Origin
Brighton Park, IL
Late night in Brighton Park on Tuesday
Local time
3:07 AM
CDT
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Brighton Park, IL to Elgin, IL
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
1h 2m
Distance
39.3 mi
63 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 57m
★
6 AM
1h 2m
8 AM
1h 12m
10 AM
1h 6m
12 PM
1h 5m
3 PM
1h 6m
5 PM
1h 12m
8 PM
0h 59m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Brighton Park, IL
Expect Best
Elgin, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Brighton Park, IL to Elgin, IL is 39.3 miles and takes about 1 hour 2 minutes via Eisenhower Expressway and Lake Street, with a fuel budget near $6 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a straightforward drive within Illinois, connecting two points in the Midwest region. The route offers a mixed driving experience, suitable for a single-day trip. You'll find it practical for getting from one area to another without extensive planning. Consider this trip when you need an efficient way to travel between these two Illinois locations.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Eisenhower Expressway | 10.4 mi | 14m |
| Lake Street | 6.7 mi | 11m |
| US 20 | 5.4 mi | 8m |
| West Lake Street | 5.2 mi | 6m |
| I 290 | 3.9 mi | 5m |
| South California Avenue | 3.2 mi | 6m |
| Villa Street | 2.5 mi | 4m |
| South Sacramento Boulevard | 0.7 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Eisenhower Expressway
— 10.4 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Brighton Park, IL and Elgin, IL.
1
Start on this road
461 ft
·
38 sec
·
this road
2
At end of road, turn left onto South Sacramento Avenue
355 ft
·
26 sec
·
South Sacramento Avenue
3
Turn sharp left onto South Archer Avenue
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
·
South Archer Avenue
4
Turn left onto South California Avenue
3.2 mi
·
6 min
·
South California Avenue
Use the left lane.
5
Turn left onto West Roosevelt Road
0.3 mi
·
30 sec
·
West Roosevelt Road
Use the left lane.
6
Turn right onto South Sacramento Boulevard
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
South Sacramento Boulevard
7
Turn left onto West Van Buren Street
116 ft
·
3 sec
·
West Van Buren Street
Use the left lane.
8
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
Toward I 290 West
9
Merge onto I 290; IL 110
10 mi
·
14 min
·
Eisenhower Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight right at fork onto I 290
3.9 mi
·
5 min
·
I 290
Toward I 290 West, I 294 North Toll: Rockford, Milwaukee
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit onto US 20
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
US 20
Exit 12
Toward US 20 West, IL 64 West: Lake Street, York Road
Use the right lane.
12
Keep slight left at fork onto US 20
5.3 mi
·
8 min
·
US 20
Toward US 20 West: Lake Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Continue on US 20
5.9 mi
·
10 min
·
Lake Street
Use the left / uturn lanes.
14
Continue on US 20
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Lake Street
15
Continue on US 20
5.2 mi
·
6 min
·
West Lake Street
16
Continue on US 20
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
·
Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway
17
Turn slight left onto Villa Street
2.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Villa Street
Toward Villa Street
Use the slight left lane.
18
Turn left
311 ft
·
28 sec
19
Turn left onto East Chicago Street
117 ft
·
3 sec
·
East Chicago Street
20
Arrive at destination
East Chicago Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
20 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 39 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 19.7 miles from Brighton Park, IL, 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 145 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 19.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South Sacramento Avenue
At end of road, turn left onto South Sacramento Avenue
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
6
3.7 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
West Roosevelt Road
Turn left onto West Roosevelt Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
8
15.2 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
I 290
Keep slight right at fork onto I 290 toward I 290 West, I 294 North Toll: Rockford, Milwaukee
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 290 West, I 294 North Toll: Rockford,...
8
19.1 mi into trip
|
~29m in
|
US 20
Take the exit onto US 20 toward US 20 West, IL 64 West: Lake Street, York Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the right lane.
Exit 12
Toward US 20 West, IL 64 West: Lake Street, Yor...
7
19.3 mi into trip
|
~30m in
|
US 20
Keep slight left at fork onto US 20 toward US 20 West: Lake Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward US 20 West: Lake Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.14 one way
$12.29 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
14 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $6.75 | $13.49 |
| premium | $4.89 | $7.56 | $15.13 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.68 | $17.35 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 13.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11.8 | 0 | $4.13 | $1.89 |
| Efficient EV | 9.8 | 0 | $3.44 | $1.57 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 15.7 | 0 | $5.50 | $2.52 |
Gas CO2
14 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (64% 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
Elgin, IL
Late night in Elgin on Tuesday
Local time
3:07 AM
CDT
Current temp
63°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
1 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 2m 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 a mixed bag, with about 50% of the journey on highways. You'll start on the Eisenhower Expressway for a stretch of up to 10.4 miles, offering a taste of faster-paced driving. Following that, the route transitions to Lake Street and then US 20, which will likely feel more like a typical local road experience. Expect varied traffic conditions as you move between these different road types. The drive progresses from expressway to more urban and suburban surface streets.
50% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.4 mi on Eisenhower Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near South Sacramento Avenue.
Driving Effort
8/10
Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 39.3 miles you will encounter 14 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 0.1 miles (South Sacramento Avenue): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 3.7 miles (West Roosevelt Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 15.2 miles (I 290): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Brighton Park, IL to Elgin, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Milwaukee along the way.
Milwaukee
15.2 mi in
|
~24m
|
via I 290
About the Cities
Arriving in Elgin, IL
Full guide →Founded 1854
Elgin is a city in Chicagoland known for its Victorian architecture and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra.
Top landmarks
- • Elgin Tower Building — building in Illinois, United States
- • Elgin Downtown Commercial District
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 2m. Total distance: 39.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 2m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (50%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 10.4 miles on Eisenhower 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 Elgin, IL 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 0.1 miles (South Sacramento Avenue): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 3.7 miles (West Roosevelt Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 15.2 miles (I 290): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Pullman National Historical Park. 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 Elgin, IL 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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