Origin
Union County, NJ
Morning in Union County on Sunday
Local time
6:30 AM
EDT
Current temp
61°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Union County, NJ to Jersey City, NJ
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
26m
Distance
16.2 mi
26 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 24m
★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 31m
10 AM
0h 28m
12 PM
0h 28m
3 PM
0h 28m
5 PM
0h 31m
8 PM
0h 25m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Union County, NJ
Dajana Blakcori
Trip Overview
This 16.2-mile drive from Union County, NJ, to Jersey City, NJ, is a quick 26-minute trip focused on highways. With an estimated fuel cost of $3, it's an economical option, easily completed as a single-day excursion. The route primarily utilizes major expressways, making it a straightforward journey within the Northeast region. Given its short distance and efficient path, this drive is best suited for those looking for a direct and uncomplicated transit between these two New Jersey locations.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway | 4.6 mi | 5m |
| Garden State Parkway | 3.5 mi | 4m |
| US 1 Truck | 2.9 mi | 5m |
| US 1 | 2.1 mi | 3m |
| North Avenue East | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Springfield Avenue | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Duncan Avenue | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Central Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway
— 4.6 mi, about 5m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Union County, NJ and Jersey City, NJ.
1
Start on Central Avenue
490 ft
·
19 sec
·
Central Avenue
2
Turn right onto CR 615
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Springfield Avenue
3
At end of road, turn left onto NJ 28
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
North Avenue East
Use the left lane.
4
Turn left
0.4 mi
·
48 sec
Toward GSP Toll North
Use the left lane.
5
Merge onto GSP
3.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Garden State Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
13 sec
7
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
Exit 142A
Toward I 78 East: Newark Airport, Newark
8
Merge onto I 78
4.6 mi
·
5 min
·
Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
44 sec
Exit 58B
Toward US 1-9 North: Frontage Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
10
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
Toward US 1-9 North
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
11
Merge onto US 1; US 9
2.1 mi
·
3 min
·
US 1; US 9
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Take the exit onto US 1 Truck; US 9 Truck
0.3 mi
·
24 sec
·
US 1 Truck; US 9 Truck
Toward US 1-9 Truck North, I 95, NJTP: Jersey City, New Jersey Turnpike
13
Keep slight left at fork onto US 1 Truck; US 9 Truck
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
US 1 Truck; US 9 Truck
Toward US 1, US 9 North
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Take the exit onto US 1 Truck; US 9 Truck
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
US 1 Truck; US 9 Truck
Toward US 1 Truck North, US 9 Truck North
Use the left lane.
15
Turn right onto Duncan Avenue
0.4 mi
·
51 sec
·
Duncan Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
16
Turn left onto Olean Avenue
316 ft
·
13 sec
·
Olean Avenue
17
Arrive at destination
Olean Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 155 decision points cluster between mile 0.5 and 13.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
0.5 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
NJ 28 / North Avenue East
At end of road, turn left onto NJ 28 / North Avenue East
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
8
5.4 mi into trip
|
~9m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 78 East: Newark Airport, Newark
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 142A
Toward I 78 East: Newark Airport, Newark
7
10.3 mi into trip
|
~16m in
Take the exit toward US 1-9 North: Frontage Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Exit 58B
Toward US 1-9 North: Frontage Road
8
10.5 mi into trip
|
~16m in
Keep slight left at fork toward US 1-9 North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward US 1-9 North
8
13.1 mi into trip
|
~20m in
|
US 1 Truck; US 9 Truck
Keep slight left at fork onto US 1 Truck; US 9 Truck toward US 1, US 9 North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward US 1, US 9 North
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.69 one way
$5.37 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $2.94 | $5.88 |
| premium | $4.93 | $3.14 | $6.28 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.58 | $7.15 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.21
Garden State Parkway
(3.5 mi)
$0.21
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Tolls
$0
Total
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.70 | $0.78 |
| Efficient EV | 4.1 | 0 | $1.42 | $0.65 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.5 | 0 | $2.27 | $1.04 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
Jersey City, NJ
Morning in Jersey City on Sunday
Local time
6:30 AM
EDT
Current temp
49°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
12 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
26m 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 highway-focused drive for this route, with 81% of the journey on high-speed roads. You'll encounter the Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway, Garden State Parkway, and US 1 Truck as your main arteries. The longest uninterrupted stretch covers 4.6 miles on the Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway, offering a consistent pace. This drive generally maintains a steady, efficient flow, characteristic of a primary corridor connecting urban and suburban areas in New Jersey.
81% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.6 mi on Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway and Garden State Parkway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.5 miles in near NJ 28 / North Avenue East.
Driving Effort
10/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 15 decision points packed into just 16.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 26m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (NJ 28 / North Avenue East): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 10.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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 Union County, NJ and Jersey City, NJ, road signs point toward Gsp Toll North, Newark, Njtp: Jersey City and New Jersey Turnpike.
Gsp Toll North
1.4 mi in
|
~3m
Newark
5.4 mi in
|
~9m
Njtp: Jersey City
12.8 mi in
|
~20m
|
via US 1 Truck; US 9 Truck
New Jersey Turnpike
12.8 mi in
|
~20m
|
via US 1 Truck; US 9 Truck
About the Cities
Arriving in Jersey City, NJ
Full guide →Jersey City is New Jersey's second-largest city. Jersey City sits in Hudson County in the northeastern section of the state, across the Hudson from its older and bigger cousin, New York City, and south of Hoboken. It is frequently referred to as New York’s “sixth borough”. Until the early 1600s, the area was inhabited by Lenape Indians. The Dutch then settled here as a part of the colony of New Amsterdam. It evolved into an industrial powerhouse, with railroads winding up and down the city (some of these lines are still used today). Although Jersey City declined in the 1960s, an upswing began in the 1980s, and the city was transformed into what it is today.
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 26m. Total distance: 16.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
26m 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 4.6 miles on Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.21 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.
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 Jersey City, NJ 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 0.5 miles (NJ 28 / North Avenue East): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 10.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Thomas Edison National Historical Park, Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park and Gateway National Recreation Area (4 total within detour distance). See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Jersey City, 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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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