Origin
Arlington, TX
Late night in Arlington on Tuesday
Local time
5:55 AM
CDT
Current temp
61°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Arlington, TX to Dallas, 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
27m
Distance
20.2 mi
32 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 25m
★
6 AM
0h 28m
8 AM
0h 32m
10 AM
0h 29m
12 PM
0h 29m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 32m
8 PM
0h 26m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Arlington, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Dallas, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling between Arlington and Dallas covers a short distance of 21.5 miles, making it an easy trip to complete in about 26 minutes. Because the drive is strictly local, you won't need to worry about booking overnight stays, as it functions perfectly as a quick day trip. You can expect to spend approximately $3 on fuel for the entire journey. Navigating through the heart of the Great Plains, this route relies entirely on surface streets rather than major interstates. It is a straightforward, practical commute for anyone looking to move between these two Texas hubs efficiently.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Landry Freeway | 15.5 mi | 17m |
| South Mesquite Street | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| East Copeland Road | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| North Center Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| East Interstate 30 | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Continental Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| North Stemmons Freeway | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Abram Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Tom Landry Freeway
— 15.5 mi, about 17m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Arlington, TX and Dallas, TX.
1
Start on West Abram Street
93 ft
·
8 sec
·
West Abram Street
2
Continue on West Abram Street
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
West Abram Street
3
Turn left onto South Mesquite Street
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
South Mesquite Street
Use the left lane.
4
Turn straight onto North Center Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
North Center Street
5
Turn slight right
218 ft
·
9 sec
Use the right lane.
6
Turn straight onto East Interstate 30
0.2 mi
·
45 sec
·
East Interstate 30
7
Continue on East Copeland Road
0.5 mi
·
55 sec
·
East Copeland Road
Use the left / straight lanes.
8
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
56 sec
Toward I 30 East
Use the straight / left lanes.
9
Merge onto I 30
16 mi
·
17 min
·
Tom Landry Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
14 sec
Exit 45A
Toward I 35E North: Denton
Use the slight right lane.
11
Keep slight left at fork
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
Toward I 35E North: Denton, Commerce Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight left at fork
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 35E North: Denton
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Merge onto I 35E
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
·
North Stemmons Freeway
14
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Exit 429A
Toward Continental Avenue
Use the slight right lane.
15
Turn right onto Continental Avenue
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
·
Continental Avenue
Use the right lane.
16
Turn slight right onto North Lamar Street
433 ft
·
10 sec
·
North Lamar Street
17
Arrive at destination
North Lamar Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 115 decision points cluster between mile 18.6 and 19.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
18.6 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Take the exit toward I 35E North: Denton
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 45A
Toward I 35E North: Denton
9
18.7 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 35E North: Denton, Commerce Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 35E North: Denton, Commerce Street
7
18.9 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 35E North: Denton
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 35E North: Denton
8
19.6 mi into trip
|
~26m in
Take the exit toward Continental Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 429A
Toward Continental Avenue
6
19.8 mi into trip
|
~26m in
|
Continental Avenue
Turn right onto Continental Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.05 one way
$6.10 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $3.34 | $6.68 |
| premium | $4.54 | $3.61 | $7.21 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.46 | $8.92 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.1 | 0 | $2.12 | $0.97 |
| Efficient EV | 5.1 | 0 | $1.77 | $0.81 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.1 | 0 | $2.83 | $1.29 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Dallas, TX
Late night in Dallas on Tuesday
Local time
5:55 AM
CDT
Current temp
69°F
Mostly Cloudy
S 10 to 15 mph
9% chance
Live forecast
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 13 at 10:24PM CDT until April 14 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Lubbock TX
Fire Weather Watch
The Fire Weather Watch has been replaced. Please see the latest information from NWS Lubbock TX on this developing situa...
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
8 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
27m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive that keeps you engaged behind the wheel. Unlike a monotonous highway cruise, this 21.5-mile route utilizes West Abram Street, South Mesquite Street, and North Center Street to navigate the urban landscape. With a highway share of 0%, you should prepare for frequent stops and turns rather than long, uninterrupted stretches of road. The character of the drive remains consistent throughout, prioritizing local connectivity over high-speed travel. Your focus will be on navigating city streets, which provides a very different experience than a typical interstate trek.
79% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 15.5 mi on Tom Landry Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Tom Landry Freeway and South Mesquite Street. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 18.6 miles in.
Driving Effort
9/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 20.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 27m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 18.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 18.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 18.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Arlington, TX
Full guide →Founded 1876
Arlington is a city in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex metropolitan area, in the Prairies and Lakes region of Texas. With a population of almost 400,000 (2019), it is Texas' seventh largest, and the third largest in the Metroplex. Arlington is south of the sprawling DFW International Airport.
Top landmarks
- • Six Flags Over Texas — amusement park
- • Mini Mine Train — Steel roller coaster
- • Arlington Museum of Art — art museum in Texas, United States
Arriving in Dallas, TX
Full guide →“Big D” · Founded 1841
Dallas, with a population of more than 1.3 million residents, is the ninth largest city in the United States and the third largest in the state of Texas. It is an impressive melting pot of culture and character. Boasting high-end luxury hotels, innumerable fine dining spots, and one of the busiest airports in the world, Dallas maintains an upscale ethos reflected by an affluent population, world-class museums, and a shimmering modern skyline. Its history was marred by the infamous assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, but there is more historic and contemporary heritage to be discovered in the city. As a center of the oil and cotton industries in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Dallas was a classic American boom town and remains one of the fastest growing cities in the nation.
Top landmarks
- • Dallas Museum of Art — art museum in Dallas, Texas
- • Texas School Book Depository — building in Dallas, Texas, United States
- • George W. Bush Presidential Center — Presidential library and museum for U.S. President George W. Bush, located in Da...
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 27m. Total distance: 20.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
27m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (79%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 15.5 miles on Tom Landry Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 Dallas, 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 18.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 18.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 18.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Dallas, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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