Origin
Brooks, KY
Late night in Brooks on Sunday
Local time
5:57 AM
EDT
Current temp
53°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Brooks, KY to Louisville, KY
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
15.3 mi
25 km
Drive Score
6/10
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.
Brooks, KY
Timur Zh
Louisville, KY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Brooks, KY to Louisville, KY is 15.3 miles and takes about 21 minutes via the Kentucky Turnpike, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short, straightforward drive stays within the Southeast region of Kentucky. Given its highway-focused profile and minimal duration, this trip is ideal for a same-day excursion. You'll primarily be on major roadways, making it a quick and efficient way to get from point A to point B without much fuss. Consider this route when you need to cover a short distance with minimal travel time.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Turnpike | 13.4 mi | 16m |
| West Muhammad Ali Boulevard | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| John Harper Highway | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Brooks Hill Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| South 5th Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South Brook Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Jefferson Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Kentucky Turnpike
— 13.4 mi, about 16m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Brooks, KY and Louisville, KY.
1
Start on KY 1526
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
·
Brooks Hill Road
2
Continue on KY 1526
0.4 mi
·
41 sec
·
John Harper Highway
3
Turn left
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
4
Merge onto I 65
13 mi
·
16 min
·
Kentucky Turnpike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
Exit 136B
Toward Brook Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Continue on South Brook Street
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
South Brook Street
7
Turn left onto West Muhammad Ali Boulevard
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
West Muhammad Ali Boulevard
Use the left / straight lanes.
8
Turn right onto South 5th Street
0.2 mi
·
36 sec
·
South 5th Street
9
Turn left onto West Jefferson Street
221 ft
·
7 sec
·
West Jefferson Street
10
Arrive at destination
West Jefferson Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 65 decision points cluster between mile 1 and 15.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
1 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
I 65 / Kentucky Turnpike
Merge onto I 65 / Kentucky Turnpike
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
14.4 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Take the exit toward Brook Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 136B
Toward Brook Street
5
14.7 mi into trip
|
~19m in
|
West Muhammad Ali Boulevard
Turn left onto West Muhammad Ali Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight lanes.
4
15.1 mi into trip
|
~20m in
|
South 5th Street
Turn right onto South 5th Street
Navigation decision point
5
15.3 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
West Jefferson Street
Turn left onto West Jefferson Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.39 one way
$4.78 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.63 | $5.25 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.94 | $5.89 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.38 | $6.76 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.94
Kentucky Turnpike
(13.4 mi)
$0.94
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Tolls
$1
Total
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.6 | 0 | $1.61 | $0.73 |
| Efficient EV | 3.8 | 0 | $1.34 | $0.61 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.1 | 0 | $2.14 | $0.98 |
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
Louisville, KY
Late night in Louisville on Sunday
Local time
5:57 AM
EDT
Current temp
54°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
21m 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 is an 87% highway-focused drive, meaning you'll spend most of your time on faster-paced roads. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 13.4 miles along the Kentucky Turnpike, offering a consistent experience for a significant portion of the journey. The route's character is defined by its efficiency, designed for direct travel rather than leisurely sightseeing. Expect a smooth, high-speed transition primarily utilizing highways like West Muhammad Ali Boulevard and John Harper Highway.
87% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 13.4 mi on Kentucky Turnpike.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Kentucky Turnpike and West Muhammad Ali Boulevard. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 1 miles in near I 65 / Kentucky Turnpike.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 21m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1 miles (I 65 / Kentucky Turnpike): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.7 miles (West Muhammad Ali Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Louisville, KY
Full guide →Louisville, the largest city in Kentucky, is known for the Kentucky Derby horserace and as the "gateway to the south" from southern Indiana. It's a lively mid-sized city with an excellent dining scene, ample opportunities for bourbon tasting, and interesting public art. Louisville is also the namesake of the Official Bat of Major League Baseball — the Louisville Slugger.
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: 15.3 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 (87%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 13.4 miles on Kentucky Turnpike. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.94 in tolls one way, starting with Kentucky Turnpike. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
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 1 miles (I 65 / Kentucky Turnpike): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.7 miles (West Muhammad Ali Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Louisville, KY 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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