Origin
Carrollton, TX
Late night in Carrollton on Tuesday
Local time
3:08 AM
CDT
Current temp
84°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Carrollton, TX to Dallas, TX
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
21m
Distance
16 mi
26 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 26m
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.
Carrollton, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Dallas, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are planning a quick excursion from Carrollton to Dallas, you are looking at a straightforward 16.1-mile journey. This transit typically takes about 21 minutes, making it an effortless day trip that requires no overnight stay. You will primarily utilize Interstate 35E, also known as I-35E South or the South Stemmons Freeway, to navigate between these two Great Plains locations. With a fuel budget of just $2, this route is exceptionally economical for commuters or casual travelers. Since the trip is brief and direct, you can easily complete it in a single outing without needing to plan for additional stops along the way.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Stemmons Freeway | 8.4 mi | 10m |
| South Stemmons Freeway | 5.4 mi | 6m |
| East Belt Line Road | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Continental Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| South Interstate 35E | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| North Lamar Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Stemmons Freeway
— 8.4 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Carrollton, TX and Dallas, TX.
1
Start on East Belt Line Road
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
East Belt Line Road
2
Turn left onto South Interstate 35E
0.3 mi
·
27 sec
·
South Interstate 35E
Use the left lane.
3
Take the ramp
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
Toward I 35E South, US 77 South
4
Merge onto I 35E
5.4 mi
·
6 min
·
South Stemmons Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Keep slight left at fork onto I 35E
8.3 mi
·
10 min
·
North Stemmons Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
Exit 429B
Toward Continental Avenue, Commerce Street West
Use the slight right lane.
7
Turn straight onto North Stemmons Freeway
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
North Stemmons Freeway
8
Turn left onto Continental Avenue
0.3 mi
·
48 sec
·
Continental Avenue
Use the left / straight lanes.
9
Turn slight right onto North Lamar Street
433 ft
·
10 sec
·
North Lamar Street
10
Arrive at destination
North Lamar Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 65 decision points cluster between mile 1.2 and 15.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
1.2 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
South Interstate 35E
Turn left onto South Interstate 35E
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
1.5 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Take the ramp toward I 35E South, US 77 South
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 35E South, US 77 South
5
1.6 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
I 35E / South Stemmons Freeway
Merge onto I 35E / South Stemmons Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
7 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
I 35E / North Stemmons Freeway
Keep slight left at fork onto I 35E / North Stemmons Freeway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
15.3 mi into trip
|
~20m in
Take the exit toward Continental Avenue, Commerce Street West
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 429B
Toward Continental Avenue, Commerce Street West
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.42 one way
$4.84 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $2.65 | $5.29 |
| premium | $4.54 | $2.86 | $5.71 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.53 | $7.07 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.6 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 | 4.8 | 0 | $1.68 | $0.77 |
| Efficient EV | 4 | 0 | $1.40 | $0.64 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.4 | 0 | $2.24 | $1.02 |
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
Dallas, TX
Late night in Dallas on Tuesday
Local time
3:08 AM
CDT
Current temp
55°F
Showers And Thunderstorms
NW 10 mph
100% chance
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
29 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
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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive that keeps you engaged rather than lulled by a monotonous interstate grind. While you are traveling via the South Stemmons Freeway, the route functions more like a busy local corridor than an open-road highway experience. Because the highway share is 0 percent, you should be prepared for frequent adjustments and urban traffic patterns rather than high-speed cruising. There is no long, uninterrupted stretch on Interstate 35E, so you will need to maintain focus as you navigate the transition from Carrollton into the heart of Dallas. This drive is defined by its constant movement and urban connectivity.
88% 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: 8.4 mi on North Stemmons Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on North Stemmons Freeway and South Stemmons Freeway. You will hit about 6 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 1.2 miles in near South Interstate 35E.
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 16 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 1.2 miles (South Interstate 35E): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.6 miles (I 35E / South Stemmons Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Carrollton, TX
Full guide →Founded 1913
Carrollton is a fast-growing suburb of Dallas, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, in the Prairies and Lakes region of Texas. In 2019, it was home to about 140,000 people.
Arriving in Dallas, TX
Full guide →“Big D” · Founded 1841
Dallas, with a population of more than 1.3 million residents, is the ninth largest city in the United States and the third largest in the state of Texas. It is an impressive melting pot of culture and character. Boasting high-end luxury hotels, innumerable fine dining spots, and one of the busiest airports in the world, Dallas maintains an upscale ethos reflected by an affluent population, world-class museums, and a shimmering modern skyline. Its history was marred by the infamous assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, but there is more historic and contemporary heritage to be discovered in the city. As a center of the oil and cotton industries in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Dallas was a classic American boom town and remains one of the fastest growing cities in the nation.
Top landmarks
- • Dallas Museum of Art — art museum in Dallas, Texas
- • Texas School Book Depository — building in Dallas, Texas, United States
- • George W. Bush Presidential Center — Presidential library and museum for U.S. President George W. Bush, located in Da...
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: 16 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 (88%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 8.4 miles on North Stemmons Freeway. 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 1.2 miles (South Interstate 35E): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.6 miles (I 35E / South Stemmons Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Dallas, 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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