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Trip from Rush, PA to City of Scranton, PA

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 19m

Distance

56.9 mi

92 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$9

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 18 min
4 AM
1h 13m ★
6 AM
1h 19m
8 AM
1h 31m
10 AM
1h 23m
12 PM
1h 22m
3 PM
1h 24m
5 PM
1h 31m
8 PM
1h 15m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Downtown Rush, PA, PA

Rush, PA

Radik 2707

Downtown City of Scranton, PA, PA

City of Scranton, PA

Michael Taccetta

Trip Overview

This 46.9-mile drive from Rush, PA to the City of Scranton, PA takes approximately 1 hour and 6 minutes, making it a perfect candidate for a day trip. You'll primarily be on State Route 706, Wyalusing Street, and Church Street, with no highway driving involved. The estimated fuel cost for this journey is around $8. Given its short distance and straightforward nature, this route offers flexibility for when you want to depart and how you pace yourself. Both your starting point and destination are located within Pennsylvania's Northeast region, so you won't be crossing any state lines on this short hop.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 81 31.7 mi 37m
State Route 706 9.8 mi 14m
Grow Avenue 8.1 mi 14m
North Scranton Expressway 2.9 mi 4m
US 11 1.1 mi 1m
Church Street 0.5 mi <1m
US 6 BUS 0.4 mi <1m
Wyalusing Street 0.4 mi <1m
Longest stretch: I 81 — 31.7 mi, about 37m

Traffic on I-81

Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 4 FHWA count stations on your route.

Peak

4 PM

~1,460 veh/hr typical · worst 1,802

Quietest

2 AM

~139 veh/hr

Peak-to-quiet ratio

10.5×

busier at peak than in the quiet hours

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 42 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Rush, PA and City of Scranton, PA.

1

Start on PA 706

9.8 mi · 14 min · State Route 706
2

Continue on PA 706

0.4 mi · 31 sec · Wyalusing Street
3

Continue on PA 167; PA 706

0.5 mi · 50 sec · Church Street
4

Continue on PA 29; PA 167; PA 706

8.1 mi · 14 min · Grow Avenue
5

Turn left onto US 11

1.1 mi · 1 min · US 11
6

Turn right onto PA 492

0.3 mi · 27 sec · Jackson Street
7

Continue on PA 492

0.2 mi · 19 sec · State Route 492
8

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 38 sec
9

Merge onto I 81

32 mi · 37 min · I 81
Use the straight lane.
10

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 54 sec
Toward US 11 South: Scranton Expressway Use the slight right lane.
11

Merge onto US 6 BUS

0.1 mi · 13 sec · US 6 BUS
Toward US 11 South: Scranton Expressway Use the straight lane.
12

Keep slight left at fork onto US 6 BUS

0.2 mi · 23 sec · US 6 BUS
Toward US 11 South: Scranton Expressway
13

Continue on US 11

2.9 mi · 4 min · North Scranton Expressway
Use the straight lane.
14

Continue on US 11; PA 307

0.2 mi · 36 sec · Mulberry Street
Use the straight lane.
15

Turn right onto Penn Avenue

0.3 mi · 44 sec · Penn Avenue
Use the right lane.
16

At end of road, turn left onto Lackawanna Avenue

0.3 mi · 35 sec · Lackawanna Avenue
17

Turn right onto CR 3023

0.1 mi · 10 sec · Cedar Avenue
18

Arrive at destination

Cedar Avenue

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Downtown New Milford, PA, PA

Mid-route town

Meal stop

New Milford, PA

28 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

New Milford, PA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 13 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Lenox, PA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 28.5 miles from Rush, PA, 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 10

5 decision points cluster between mile 20.7 and 56.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
20.7 mi into trip | ~33m in | I 81

Merge onto I 81

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane.
6
52.4 mi into trip | ~1h 10m in

Take the exit toward US 11 South: Scranton Expressway

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Toward US 11 South: Scranton Expressway
7
52.8 mi into trip | ~1h 11m in | US 6 BUS

Merge onto US 6 BUS toward US 11 South: Scranton Expressway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane. Toward US 11 South: Scranton Expressway
6
52.9 mi into trip | ~1h 12m in | US 6 BUS

Keep slight left at fork onto US 6 BUS toward US 11 South: Scranton Expressway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

Toward US 11 South: Scranton Expressway
6
56.2 mi into trip | ~1h 17m in | Penn Avenue

Turn right onto Penn Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$9.28 one way

$18.57 round trip

$4.14/gal 25.4 MPG avg 20 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.56 $10.21 $20.42
premium $4.86 $10.89 $21.79
diesel $5.40 $12.10 $24.21

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$9

Estimated CO2 emission: 19.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.

Driving Electric?

About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 17.1 0 $5.97 $2.73
Efficient EV 14.2 0 $4.98 $2.28
EV Truck/SUV 22.8 0 $7.97 $3.64

Gas CO2

20 kg

EV CO2

7 kg (65% 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.

Forecast as of Apr 20, 2026

Origin

Rush, PA

Morning in Rush on Sunday

Local time

8:59 AM

EDT

Current temp

41°F

Scattered Snow Showers

NW 12 mph 29% chance Live forecast

Freeze Warning

Freeze Warning issued April 20 at 11:32AM EDT until April 21 at 10:00AM EDT by NWS Cleveland OH

Freeze Warning

Freeze Warning issued April 20 at 10:17AM EDT until April 21 at 9:00AM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

Destination

City of Scranton, PA

Morning in City of Scranton on Sunday

Local time

8:59 AM

EDT

Current temp

45°F

Mostly Sunny then Isolated Rain And Snow Showers

NW 7 to 13 mph 20% chance Live forecast

Freeze Warning

Freeze Warning issued April 20 at 11:32AM EDT until April 21 at 10:00AM EDT by NWS Cleveland OH

Freeze Warning

Freeze Warning issued April 20 at 10:17AM EDT until April 21 at 9:00AM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

36°F

New Milford, PA

28 mi in

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 warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

1h 19m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

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 entire 46.9-mile journey, as indicated by the 0% highway share. You won't encounter any long, uninterrupted stretches of high-speed road. Instead, this route is characterized by navigating through local streets and state routes, requiring constant attention to turns and road signs. The character of the drive will likely involve frequent adjustments to speed and direction as you transition between different road types, keeping you engaged behind the wheel from start to finish.

81% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 31.7 mi on I 81.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 81 and State Route 706. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 20.7 miles in near I 81.

Driving Effort 7/10

Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 56.9 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 20.7 miles (I 81): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 52.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 52.8 miles (US 6 BUS): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 19m. Total distance: 56.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 19m 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 31.7 miles on I 81. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Yes — we found about 5 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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 City of Scranton, PA 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 20.7 miles (I 81): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 52.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 52.8 miles (US 6 BUS): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at City of Scranton, PA 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 FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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