Origin
Portland, ME
Morning in Portland on Sunday
Local time
11:56 AM
EDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Portland, ME to Scarborough, ME
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
15m
Distance
8.6 mi
14 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 14m
★
6 AM
0h 16m
8 AM
0h 18m
10 AM
0h 17m
12 PM
0h 16m
3 PM
0h 17m
5 PM
0h 18m
8 PM
0h 15m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Portland, ME
Wikimedia Commons
Scarborough, ME
David Roberts
Trip Overview
This short 8.6-mile drive from Portland to Scarborough, Maine, is easily manageable in just 15 minutes, making it a perfect, quick leg for any Northeast road trip. With a minimal fuel cost of around $1, you won't need to worry about breaking the bank on this journey. The route is designed for a single day, so there's no need to plan an overnight stay. It offers a mixed driving experience, blending highway speeds with local road navigation, so you'll get a taste of different driving styles without committing to a long haul. This is a straightforward trip that gets you from one Maine point to another efficiently.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Scarborough Connector | 2.1 mi | 2m |
| I 295 | 2 mi | 2m |
| Black Point Road | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Route 1 | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Park Avenue | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Fore River Parkway | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Cumberland Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Congress Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Scarborough Connector
— 2.1 mi, about 2m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Portland, ME and Scarborough, ME.
1
Start on Congress Street
484 ft
·
20 sec
·
Congress Street
2
Turn right onto Brown Street
0.1 mi
·
30 sec
·
Brown Street
3
Turn left onto Cumberland Avenue
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
·
Cumberland Avenue
4
Turn right onto ME 77
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
·
High Street
5
Turn left onto Park Avenue
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Park Avenue
6
Continue on Congress Street
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
·
Congress Street
7
Turn left onto Fore River Parkway
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
Fore River Parkway
8
Take the ramp onto US 1A
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
US 1A
9
Merge onto I 295; US 1
2.0 mi
·
2 min
·
I 295; US 1
10
Keep slight right at fork onto Scarborough Connector
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Scarborough Connector
Exit 2
Toward Scarborough, Old Orchard
11
Turn straight onto US 1; ME 9
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Route 1
12
Turn left onto ME 207
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Black Point Road
13
Turn left onto Highland Avenue
267 ft
·
7 sec
·
Highland Avenue
14
Arrive at destination
Highland Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 4.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Brown Street
Turn right onto Brown Street
Navigation decision point
4
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Cumberland Avenue
Turn left onto Cumberland Avenue
Navigation decision point
4
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
ME 77 / High Street
Turn right onto ME 77 / High Street
Navigation decision point
5
1.6 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
Fore River Parkway
Turn left onto Fore River Parkway
Navigation decision point
7
4.1 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
Scarborough Connector
Keep slight right at fork onto Scarborough Connector toward Scarborough, Old Orchard
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 2
Toward Scarborough, Old Orchard
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.38 one way
$2.77 round trip
$4.09/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.50 | $1.52 | $3.05 |
| premium | $4.86 | $1.65 | $3.29 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.90 | $3.80 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.6 | 0 | $0.90 | $0.41 |
| Efficient EV | 2.2 | 0 | $0.75 | $0.34 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.4 | 0 | $1.20 | $0.55 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 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
Scarborough, ME
Morning in Scarborough on Sunday
Local time
11:56 AM
EDT
Current temp
47°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
4 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
15m 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?
The drive features a 41% highway share, meaning you'll experience some faster-paced travel on roads like I-295. However, it's not all interstate; you'll also navigate local streets such as Black Point Road. The longest uninterrupted stretch is 2.1 miles on the Scarborough Connector, offering a brief period of consistent speed before transitioning. Expect a mixed drive profile, moving from the efficiency of the highway to the more varied pace of surface streets as you approach your destination. This blend keeps the driving experience from becoming monotonous.
41% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 2.1 mi on Scarborough Connector.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
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 0.1 miles in near Brown Street.
Driving Effort
5/10
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 8.6 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 0.1 miles (Brown Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Cumberland Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (ME 77 / High Street): Navigation decision point.
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.
On the drive from Portland, ME to Scarborough, ME, road signs begin pointing toward Old Orchard along the way.
Old Orchard
4.1 mi in
|
~7m
|
via Scarborough Connector
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 15m. Total distance: 8.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
15m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (41%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 2.1 miles on Scarborough Connector. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through ME can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Brown Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Cumberland Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (ME 77 / High Street): Navigation decision point.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Scarborough, ME 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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