigate via US 22, the Garden State Parkway, and South Oraton Parkway to reach your destination. The longest uninterrupted stretch is 9.2 miles on US 22, which serves as the primary backbone of your journey. Transitioning between these roads requires focus, but the route maintains a fast, consistent pace once you merge onto the main highways. This isn't a winding scenic tour, but rather a functional, high-speed connection between two North Jersey hubs.
86% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 9.2 mi on US 22.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on US 22 and Garden State Parkway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.6 miles in near CR 642 / Mountain Avenue.
Driving Effort
9/10
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 10 decision points packed into just 16.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 28m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.6 miles (CR 642 / Mountain Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 14.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.7 miles (CR 510 / South Orange Avenue): 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.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Plainfield, NJ and East Orange, NJ, road signs point toward Gsp Toll North: Paterson and Cr 510.
Gsp Toll North: Paterson
10 mi in
|
~17m
Cr 510
14.2 mi in
|
~23m
About the Cities
Starting in Plainfield, NJ
Full guide →Union County is part of the Gateway region of New Jersey that is covered by sprawling metropolitan areas of New York City.
Arriving in East Orange, NJ
Full guide →The Oranges are a group of 4 communities in Essex County, New Jersey.
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 28m. Total distance: 16.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
28m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (86%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 9.2 miles on US 22. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.23 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 East Orange, 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 0.6 miles (CR 642 / Mountain Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 14.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.7 miles (CR 510 / South Orange Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Thomas Edison National Historical Park, Morristown National Historical Park and Paterson Great Falls 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 East Orange, 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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