Origin
Atlanta, GA
Late night in Atlanta on Sunday
Local time
3:48 AM
EDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Atlanta, GA to Austell, GA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
24m
Distance
17.3 mi
28 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 23m
★
6 AM
0h 25m
8 AM
0h 29m
10 AM
0h 26m
12 PM
0h 26m
3 PM
0h 26m
5 PM
0h 29m
8 PM
0h 23m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Atlanta, GA
Wikimedia Commons
Austell, GA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 17.3-mile drive from Atlanta, GA to Austell, GA is easily manageable as a day trip, taking approximately 24 minutes. The route primarily utilizes the Ralph David Abernathy Freeway and Thornton Road, with a significant 72% highway share. With an estimated fuel cost of $3, this is a budget-friendly journey. Given its proximity within the Southeast region, you won't experience significant regional changes. This straightforward drive is ideal for a quick local excursion, offering minimal disruption to your day.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Ralph David Abernathy Freeway | 12.3 mi | 15m |
| Thornton Road | 2.5 mi | 4m |
| Veterans Memorial Highway | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| Washington Street Southwest | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Memorial Drive Southwest | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Martin Luther King Jr Drive Southwest | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Pryor Street Southwest | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Capitol Avenue Southeast | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Ralph David Abernathy Freeway
— 12.3 mi, about 15m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Atlanta, GA and Austell, GA.
1
Start on Capitol Avenue Southeast
195 ft
·
9 sec
·
Capitol Avenue Southeast
2
Turn left onto Martin Luther King Jr Drive Southwest
434 ft
·
16 sec
·
Martin Luther King Jr Drive Southwest
Use the left lane.
3
Turn left onto Washington Street Southwest
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
·
Washington Street Southwest
Use the left / straight lanes.
4
Turn right onto Memorial Drive Southwest
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
Memorial Drive Southwest
5
Turn left onto Pryor Street Southwest
210 ft
·
4 sec
·
Pryor Street Southwest
Use the left lane.
6
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Toward I 20 West
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
Merge onto I 20
12 mi
·
15 min
·
Ralph David Abernathy Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Exit 44
Toward GA 6: Thornton Road, Austell
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight right at fork
175 ft
·
4 sec
Use the slight right lane.
10
Merge onto GA 6
2.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Thornton Road
Use the right lane.
11
Turn right onto US 78; US 278; GA 5; GA 8
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Veterans Memorial Highway
Use the straight / right lanes.
12
Turn right onto Love Street
111 ft
·
3 sec
·
Love Street
13
Arrive at destination
Love Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 115 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 13.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Martin Luther King Jr Drive Southwest
Turn left onto Martin Luther King Jr Drive Southwest
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
0.6 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Pryor Street Southwest
Turn left onto Pryor Street Southwest
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
0.6 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Take the ramp toward I 20 West
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Toward I 20 West
8
13.2 mi into trip
|
~17m in
Take the exit toward GA 6: Thornton Road, Austell
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 44
Toward GA 6: Thornton Road, Austell
7
13.4 mi into trip
|
~17m in
Keep slight right at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.71 one way
$5.41 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $2.96 | $5.92 |
| premium | $4.70 | $3.20 | $6.40 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.82 | $7.64 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.2 | 0 | $1.82 | $0.83 |
| Efficient EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.51 | $0.69 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.42 | $1.11 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
Austell, GA
Late night in Austell on Sunday
Local time
3:48 AM
EDT
Current temp
52°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
4 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
24m 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 for most of this trip, with 72% of the drive on major roadways. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 12.3 miles along the Ralph David Abernathy Freeway, providing a consistent pace. As you transition to Thornton Road and Veterans Memorial Highway, the character may shift slightly, but the overall feel remains geared towards efficient travel. This route prioritizes getting you to your destination with minimal fuss.
72% 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: 12.3 mi on Ralph David Abernathy Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Ralph David Abernathy Freeway and Thornton Road. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Martin Luther King Jr Drive Southwest.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 17.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 24m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Martin Luther King Jr Drive Southwest): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.6 miles (Pryor Street Southwest): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Atlanta, GA
Full guide →Atlanta is the vanguard of the New South, with the charm and elegance of the Old. It's a city that balances southern traditions with sleek modernism, and southern hospitality with three skylines and the world’s busiest airport. It's a city that has been burnt to the ground and built back up; seen the horrors of war; felt the pain of droughts and floods; and given birth to Martin Luther King, Jr., the greatest figure of the civil rights movement. Atlanta is the capital of the state of Georgia.
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 24m. Total distance: 17.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
24m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (72%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 12.3 miles on Ralph David Abernathy Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 4 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
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 Austell, GA 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: near the start (Martin Luther King Jr Drive Southwest): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.6 miles (Pryor Street Southwest): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park and Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. 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 Austell, GA 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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