Origin
South Toms River, NJ
Morning in South Toms River on Sunday
Local time
6:38 AM
EDT
Current temp
45°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from South Toms River, 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
19m
Distance
11.7 mi
19 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Good
5 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 17m
★
6 AM
0h 19m
8 AM
0h 23m
10 AM
0h 20m
12 PM
0h 20m
3 PM
0h 21m
5 PM
0h 22m
8 PM
0h 18m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
South Toms River, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Lakewood, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are planning to travel from South Toms River to Lakewood, you are looking at a quick 13.7-mile trip that typically takes about 20 minutes. Because of the short distance, this is easily manageable as a single-day excursion, requiring no overnight stays. You will primarily navigate via US 9 and the Garden State Parkway, staying entirely within the Northeast region of New Jersey. With a fuel budget of just $2, this is an incredibly economical drive for your itinerary. It is a straightforward transit that prioritizes efficiency over long-distance exploration, making it ideal if you need to move between these two towns quickly.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Lakewood Road | 4.3 mi | 6m |
| Garden State Parkway | 2.7 mi | 3m |
| River Avenue | 2.6 mi | 4m |
| Madison Avenue | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| US 9 | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Lomell Lane | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 8th Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Lakewood Road
— 4.3 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between South Toms River, NJ and Lakewood, NJ.
1
Start on US 9
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
US 9
2
Take the exit onto US 9
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
·
US 9
Toward GSP Toll North, US 9 Toll North: Lakewood, New York
3
Merge onto GSP; US 9
2.7 mi
·
3 min
·
Garden State Parkway
4
Take the exit onto US 9
0.4 mi
·
34 sec
·
US 9
Exit 83
Toward US 9 North, CR 571, NJ 166: Lakewood
Use the slight right lane.
5
Keep slight left at fork
0.1 mi
·
12 sec
Toward Toms River
Use the straight lane.
6
Turn straight onto Lomell Lane
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
Lomell Lane
7
Turn right onto NJ 166
4.3 mi
·
6 min
·
Lakewood Road
Use the straight lane.
8
Continue on US 9
2.6 mi
·
4 min
·
River Avenue
9
Continue on US 9
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Madison Avenue
10
Turn right onto 8th Street
46 ft
·
2 sec
·
8th Street
11
Arrive at destination
8th Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 65 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 11.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
US 9
Take the exit onto US 9 toward GSP Toll North, US 9 Toll North: Lakewood, New York
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward GSP Toll North, US 9 Toll North: Lakewoo...
8
3.1 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
US 9
Take the exit onto US 9 toward US 9 North, CR 571, NJ 166: Lakewood
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 83
Toward US 9 North, CR 571, NJ 166: Lakewood
7
3.5 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Keep slight left at fork toward Toms River
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Toward Toms River
6
3.9 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
NJ 166 / Lakewood Road
Turn right onto NJ 166 / Lakewood Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
4
11.7 mi into trip
|
~19m in
|
8th Street
Turn right onto 8th Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.94 one way
$3.88 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $2.12 | $4.25 |
| premium | $4.93 | $2.27 | $4.54 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.58 | $5.17 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.16
Garden State Parkway
(2.7 mi)
$0.16
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Tolls
$0
Total
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.1 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 | 3.5 | 0 | $1.23 | $0.56 |
| Efficient EV | 2.9 | 0 | $1.02 | $0.47 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.64 | $0.75 |
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
Lakewood, NJ
Morning in Lakewood on Sunday
Local time
6:38 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
25 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
19m 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 as you make your way through these New Jersey municipalities. While you have access to the Garden State Parkway and US 9 North, the route maintains a 0% highway share, meaning you will spend your time navigating local surface streets rather than cruising on high-speed interstates. The personality of this drive is functional and demanding, requiring your attention for frequent turns rather than offering long, uninterrupted stretches of road. You will find that the character of the journey remains consistent from start to finish, emphasizing local connectivity over open-road touring.
30% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.3 mi on Lakewood Road.
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 6 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near US 9.
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 11.7 miles you will encounter 6 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 0.2 miles (US 9): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.1 miles (US 9): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
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.
Between South Toms River, NJ and Lakewood, NJ, road signs point toward Cr 571 and Toms River.
Cr 571
3.1 mi in
|
~4m
|
via US 9
Toms River
3.5 mi in
|
~4m
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 19m. Total distance: 11.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
19m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (30%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 4.3 miles on Lakewood Road. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.16 in tolls one way, starting with Garden State Parkway. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
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 (US 9): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.1 miles (US 9): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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