Origin
Benavides, TX
Morning in Benavides on Sunday
Local time
11:12 AM
CDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Benavides, TX to Corpus Christi, TX
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 28m
Distance
71.3 mi
115 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$11
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 22m
★
6 AM
1h 29m
8 AM
1h 42m
10 AM
1h 33m
12 PM
1h 32m
3 PM
1h 34m
5 PM
1h 42m
8 PM
1h 25m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Benavides, TX
Pixabay
Corpus Christi, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Benavides to Corpus Christi is 71.3 miles and takes about 1 hour 28 minutes via East Main Street and East State Highway 44, with a fuel budget near $11 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Great Plains region of Texas. You'll primarily be on surface roads, making it a straightforward drive. The route is ideal for a same-day excursion, offering a simple way to get from one point to another without extensive planning.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| East Main Street | 41.5 mi | 52m |
| East State Highway 44 | 11.3 mi | 12m |
| East Gravis Avenue | 10.6 mi | 12m |
| I 37 | 4.4 mi | 5m |
| TX 44 | 1 mi | 1m |
| North Padre Island Drive | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| South Doctor E.E. Dunlap Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Interstate Highway 37 | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
East Main Street
— 41.5 mi, about 52m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Benavides, TX and Corpus Christi, TX.
1
Start on TX 359; FM 2295
15 mi
·
22 min
·
East Main Street
2
Continue on TX 359
0.3 mi
·
26 sec
·
South Doctor E.E. Dunlap Street
3
Turn right onto TX 44; TX 359
11 mi
·
12 min
·
East Gravis Avenue
4
Continue on TX 44; TX 359
26 mi
·
30 min
·
East Main Street
Use the straight lane.
5
Take the exit onto TX 44
0.6 mi
·
49 sec
·
TX 44
6
Take the exit onto TX 44
0.5 mi
·
53 sec
·
TX 44
7
Turn left onto TX 44
11 mi
·
12 min
·
East State Highway 44
8
Keep slight left at fork
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Toward TX 358 West
9
Merge onto TX 358
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
North Padre Island Drive
Use the straight lane.
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
55 sec
Toward I 37 South
11
Merge onto I 37
4.3 mi
·
5 min
·
I 37
12
Continue on Interstate Highway 37
387 ft
·
10 sec
·
Interstate Highway 37
13
Continue on Interstate Highway 37
444 ft
·
15 sec
·
Interstate Highway 37
14
Continue on I 37
483 ft
·
9 sec
·
I 37
15
Arrive at destination
I 37
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
36 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 16 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 35.6 miles from Benavides, TX, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 65 decision points cluster between mile 52.4 and 66.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
3
52.4 mi into trip
|
~1h 5m in
|
TX 44
Take the exit onto TX 44
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
3
53 mi into trip
|
~1h 6m in
|
TX 44
Take the exit onto TX 44
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
5
64.8 mi into trip
|
~1h 19m in
Keep slight left at fork toward TX 358 West
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward TX 358 West
5
65.3 mi into trip
|
~1h 20m in
|
TX 358 / North Padre Island Drive
Merge onto TX 358 / North Padre Island Drive
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
5
66.2 mi into trip
|
~1h 21m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 37 South
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward I 37 South
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$10.77 one way
$21.55 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
25 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $11.79 | $23.59 |
| premium | $4.54 | $12.73 | $25.46 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $15.74 | $31.48 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$11
Estimated CO2 emission: 24.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $7 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 21.4 | 0 | $7.49 | $3.42 |
| Efficient EV | 17.8 | 0 | $6.24 | $2.85 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 28.5 | 0 | $9.98 | $4.56 |
Gas CO2
25 kg
EV CO2
8 kg (68% 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
Corpus Christi, TX
Morning in Corpus Christi on Sunday
Local time
11:12 AM
CDT
Current temp
72°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
6 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
1h 28m 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 drive is mostly surface roads, with only 24% of the route on highways. You'll encounter your longest continuous stretch on East Main Street, covering 41.5 miles. Expect to transition from surface streets to highway driving and back, with a noticeable increase in traffic and exits as you approach Corpus Christi. The majority of your time will be spent on local roads.
Only 24% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 41.5 mi on East Main Street.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 6 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 52.4 miles in near TX 44.
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 71.3 miles you will encounter 6 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 52.4 miles (TX 44): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 53 miles (TX 44): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 64.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
About the Cities
Arriving in Corpus Christi, TX
Full guide →Corpus Christi (called Corpus by the locals) is Texas's largest coastal city and the gateway to Padre Island. While Corpus Christi isn't on the way to much of anything except itself (and the islands off its coast), it offers enough to fill a visit in its own right, or a multi-day trip from San Antonio, Austin, or Houston. The name is Latin for "Body of Christ".
Top landmarks
- • USS Lexington — 1942 Essex-class aircraft carrier
- • Corpus Christi Cathedral — historic place in Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas
- • Sherman Building — listed on the NRHP in Nuences County, Texas
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 1h 28m. Total distance: 71.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 28m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (24%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 41.5 miles on East Main Street. 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 52.4 miles (TX 44): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 53 miles (TX 44): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 64.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Corpus Christi, 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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