Origin
Prospect Park, NJ
Morning in Prospect Park on Sunday
Local time
6:57 AM
EDT
Current temp
72°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Prospect Park, NJ to Lakewood, NJ
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
50m
Distance
38 mi
61 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 46m
★
6 AM
0h 50m
8 AM
0h 59m
10 AM
0h 53m
12 PM
0h 52m
3 PM
0h 54m
5 PM
0h 58m
8 PM
0h 48m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Prospect Park, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Lakewood, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are planning a quick trip from Prospect Park to Lakewood, you are looking at a straightforward 38-mile journey that typically takes about 50 minutes. This route is designed for efficiency, relying on the Central Jersey Expressway, John Fitch Way, and US Highway 9 to get you to your destination. Because the total travel time is under an hour, it is perfectly suited for a single-day excursion, meaning you won't need to worry about overnight accommodations. Budgeting approximately $6 for fuel is a safe bet for this transit through the Northeast. Ultimately, this drive is a practical, no-nonsense connection between these two New Jersey communities.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Central Jersey Expressway | 27 mi | 31m |
| John Fitch Way | 4.4 mi | 6m |
| US Highway 9 | 3.6 mi | 5m |
| Madison Avenue | 1 mi | 2m |
| Calhoun Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Pennington Avenue | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Prospect Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Weber Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Central Jersey Expressway
— 27 mi, about 31m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Prospect Park, NJ and Lakewood, NJ.
1
Start on Weber Avenue
0.1 mi
·
32 sec
·
Weber Avenue
2
Turn left onto CR 627
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Prospect Street
3
Turn left onto NJ 31
0.5 mi
·
43 sec
·
Pennington Avenue
4
Turn right onto CR 653
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Calhoun Street
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
5
Take the ramp
306 ft
·
10 sec
Toward NJ 29 South
Use the right lane.
6
Turn right onto NJ 29
4.4 mi
·
6 min
·
John Fitch Way
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Continue on I 195
27 mi
·
31 min
·
Central Jersey Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
Exit 28A
Toward US 9 South: Lakewood
Use the slight right lane.
9
Merge onto US 9
3.6 mi
·
5 min
·
US Highway 9
10
Continue on US 9
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Madison Avenue
11
Turn left onto 8th Street
46 ft
·
2 sec
·
8th Street
Use the left lane.
12
Arrive at destination
8th Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
19 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.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 38 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 19 miles from Prospect Park, NJ, 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 85 decision points cluster between mile 1 and 38 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
CR 653 / Calhoun Street
Turn right onto CR 653 / Calhoun Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
5
1.7 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Take the ramp toward NJ 29 South
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward NJ 29 South
5
1.8 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
NJ 29 / John Fitch Way
Turn right onto NJ 29 / John Fitch Way
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
33.1 mi into trip
|
~41m in
Take the exit toward US 9 South: Lakewood
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 28A
Toward US 9 South: Lakewood
6
38 mi into trip
|
~50m in
|
8th Street
Turn left onto 8th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.30 one way
$12.60 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
13 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $6.90 | $13.80 |
| premium | $4.93 | $7.37 | $14.74 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.39 | $16.78 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 13.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11.4 | 0 | $3.99 | $1.82 |
| Efficient EV | 9.5 | 0 | $3.32 | $1.52 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 15.2 | 0 | $5.32 | $2.43 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (69% 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
Lakewood, NJ
Morning in Lakewood on Sunday
Local time
6:57 AM
EDT
Current temp
70°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
2 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
50m 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?
This trip is a highway-focused drive, with 81% of your travel occurring on high-speed roads. You will find yourself settling into a rhythm during the longest stretch of the journey, which covers 27 miles along the Central Jersey Expressway. While the route prioritizes speed and directness, the character of the road shifts as you transition between the various highways and US-9. It is a functional, consistent experience behind the wheel, lacking the complexity of technical local roads but offering a reliable pace. Expect a steady, uninterrupted drive that prioritizes getting you from point A to point B without unnecessary deviations.
81% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 27 mi on Central Jersey Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Central Jersey Expressway and John Fitch Way. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 1 miles in near CR 653 / Calhoun 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 38 miles you will encounter 8 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 1 miles (CR 653 / Calhoun Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles (NJ 29 / John Fitch Way): Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
159 ft
14 ft
Total Climb
182 ft
Total Descent
203 ft
Highest Point
159 ft
~24.4 mi in
Elevation Range
144 ft
About the Cities
Arriving in Lakewood, NJ
Full guide →Lakewood is a town in Ocean 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 50m. Total distance: 38 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
50m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (81%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 27 miles on Central Jersey Expressway. 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 1 miles (CR 653 / Calhoun Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles (NJ 29 / John Fitch Way): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Lakewood, 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 USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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