Origin
Waterbury, CT
Morning in Waterbury on Tuesday
Local time
8:42 AM
EDT
Current temp
58°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Waterbury, CT to East Haven, 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
41m
Distance
27.4 mi
44 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 38m
★
6 AM
0h 42m
8 AM
0h 48m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 43m
3 PM
0h 44m
5 PM
0h 48m
8 PM
0h 39m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Waterbury, CT
Wikimedia Commons
East Haven, CT
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Waterbury, CT to East Haven, CT is 27.4 miles and takes about 41 minutes via CT 8, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a straightforward, same-day trip contained entirely within Connecticut. You'll experience a mixed drive, transitioning from highway to local roads. Given the short duration and modest fuel cost, this route is ideal for a quick transit or an add-on to a larger regional exploration. Plan for a journey that is more about efficient travel between two points in the Northeast than a destination in itself.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| CT 8 | 11 mi | 12m |
| Amity Road | 3.4 mi | 5m |
| Whalley Avenue | 2.9 mi | 4m |
| Seymour Road | 2.5 mi | 4m |
| New Haven Road | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Forbes Avenue | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Frontage Road | 1 mi | 1m |
| Water Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
CT 8
— 11 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Waterbury, CT and East Haven, CT.
1
Start on West Main Street
0.3 mi
·
49 sec
·
West Main Street
Use the straight lane.
2
Turn left onto Riverside Street
113 ft
·
1 sec
·
Riverside Street
3
Continue on Riverside Street
0.4 mi
·
40 sec
·
Riverside Street
4
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Toward CT 8 South: Bridgeport
5
Merge onto CT 8
11 mi
·
12 min
·
CT 8
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Exit 18
Toward CT 67: Seymour
Use the slight right lane.
7
Keep slight left at fork
204 ft
·
11 sec
Toward CT 67 East: Woodbridge
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
8
Turn left onto CT 67
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
New Haven Road
9
Continue on CT 67
2.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Seymour Road
10
Turn right onto CT 63
3.4 mi
·
5 min
·
Amity Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
11
Continue on CT 63
2.9 mi
·
4 min
·
Whalley Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
12
Continue on Broadway
0.1 mi
·
19 sec
·
Broadway
Use the straight / right lanes.
13
Continue on Elm Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Elm Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
14
Turn right onto State Street
0.4 mi
·
51 sec
·
State Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
15
Turn left onto Water Street
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Water Street
Use the left lane.
16
Continue on US 1
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Forbes Avenue
17
Turn right onto US 1
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Frontage Road
18
Continue on US 1
446 ft
·
9 sec
·
Frontage Road
19
Continue on US 1
0.5 mi
·
45 sec
·
Saltonstall Parkway
20
Turn right onto CT 142
0.3 mi
·
31 sec
·
Hemingway Avenue
21
Arrive at destination
Hemingway Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 115 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 23.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Riverside Street
Turn left onto Riverside Street
Navigation decision point
5
0.9 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
CT 8
Merge onto CT 8
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
11.9 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Take the exit toward CT 67: Seymour
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 18
Toward CT 67: Seymour
8
12.1 mi into trip
|
~15m in
Keep slight left at fork toward CT 67 East: Woodbridge
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Toward CT 67 East: Woodbridge
6
23.2 mi into trip
|
~34m in
|
State Street
Turn right onto State Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.41 one way
$8.82 round trip
$4.09/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.50 | $4.85 | $9.71 |
| premium | $4.86 | $5.25 | $10.49 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.05 | $12.10 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.2 | 0 | $2.88 | $1.32 |
| Efficient EV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.40 | $1.10 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11 | 0 | $3.84 | $1.75 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
East Haven, CT
Morning in East Haven on Tuesday
Local time
8:42 AM
EDT
Current temp
42°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
16 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
41m 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 drive offers a mixed bag of road types, with 42% of the journey on highways. You'll encounter stretches on CT 8, including one uninterrupted segment of 11 miles, which provides a taste of faster travel. As you progress, the route shifts, incorporating roads like Amity Road and Whalley Avenue, suggesting a transition to more urban or suburban environments. Expect a dynamic driving experience that balances efficiency with local road navigation, rather than a purely monotonous highway cruise.
42% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
21 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11 mi on CT 8.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near Riverside Street.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 27.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (Riverside Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.9 miles (CT 8): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 11.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Waterbury, CT
Full guide →Waterbury is a small city in Connecticut that calls itself Brass City because its industrial base was built on metal industries, including silver, but particularly brass. It is a pleasant city to visit, with a historic downtown, nearby parks, and culinary attractions like a chocolate factory and artisanal bakeries.
Arriving in East Haven, CT
Full guide →East Haven is a town in Connecticut three minutes' drive from New Haven and 35 miles from Hartford. It is part of the Greater New Haven area, founded in 1683. The town's population was 28,000 as of 2020. While East Haven has been well-known for a large Italian-American population, the town has received many newer immigrants, particularly from Ecuador, since the late 20th century. The shape of the town is vertically long, and split into three different areas: Foxon, the Center, and Momauguin. Foxon is the northernmost section and is surrounded Branford and North Branford as well as New Haven. The Center is not geographically the center of town, but contains the town hall, library, and the green, surrounded by a suburban area. Momauguin, to the south, borders New Haven along the coastline and contains the Tweed New Haven Regional Airport.
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 41m. Total distance: 27.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
41m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (42%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 11 miles on CT 8. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 East Haven, CT 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 0.3 miles (Riverside Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.9 miles (CT 8): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 11.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Weir Farm National Historical Park. 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 East Haven, 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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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