Origin
Portland, CT
Late night in Portland on Tuesday
Local time
5:10 AM
EDT
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Portland, CT to Hamden, CT
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
34m
Distance
23 mi
37 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 31m
★
6 AM
0h 34m
8 AM
0h 40m
10 AM
0h 36m
12 PM
0h 36m
3 PM
0h 36m
5 PM
0h 40m
8 PM
0h 32m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Portland, CT
MART PRODUCTION
Hamden, CT
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This quick 23-mile trip from Portland to Hamden, Connecticut, is easily manageable within a single day, taking just about 34 minutes to complete. With a modest fuel cost of around $4, it's an economical option for a short journey within the Northeast region. The route primarily utilizes CT 15, making up 56% of the drive, and is characterized as a mixed terrain. Given its brevity, this drive offers a lot of flexibility for departure times and doesn't require an overnight stay, allowing you to maximize your time at either end.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| CT 15 | 12.7 mi | 15m |
| Meriden Road | 4.2 mi | 5m |
| Washington Street | 1.9 mi | 3m |
| Whitney Avenue | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| Main Street | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Grand Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Liberty Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Newfield Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
CT 15
— 12.7 mi, about 15m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Portland, CT and Hamden, CT.
1
Start on CT 17; CT 66
162 ft
·
3 sec
·
CT 17; CT 66
2
Merge onto CT 17; CT 66
262 ft
·
11 sec
·
Marlborough Street
3
Continue on CT 17; CT 66
465 ft
·
24 sec
·
Marlborough Street
Use the left lane.
4
At end of road, turn left onto CT 17; CT 66
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Main Street
Use the straight lane.
5
Turn right onto Grand Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Grand Street
6
At end of road, turn left onto Prospect Street
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
Prospect Street
7
Continue on Liberty Street
0.1 mi
·
27 sec
·
Liberty Street
8
At end of road, turn left onto CT 3
0.1 mi
·
19 sec
·
Newfield Street
9
Turn right onto CT 66
1.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Washington Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
10
Continue on CT 66
4.2 mi
·
5 min
·
Meriden Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
Exit 1B
Toward I 91 South, CT 15 South: New Haven
Use the slight left lane.
12
Merge onto I 91
0.1 mi
·
11 sec
·
I 91
13
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Exit 17
Toward CT 15 South
Use the slight right lane.
14
Keep slight left at fork
437 ft
·
8 sec
Toward CT 15 South
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Merge onto CT 15
13 mi
·
15 min
·
CT 15
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Exit 52
Toward Hamden, Whitney Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Turn right onto Whitney Avenue
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
Whitney Avenue
18
Arrive at destination
CT 10
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 145 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 21.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
CT 17; CT 66 / Main Street
At end of road, turn left onto CT 17; CT 66 / Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
8
8.2 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Take the exit toward I 91 South, CT 15 South: New Haven
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 1B
Toward I 91 South, CT 15 South: New Haven
7
8.6 mi into trip
|
~15m in
Take the exit toward CT 15 South
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 17
Toward CT 15 South
7
9 mi into trip
|
~16m in
Keep slight left at fork toward CT 15 South
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward CT 15 South
8
21.7 mi into trip
|
~31m in
Take the exit toward Hamden, Whitney Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 52
Toward Hamden, Whitney Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.70 one way
$7.41 round trip
$4.09/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.50 | $4.07 | $8.15 |
| premium | $4.86 | $4.40 | $8.81 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.08 | $10.16 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.41 | $1.10 |
| Efficient EV | 5.8 | 0 | $2.01 | $0.92 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.2 | 0 | $3.22 | $1.47 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Hamden, CT
Late night in Hamden on Tuesday
Local time
5:10 AM
EDT
Current temp
44°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
15 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
34m 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 route, with a significant 56% portion on highways like CT 15. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 12.7 miles on CT 15, offering a period of consistent travel. As you progress, the road will transition between these faster highway sections and potentially more local roads, indicated by the use of Meriden Road and Washington Street. This variety means you'll experience different driving conditions, from open highway to more varied traffic patterns as you approach your destination.
56% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12.7 mi on CT 15.
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 0.2 miles in near CT 17; CT 66 / Main Street.
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 14 decision points packed into just 23 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 34m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (CT 17; CT 66 / Main Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 8.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Hamden, CT
Full guide →Hamden is a suburb of the city of New Haven, Connecticut. Quinnipiac University has a significant impact on the town. The town's nickname is "The Land of the Sleeping Giant". It had about 59,500 in 2025.
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 34m. Total distance: 23 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
34m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (56%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 12.7 miles on CT 15. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 Hamden, 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: at 0.2 miles (CT 17; CT 66 / Main Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 8.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Hamden, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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