Origin
Prospect, CT
Morning in Prospect on Tuesday
Local time
6:16 AM
EDT
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Prospect, 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
17m
Distance
12.5 mi
20 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 16m
★
6 AM
0h 18m
8 AM
0h 21m
10 AM
0h 19m
12 PM
0h 19m
3 PM
0h 19m
5 PM
0h 21m
8 PM
0h 17m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Prospect, CT
MART PRODUCTION
Hamden, CT
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 12.5-mile journey from Prospect to Hamden, Connecticut, will take you about 17 minutes to complete, making it perfect for a quick day trip. You'll primarily travel on Whitney Avenue, Main Street, and Cheshire Road, with no highway driving involved. The estimated fuel cost for this drive is a very manageable $2, so you won't need to worry about budget breaks for gas. This route offers a straightforward local drive within the Northeast region, ideal for a simple point-to-point trip without the need for an overnight stay.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Whitney Avenue | 4.3 mi | 5m |
| Main Street | 3.4 mi | 4m |
| Cheshire Road | 3.4 mi | 5m |
| West Main Street | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Union City Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Whitney Avenue
— 4.3 mi, about 5m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Prospect, CT and Hamden, CT.
1
Start on CT 68
103 ft
·
2 sec
·
Union City Road
2
Continue on CT 68
3.4 mi
·
5 min
·
Cheshire Road
3
At end of road, turn right onto CT 68; CT 70
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
West Main Street
4
Continue on CT 68; CT 70
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
·
Main Street
Use the right lane.
5
Continue on CT 10; CT 68; CT 70
3.1 mi
·
3 min
·
Main Street
Use the straight lane.
6
Continue on CT 10
4.3 mi
·
5 min
·
Whitney Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
Arrive at destination
CT 10
Heads-up: tricky spots
3 of 33 decision points cluster between mile 3.4 and 5.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
3.4 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
CT 68; CT 70 / West Main Street
At end of road, turn right onto CT 68; CT 70 / West Main Street
Navigation decision point
3
4.8 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
CT 68; CT 70 / Main Street
Continue onto CT 68; CT 70 / Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
3
5.1 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
CT 10; CT 68; CT 70 / Main Street
Continue onto CT 10; CT 68; CT 70 / Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.01 one way
$4.02 round trip
$4.09/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.50 | $2.21 | $4.43 |
| premium | $4.86 | $2.39 | $4.79 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.76 | $5.52 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.8 | 0 | $1.31 | $0.60 |
| Efficient EV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.09 | $0.50 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5 | 0 | $1.75 | $0.80 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Morning in Hamden on Tuesday
Local time
6:16 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
17m 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 turn-heavy local drive for this 12.5-mile stretch, with 0% highway share. Your longest uninterrupted period behind the wheel will be about 4.3 miles along Whitney Avenue. The roads you'll navigate include Whitney Avenue, Main Street, and Cheshire Road, indicating a progression through local communities rather than open highways. This profile suggests a drive where you'll be making frequent turns and navigating more typical town and city streets.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
7 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.3 mi on Whitney Avenue.
How Hard Is This Drive?
1/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive. The trickiest moment comes around 3.4 miles in near CT 68; CT 70 / West Main Street.
Driving Effort
1/10
Very easy - short and simple to drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The drive from Prospect, CT to Hamden, CT is easy. At 17m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 3.4 miles (CT 68; CT 70 / West Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 4.8 miles (CT 68; CT 70 / Main Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.1 miles (CT 10; CT 68; CT 70 / Main Street): 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 17m. Total distance: 12.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
17m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 4.3 miles on Whitney Avenue. 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.
The main spots that need attention: at 3.4 miles (CT 68; CT 70 / West Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 4.8 miles (CT 68; CT 70 / Main Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.1 miles (CT 10; CT 68; CT 70 / Main Street): 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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