West Orange to Hackensack commute? (moving, best, pay)

[ansky]

My wife is considering applying for a job in Hackensack but is very concerned about the commute from West Orange. Assuming normal hours of 9 to 5, how long would it take each way? Is there any other reasonable way to get there besides the Parkway?

[HalfFull]

Looks like about 35 minutes. Instead of GSP, could take the Turnpike or 80. I think going all local roads would add at least 5-10 minutes. See attached: Google Maps

[pbergen]

Originally Posted by ansky

My wife is considering applying for a job in Hackensack but is very concerned about the commute from West Orange. Assuming normal hours of 9 to 5, how long would it take each way? Is there any other reasonable way to get there besides the Parkway?

i would guess 30-45 minutes - probably closer to the latter figure during rush hour, especially if your wife needs to do a lot of local driving to get to the highway.

the parkway is not going to be super quick, but i still think it's the best option. i would not take 280 east to the turnpike north, as the stickel bridge, which connects newark and harrison over the passaic river, is always a mess during rush hour.

if your wife is ok with driving 5-6 miles along the local streets of essex county, she could cut through montclair/glen ridge/bloomfield to belleville or east orange/north newark to get to route 21 north, which is almost always traffic-free. then, she can switch from 21 north to 46 or 80 east to get to hackensack. it's probably not any faster than just sticking with the parkway, but at least she'll be continuously moving.

[nykstevenyg]

Parkway to Exit 160. 35 minute commute. On the way back there is usually traffic by the Essex toll you can get off bloomfield Ave and come up that way.

[twista6002]

280 to Rt 1 to Rt 17 in case you don't want to pay the tolls. Other than that I think the Parkway is the best bet