Origin
Albany Park, IL
Night in Albany Park on Saturday
Local time
11:38 PM
CDT
Current temp
73°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Albany Park, IL to Chicago, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
17m
Distance
10.5 mi
17 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 16m
★
6 AM
0h 18m
8 AM
0h 21m
10 AM
0h 19m
12 PM
0h 19m
3 PM
0h 19m
5 PM
0h 21m
8 PM
0h 17m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Albany Park, IL
Willian Justen de Vasconcellos
Chicago, IL
Otoniel Alvarado
Trip Overview
This short 10.5-mile drive from Albany Park to Chicago, Illinois, is a quick 17-minute trip perfect for a single-day adventure. Primarily utilizing the Kennedy Expressway and Dan Ryan Expressway, about 75% of this route is highway driving, making it a straightforward commute. With a low estimated fuel cost of just $2, this trip is very budget-friendly. Given its brevity, no overnight stays are necessary, offering flexibility in your schedule. This route keeps you within the Midwest region, highlighting the interconnectedness of urban areas in Illinois.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Kennedy Expressway | 6.9 mi | 10m |
| North Pulaski Road | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Dan Ryan Expressway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| West Lawrence Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Cermak Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South Union Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South Halsted Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| South Canalport Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Kennedy Expressway
— 6.9 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Albany Park, IL and Chicago, IL.
1
Start on West Lawrence Avenue
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
·
West Lawrence Avenue
2
Turn left onto North Pulaski Road
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
North Pulaski Road
Use the left lane.
3
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
4
Merge onto I 90; I 94
6.9 mi
·
10 min
·
Kennedy Expressway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
5
Continue on I 90; I 94
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Dan Ryan Expressway
6
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Exit 52C
Toward 18th Street
Use the slight right lane.
7
Turn slight left onto South Union Avenue
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
South Union Avenue
8
Turn right onto South Canalport Avenue
505 ft
·
12 sec
·
South Canalport Avenue
9
Turn left onto South Halsted Street
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
South Halsted Street
10
Turn right onto West Cermak Road
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
West Cermak Road
11
Turn left
152 ft
·
11 sec
12
Turn right
0.2 mi
·
58 sec
13
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 10.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
North Pulaski Road
Turn left onto North Pulaski Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
1.6 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
I 90; I 94 / Kennedy Expressway
Merge onto I 90; I 94 / Kennedy Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
7
9.5 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Take the exit toward 18th Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 52C
Toward 18th Street
4
10 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
South Halsted Street
Turn left onto South Halsted Street
Navigation decision point
4
10.2 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
West Cermak Road
Turn right onto West Cermak Road
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.64 one way
$3.28 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $1.80 | $3.60 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.02 | $4.04 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.32 | $4.64 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.2 | 0 | $1.10 | $0.50 |
| Efficient EV | 2.6 | 0 | $0.92 | $0.42 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.2 | 0 | $1.47 | $0.67 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Chicago, IL
Night in Chicago on Saturday
Local time
11:38 PM
CDT
Current temp
51°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
22 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
17m 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 experience on this route, with 75% of the journey on expressways like the Kennedy Expressway and Dan Ryan Expressway. You'll encounter a significant uninterrupted stretch of 6.9 miles on the Kennedy Expressway, allowing for steady progress. The drive largely consists of navigating major arterial roads and high-speed limited-access highways, characteristic of urban Midwestern travel. While primarily a highway grind, the transition onto North Pulaski Road offers a brief change of pace before rejoining the expressway system.
75% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.9 mi on Kennedy Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Kennedy Expressway and North Pulaski Road. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near North Pulaski Road.
Driving Effort
5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 10.5 miles you will encounter 9 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (North Pulaski Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.6 miles (I 90; I 94 / Kennedy Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Chicago, IL
Full guide →Chicago is the home of the blues and the truth of jazz, the heart of comedy and the idea of the skyscraper. Here, the age of railroads found its center, and airplanes followed suit. "Stormy, Husky, Brawling / City of Big Shoulders," Chicago is a Heartland boomtown, its ethos defined by urban planner Daniel Burnham's immortal vision: "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood." It is one of the world's great cities and the third largest city in the United States, behind only New York City and Los Angeles. As the hub of the Midwest, Chicago is easy to find — its picturesque skyline calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and public art, and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world.
Top landmarks
- • Willis Tower — skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois
- • Art Institute of Chicago — art museum and school in Chicago, United States
- • Wrigley Field — baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, USA; home venue of the Chicago Cubs
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 17m. Total distance: 10.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
17m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (75%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 6.9 miles on Kennedy Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 0.2 miles (North Pulaski Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.6 miles (I 90; I 94 / Kennedy Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Pullman 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 Chicago, IL 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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