Best Time to Drive from Manhattan to Elizabeth

None of this drive is measured by working traffic sensors right now. The rest is estimated from nearby sensors, typical speeds and street traffic, so times can be off. Why so few sensors work.

Typical drive time by departure time

Minutes from Manhattan to Elizabeth by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	37	39	45	56	61	59	60	56	68	59	65	85	96	78	54	47	44
Tue	37	38	47	56	58	59	59	59	67	59	73	96	94	79	60	50	48
Wed	37	39	45	56	60	65	58	60	61	58	68	102	99	87	61	50	46
Thu	37	38	45	58	61	61	61	63	71	66	81	97	108	94	68	54	52
Fri	37	38	45	58	59	58	65	77	74	82	108	116	109	94	68	53	50
Sat	39	37	40	44	48	57	67	79	61	67	61	62	71	66	63	52	52
Sun	37	36	39	41	45	49	61	63	64	53	65	71	71	58	53	49	48

About this drive

On weekdays the 21-mile drive from Manhattan to Elizabeth (via NJ-495 West) usually takes as little as 37 minutes and up to 116 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 64 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (79 minutes).

About 11 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 10 miles surface streets (21 to 74 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Manhattan to central Elizabeth along the route on the map. Starting or ending elsewhere in a big city can add or save several minutes.

Simulated from typical freeway speeds at each point of the drive for the time you would reach it, from every 5-minute reading we have recorded. We don't have sensors on surface streets yet, so the time on them is estimated from how congested the freeways around each end of the drive are at that time, in both directions: streets jam when the freeways do.

Questions

What is the best time to drive from Manhattan to Elizabeth?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am. The drive usually takes about 37 minutes then, versus up to 116 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Manhattan to Elizabeth?

The 21-mile drive usually takes 37 to 116 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 64 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Manhattan to Elizabeth?

Leaving around 4 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 116 minutes.

More drives

Manhattan to Brooklyn · Manhattan to Staten Island · Manhattan to Newark · Manhattan to East Flatbush · Manhattan to Bushwick · Manhattan to Gravesend · Manhattan to Fordham · Manhattan to Flatbush · Manhattan to Clifton · Manhattan to New Rochelle · Manhattan to Passaic · Manhattan to Bayside

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	37	39	45	56	61	59	60	56	68	59	65	85	96	78	54	47	44
Tue	37	38	47	56	58	59	59	59	67	59	73	96	94	79	60	50	48
Wed	37	39	45	56	60	65	58	60	61	58	68	102	99	87	61	50	46
Thu	37	38	45	58	61	61	61	63	71	66	81	97	108	94	68	54	52
Fri	37	38	45	58	59	58	65	77	74	82	108	116	109	94	68	53	50
Sat	39	37	40	44	48	57	67	79	61	67	61	62	71	66	63	52	52
Sun	37	36	39	41	45	49	61	63	64	53	65	71	71	58	53	49	48

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	37	39	45	56	61	59	60	56	68	59	65	85	96	78	54	47	44
Tue	37	38	47	56	58	59	59	59	67	59	73	96	94	79	60	50	48
Wed	37	39	45	56	60	65	58	60	61	58	68	102	99	87	61	50	46
Thu	37	38	45	58	61	61	61	63	71	66	81	97	108	94	68	54	52
Fri	37	38	45	58	59	58	65	77	74	82	108	116	109	94	68	53	50
Sat	39	37	40	44	48	57	67	79	61	67	61	62	71	66	63	52	52
Sun	37	36	39	41	45	49	61	63	64	53	65	71	71	58	53	49	48

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	37	39	45	56	61	59	60	56	68	59	65	85	96	78	54	47	44
Tue	37	38	47	56	58	59	59	59	67	59	73	96	94	79	60	50	48
Wed	37	39	45	56	60	65	58	60	61	58	68	102	99	87	61	50	46
Thu	37	38	45	58	61	61	61	63	71	66	81	97	108	94	68	54	52
Fri	37	38	45	58	59	58	65	77	74	82	108	116	109	94	68	53	50
Sat	39	37	40	44	48	57	67	79	61	67	61	62	71	66	63	52	52
Sun	37	36	39	41	45	49	61	63	64	53	65	71	71	58	53	49	48