Directions from CT to Cape Liberty

Hello!

Sailing on Friday and wanted to get some information on the best route to take from Bridgeport CT to Bayonne. We would like to be at the port around 10. Thanks!

It’s 1 1/2 hours without traffic, there should be heavy traffic, so leave maybe at 7? Google map it or Waze around that time next week.

You want to get onto the Merritt/Hutchinson River Parkway. If you come down I95 to Rye NY there is a cutover to the Hutchinson River Parkway South exit 21 immediately after exit 2 in CT (no exit 1). This cutover is longer than the one at Milford and involves getting off onto I287 West and following the signs to the Merritt/Hutch. You get off onto a service road, go through a few lights and take the turn for the Hutch south.

The Merritt Pkwy becomes the Hutchinson River Pkwy at the NY/CT line. From the Hutch take exit 15 in New Rochelle to get on the Cross County Pkwy. Stay in the middle left lane, which will become the left lane when the road "scrunches". This leads onto the Saw Mill River Pkwy South which becomes the Henry Hudson Pkwy at the NYC line ($6 toll - if no EZPass they will bill you in the mail and you need to pay it!). The toll is worth every penny.

You take the George Washington Bridge exit and slide over to the middle left lane. Follow the NJ Turnpike signs. When you get on the turnpike, follow the first set of Lincoln Tunnel signs to get on the eastern spur of the turnpike, but don't get off at the actual tunnel exit. Continue on to exit 14-14A-14B-14C and follow the signs to exit 14A.

The are no triucks on this route and you will avoid any traffic issues on the Cross Bronx Expressway or the intersection with I87.

Wow, Carol. Great directions. Thanks so much. I use Waze and Google maps, but they are sometimes off. I feel better having something planned out. :D

We do have EZPass so no worries about tolls. I am thinking 2.5 - 3 hours to get to the port on Friday morning so my plan is to leave CT around 7 am. Does that seem like a reasonable time allowance? I want to get to the port no later than 10 am.

Thanks again! You are always so very helpful.

Wow, Carol. Great directions. Thanks so much. I use Waze and Google maps, but they are sometimes off. I feel better having something planned out. :D

 

We do have EZPass so no worries about tolls. I am thinking 2.5 - 3 hours to get to the port on Friday morning so my plan is to leave CT around 7 am. Does that seem like a reasonable time allowance? I want to get to the port no later than 10 am.

 

Thanks again! You are always so very helpful.

Honestly I don't know about the rush hour timings. Why do you want to be in Bayonne by 10 am? My advice is usually to plan to cross the CT/NY Line no earlier than 9 am to avoid the brunt of the rush hour traffic.

We want to get on early. Hoping to park in the garage. Plus Have 12 o'clock reservations in Chops.

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Leaving at 7 am should be fine. Just put on your patience and expect to hit traffic. IMO the key is to avoid I95 through NYC. The Westchester County Parkway route will do this for you.

Leaving at 7 am should be fine. Just put on your patience and expect to hit traffic. IMO the key is to avoid I95 through NYC. The Westchester County Parkway route will do this for you.

Thanks again for your help!

GPS & Google Maps navigation indicating the weekday morning trip of 75 miles can vary from just a little over 2 hours to as much as 4 hours ... make your best guess to head south on I-95 or the Merrit Parkway, there will be bottlenecks & congestions on both as you are joining the herds of commuter at its peak, although schools are out so there should be fewer vehicles on the road. Once you approach/cross the CT/NY state lines, you'll need to decide on whether to come south on the heavily used Hutch' (Merrit become HRP) or maybe head west on I-287 in the direction of Tappan Z. Bridge, and come down the perhaps on the Sprain Brook or Saw Mills Parkway - as that might be better (despite more miles to be driven) & faster vs. than using the Cross County route that 138east/Carol recommend, which is typically best on weekend ... as the Hutch can be jammed up badly at the I-684 junction near Rye/Playland interchange.

Coming south & cross Riverdale/Bronx into Manhattan & take exit for the GW Bridge, stay on I-98/I-80W for the split to the NJ Turnpike to Cape Liberty.

Keep your eyes on traffic this week as the roads usually aren't as heavily traveled with the summer exodus ... wish you safe travel & enjoy the cruise.

Thanks mking8288.

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Google Navigation app is very good at finding you an alternate route if there is a tie up. It is also accurate telling you there is a delay but it’s still the best route. Waze, since it’s made by the average Joe driver, sometimes takes you on roundabout ways thru less desirable blocks which I wouldn’t use if I wasn’t very familiar with the area.

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I live in Northern Westchester and always take I-287 to the Tappan Zee Bridge (aka Mario Cuomo Bridge, but I refuse to call it by the new name) to the Garden State Parkway. Then exit at Route 17 and go south and pick up the NJ Turnpike near the Meadowlands. I know this is not the route that Carol recommends but it's always worked for me. It avoids NYC entirely, which is a big plus for me. And coming back, the TZ toll is less than the GWB.

Waze, since it’s made by the average Joe driver, sometimes takes you on roundabout ways thru less desirable blocks which I wouldn’t use if I wasn’t very familiar with the area.

Where exactly are you concerned about it taking you that would be dangerous? Unless there is a really MAJOR traffic jam. it won't take you off the major highways.

