Origin
Allen, TX
Afternoon in Allen on Tuesday
Local time
12:09 PM
CDT
Current temp
83°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Allen, TX to Plano, TX
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
10m
Distance
7.2 mi
12 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 10m
★
6 AM
0h 11m
8 AM
0h 12m
10 AM
0h 11m
12 PM
0h 11m
3 PM
0h 11m
5 PM
0h 12m
8 PM
0h 10m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Allen, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Plano, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a quick commute between Allen and Plano, this 7.2-mile journey is as straightforward as it gets. Expect to spend only about 10 minutes behind the wheel, making this a perfect candidate for a single-day trip. You will primarily navigate via Central Expressway, West 15th Street, and South Central Expressway. With a modest fuel budget of just $1, this route is incredibly economical for local transit. Since both cities are located within the Great Plains region of Texas, you won't experience any major shifts in landscape or terrain. It is a highly practical drive that serves as a seamless connection between these two neighboring cities.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Central Expressway | 5.1 mi | 6m |
| West 15th Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| South Central Expressway | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| West McDermott Drive | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| South Allen Drive | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| West Main Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| East 15th Street | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Central Expressway
— 5.1 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Allen, TX and Plano, TX.
1
Start on West Main Street
449 ft
·
15 sec
·
West Main Street
2
Turn left onto South Allen Drive
527 ft
·
14 sec
·
South Allen Drive
3
Turn right onto West McDermott Drive
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
West McDermott Drive
Use the right lane.
4
Turn left onto South Central Expressway
0.4 mi
·
40 sec
·
South Central Expressway
Use the left lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Toward US 75 South
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
6
Merge onto US 75
4.3 mi
·
4 min
·
Central Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
Exit 29
Toward Park Boulevard, 15th Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Turn straight onto Central Expressway
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Central Expressway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
9
Turn left onto West 15th Street
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
West 15th Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
10
Arrive at destination
East 15th Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 5.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West McDermott Drive
Turn right onto West McDermott Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
0.6 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
South Central Expressway
Turn left onto South Central Expressway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the ramp toward US 75 South
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Toward US 75 South
5
1.2 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
US 75 / Central Expressway
Merge onto US 75 / Central Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
5.5 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Take the exit toward Park Boulevard, 15th Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 29
Toward Park Boulevard, 15th Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.09 one way
$2.18 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $1.19 | $2.38 |
| premium | $4.54 | $1.29 | $2.57 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.59 | $3.18 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.44
Central Expressway
(5.5 mi)
$0.44
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Tolls
$0
Total
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.2 | 0 | $0.76 | $0.35 |
| Efficient EV | 1.8 | 0 | $0.63 | $0.29 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 2.9 | 0 | $1.01 | $0.46 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (67% 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
Plano, TX
Afternoon in Plano on Tuesday
Local time
12:09 PM
CDT
Current temp
83°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
10m 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 trip is a quintessential highway-focused drive, with 77% of your time spent on major thoroughfares. You will spend the vast majority of your journey on the Central Expressway, which features a long, uninterrupted stretch of 5.1 miles. Because the total duration is only 10 minutes, the experience is efficient rather than scenic. You won't find yourself navigating winding backroads or complex technical turns; instead, you get a direct, fast-paced transition between urban centers. It is a no-nonsense route designed for getting you from point A to point B with minimal friction.
77% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.1 mi on Central Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Central Expressway and West 15th Street. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near West McDermott Drive.
Driving Effort
6/10
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 7.2 miles you will encounter 8 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 (West McDermott Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.6 miles (South Central Expressway): Lane positioning matters here; at 1 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
677 ft
586 ft
Total Climb
149 ft
Total Descent
141 ft
Highest Point
677 ft
~0.5 mi in
Elevation Range
91 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Allen, TX
Full guide →Founded 1953
Arriving in Plano, TX
Full guide →Plano is a city of 285,000 people (2020) in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex region of Texas and is north of Dallas. It is home to the headquarters of several large corporations.
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 10m. Total distance: 7.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
10m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (77%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 5.1 miles on Central Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.44 in tolls one way, starting with Central Expressway. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
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 Plano, TX 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 0.2 miles (West McDermott Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.6 miles (South Central Expressway): Lane positioning matters here; at 1 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Plano, TX 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 USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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