Origin
Blue Ash, OH
Late night in Blue Ash on Sunday
Local time
12:33 AM
EDT
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Blue Ash, OH to Cincinnati, OH
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
21m
Distance
13.2 mi
21 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 20m
★
6 AM
0h 22m
8 AM
0h 25m
10 AM
0h 23m
12 PM
0h 23m
3 PM
0h 23m
5 PM
0h 25m
8 PM
0h 21m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Blue Ash, OH
Wikimedia Commons
Cincinnati, OH
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This quick 13.2-mile drive from Blue Ash, OH to Cincinnati, OH takes about 21 minutes and is ideal for a single-day trip. With a low fuel cost of around $2, it's an economical journey. The route primarily uses the Northeast Expressway and William Howard Taft Road, offering a straightforward drive through the Midwest region. Given its short distance, you can easily fit this into a busy schedule without needing an overnight stay. Consider this an easy transit rather than a destination in itself.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast Expressway | 9.8 mi | 13m |
| William Howard Taft Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Kenwood Road | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Calhoun Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Cooper Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Ohio Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Northeast Expressway
— 9.8 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Blue Ash, OH and Cincinnati, OH.
1
Start on Cooper Road
430 ft
·
17 sec
·
Cooper Road
2
Turn right onto Kenwood Road
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Kenwood Road
3
Turn right
398 ft
·
21 sec
4
Take the ramp
0.1 mi
·
12 sec
Toward SR 126 East: Ronald Reagan Highway
Use the right lane.
5
Merge onto SR 126
0.3 mi
·
25 sec
·
Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway
6
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Exit 32B&C
Toward I 71: Columbus, Cincinnati
Use the slight right lane.
7
Keep slight right at fork
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
Exit 32B
Toward I 71 South: Cincinnati
Use the slight right lane.
8
Merge onto I 71
9.8 mi
·
13 min
·
Northeast Expressway
Use the slight right lane.
9
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
19 sec
Exit 3A; 3B
Toward Taft Road, Martin Luther King Drive
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight left at fork
0.8 mi
·
1 min
Toward Taft Road
Use the straight / left lanes.
11
Turn straight onto William Howard Taft Road
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
William Howard Taft Road
Use the left / straight lanes.
12
Continue on Calhoun Street
0.2 mi
·
37 sec
·
Calhoun Street
13
Turn left onto Ohio Avenue
340 ft
·
13 sec
·
Ohio Avenue
14
Arrive at destination
Ohio Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 115 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 11.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
0.6 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the ramp toward SR 126 East: Ronald Reagan Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward SR 126 East: Ronald Reagan Highway
9
1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the exit toward I 71: Columbus, Cincinnati
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 32B&C
Toward I 71: Columbus, Cincinnati
9
1.3 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 71 South: Cincinnati
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 32B
Toward I 71 South: Cincinnati
8
11.3 mi into trip
|
~16m in
Take the exit toward Taft Road, Martin Luther King Drive
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 3A; 3B
Toward Taft Road, Martin Luther King Drive
7
11.4 mi into trip
|
~17m in
Keep slight left at fork toward Taft Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left lanes.
Toward Taft Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.05 one way
$4.10 round trip
$3.94/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.38 | $2.27 | $4.55 |
| premium | $4.91 | $2.55 | $5.10 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.91 | $5.83 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4 | 0 | $1.39 | $0.63 |
| Efficient EV | 3.3 | 0 | $1.15 | $0.53 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.3 | 0 | $1.85 | $0.84 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Cincinnati, OH
Late night in Cincinnati on Sunday
Local time
12:33 AM
EDT
Current temp
75°F
Showers And Thunderstorms Likely
W 14 mph
68% chance
Live forecast
Special Weather Statement
Special Weather Statement issued April 18 at 3:09PM EDT by NWS Charleston WV
Freeze Watch
Freeze Watch issued April 18 at 2:54PM EDT until April 20 at 9:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH
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
16 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
21m 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?
This drive is predominantly highway-focused, with 75% of the journey taking place on faster roads like the Northeast Expressway. You'll experience a longest stretch of 9.8 miles on the Northeast Expressway, allowing for consistent speed. The route transitions to local roads like William Howard Taft Road and Kenwood Road, which may involve more traffic signals and slightly slower speeds as you approach your destination. Expect a mix of efficient highway travel and more urban driving conditions.
75% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 9.8 mi on Northeast Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Northeast Expressway and William Howard Taft Road. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.6 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 13.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 21m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Blue Ash, OH
Full guide →Blue Ash is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, and part of the Greater Cincinnati area.
Arriving in Cincinnati, OH
Full guide →Founded 1788
Cincinnati is Ohio's third largest city and the largest metro region, and lies on the north bank of the Ohio River in Southwest Ohio in the United States of America. Cincinnati is distinct amongst Midwestern cities. Its culture is a mixture of the Northeast, Old South, Midwest, and Appalachia blended with a strong German-Catholic heritage. It was one of the United States' early boomtowns, and the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood is the largest National Historic District in the country. Today, it's part of a fast-growing metro area, and home to a remarkable blend of industry and architecture. Downtown Cincinnati is surrounded by picturesque foothills that add a beautiful backdrop to the Queen City and its legendary skyline – celebrated in the opening credits of television show WKRP in Cincinnati.
Top landmarks
- • Carew Tower — skyscraper in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
- • Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains — cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati in downtown Cincinnati...
- • Cincinnati Observatory — other organization in Cincinnati, United States
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 21m. Total distance: 13.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
21m 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 9.8 miles on Northeast Expressway. 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 Cincinnati, OH 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 0.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.3 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 Cincinnati, OH 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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