We live in Stamford and have cruised out of Cape Liberty at least 20 times. We always leave our home around 8:30 am. We use the Waze App and have it set to fastest route. It usually takes us anywhere from 65 minutes to 90 minutes depending on traffic.

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We live in Stamford and have cruised out of Cape Liberty at least 20 times. We always leave our home around 8:30 am. We use the Waze App and have it set to fastest route. It usually takes us anywhere from 65 minutes to 90 minutes depending on traffic.

 

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And how does it usually route you? My Garmin GPS will never send me over the Tappan Zee, and typically adds around 10 minutes when I ignore it and get past the point of no return heading to the TZ. But it doesn't get a traffic signal up here so that assumes no traffic which is a virtual impossibility if going via the GWB. Haven't tried it with Waze.

We often cruise from Bayonne.

Live in Massachusetts.

We usually leave at 6 or 6:15am and in port around 9:30 - 10:30.

We pass Bridgeport approx 2 hours after leaving home.

We always use TZ bridge unless we are driving at night (from Florida)

We have only gone over the Tappan Zee once and that was on the way home from Bayonne. All the other times we have gone over the GWB both going and coming home..

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And how does it usually route you? My Garmin GPS will never send me over the Tappan Zee, and typically adds around 10 minutes when I ignore it and get past the point of no return heading to the TZ. But it doesn't get a traffic signal up here so that assumes no traffic which is a virtual impossibility if going via the GWB. Haven't tried it with Waze.

Is the Garmin real time navigation? That makes a huge difference in the tristate area. If it’s not real time, it is based solely on distance, not traffic conditions.

I have been checking both my apps around 7:30 each morning for the past couple of days and it seems like a 2.5 to 3 hour estimated driving time is reasonable. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and advice. I appreciate it!

I have been checking both my apps around 7:30 each morning for the past couple of days and it seems like a 2.5 to 3 hour estimated driving time is reasonable. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and advice. I appreciate it!

It's the Bridgeport to Stamford part that's probably going to kill you. Traffic is a nightmare almost all the time. We had to go to my niece's play at Black Rock school in Bridgeport (22 miles) on a Friday late afternoon. We left the house at 4:20 pm and got there at 5:50 pm. We were hardly on I95 at all. Waze took us all back roads through Westport / Fairfield. I had a headache when we got there.

Is the Garmin real time navigation? That makes a huge difference in the tristate area. If it’s not real time, it is based solely on distance, not traffic conditions.

No, that was my point. Because my Garmin doesn't get a traffic signal in my area (until I get much further south), it routes me based on time without trraffic, which makes the GWB via the Degan its preferred route. Of course, I know better than to believe it.

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It's the Bridgeport to Stamford part that's probably going to kill you. Traffic is a nightmare almost all the time. We had to go to my niece's play at Black Rock school in Bridgeport (22 miles) on a Friday late afternoon. We left the house at 4:20 pm and got there at 5:50 pm. We were hardly on I95 at all. Waze took us all back roads through Westport / Fairfield. I had a headache when we got there.

I get to drive to Black Rock everyday for work. Some days I take 95 and sometimes it's quicker to go down Fairfield Ave, so I totally get what you are saying.

I live in Northern Westchester and always take I-287 to the Tappan Zee Bridge (aka Mario Cuomo Bridge, but I refuse to call it by the new name) to the Garden State Parkway. Then exit at Route 17 and go south and pick up the NJ Turnpike near the Meadowlands. I know this is not the route that Carol recommends but it's always worked for me. It avoids NYC entirely, which is a big plus for me. And coming back, the TZ toll is less than the GWB.

We live in NW CT and always use the Tappan Zee and Garden State. We have been going down to 78 and across but would love to find a better route. Tried 95 to 80 to GSP going back last time (Sunday am) and liked that better. Can you explain the Route 17 way in more detail? Will be going down on a Saturday afternoon. Staying by Jersey Gardens then driving to the port in the am. Not a fan of multi-lane highways with the indecipherable NJ signage. lol.

We live in NW CT and always use the Tappan Zee and Garden State. We have been going down to 78 and across but would love to find a better route. Tried 95 to 80 to GSP going back last time (Sunday am) and liked that better. Can you explain the Route 17 way in more detail? Will be going down on a Saturday afternoon. Staying by Jersey Gardens then driving to the port in the am. Not a fan of multi-lane highways with the indecipherable NJ signage. lol.

I take the GSP to the Route 17 exit (159?) then stay on that to Route 3 and pick up the NJTP near Metlife Stadium.

I checked Waze this morning and it wanted to sent me down the Saw Mill to the GWB but the alternate route was over the TZB. However, rather than going over to the GSP, it had me taking the Palisades Parkway south to 9W and US 1-9 into Bayonne. It was 14 minutes slower than going via the GWB but apparently was toll-free and stayed off the turnpike and parkway (so I guess you might like it). I guess that routing makes some sense since with my Route 17 approach, I'm going much too far west only to come back east as I go south. I've done the US 1-9 route when heading to Paramus and Wayne after a cruise and missing the turn onto whatever road I should have gotten on (the cut-off the GPS was sending me to was confusing).

Just arrived at the port. Took just over 2 hours. Used Waze and the excellent directions on here. Thanks everyone for the info!

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