Origin
Chicago Heights, IL
Evening in Chicago Heights on Saturday
Local time
6:47 PM
CDT
Current temp
43°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Chicago Heights, IL to Cicero, IL
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 25, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
45m
Distance
27.7 mi
45 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 42m
★
6 AM
0h 46m
8 AM
0h 53m
10 AM
0h 48m
12 PM
0h 47m
3 PM
0h 49m
5 PM
0h 53m
8 PM
0h 43m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Chicago Heights, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Cicero, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Chicago Heights, IL to Cicero, IL is 27.7 miles and takes about 45m via South Cicero Avenue and Tri-State Tollway, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Midwest region, specifically within Illinois. It's a straightforward drive primarily on surface roads, making it a convenient option for local travel or a quick connection between two points. You won't need to block out a full day for this one, but it's good to be aware of the main roads involved.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| South Cicero Avenue | 10.6 mi | 17m |
| Tri-State Tollway | 8.5 mi | 10m |
| South Halsted Street | 5 mi | 10m |
| Cicero Avenue | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| South Laramie Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| West 31st Street | 0.5 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
South Cicero Avenue
— 10.6 mi, about 17m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Chicago Heights, IL and Cicero, IL.
1
Start on South Halsted Street
19 ft
·
8 sec
·
South Halsted Street
2
Continue on South Halsted Street
5.0 mi
·
10 min
·
South Halsted Street
3
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
54 sec
Toward I 80 West, I 294 North: Tri-State Tollway, Iowa, Wisconsin
Use the right lane.
4
Keep slight left at fork
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 80 West, I 294 North: Iowa, Wisconsin
5
Merge onto I 80; I 294
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
Tri-State Tollway
6
Keep slight left at fork onto I 294
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Tri-State Tollway
7
Keep slight left at fork onto I 294
6.4 mi
·
7 min
·
Tri-State Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 12B
Toward IL 50 North: Cicero Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn straight onto IL 50
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
Cicero Avenue
10
Continue on IL 50
11 mi
·
17 min
·
South Cicero Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Turn left onto West 31st Street
0.5 mi
·
58 sec
·
West 31st Street
Use the left lane.
12
Turn right onto South Laramie Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
South Laramie Avenue
13
Arrive at destination
South Laramie Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 5 and 26.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
5 mi into trip
|
~10m in
Take the ramp toward I 80 West, I 294 North: Tri-State Tollway, Iowa, Wisconsin
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the right lane.
Toward I 80 West, I 294 North: Tri-State Tollwa...
6
5.3 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 80 West, I 294 North: Iowa, Wisconsin
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 80 West, I 294 North: Iowa, Wisconsin
6
7.8 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
I 294 / Tri-State Tollway
Keep slight left at fork onto I 294 / Tri-State Tollway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
14.2 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Take the exit toward IL 50 North: Cicero Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 12B
Toward IL 50 North: Cicero Avenue
6
26.6 mi into trip
|
~43m in
|
West 31st Street
Turn left onto West 31st Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.23 one way
$8.45 round trip
$3.88/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.27 | $4.65 | $9.31 |
| premium | $4.81 | $5.24 | $10.48 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $5.89 | $11.78 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.51
Tri-state Tollway
(8.5 mi)
$0.51
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Tolls
$1
Total
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.3 | 0 | $2.91 | $1.33 |
| Efficient EV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.42 | $1.11 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.1 | 0 | $3.88 | $1.77 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
Cicero, IL
Evening in Cicero on Saturday
Local time
6:47 PM
CDT
Current temp
56°F
Slight Chance Drizzle then Mostly Sunny
NNE 15 mph
5% chance
Live forecast
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 25 at 10:19AM CDT by NWS Chicago IL
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 25 at 10:19AM CDT until April 29 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL
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
13 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
45m 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 route is almost entirely on surface roads, with a 0% highway share. You'll spend the bulk of your time on local streets, with the longest continuous stretch on surface roads being 10.6 miles along South Cicero Avenue. Be prepared for urban driving conditions as you navigate through developed areas, which often means dealing with traffic signals and intersections.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.6 mi on South Cicero Avenue.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 5 miles in.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 8 decision points packed into just 27.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 45m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 5 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 7.8 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
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.
Between Chicago Heights, IL and Cicero, IL, road signs point toward Iowa and Wisconsin.
Iowa
5 mi in
|
~10m
Wisconsin
5 mi in
|
~10m
About the Cities
Starting in Chicago Heights, IL
Full guide →Founded 1893
Chicago Heights is a city of 29,000 people (2019) in the Chicagoland region of Illinois. Chicago Heights remains one of the most dangerous cities in Illinois, with rampant poverty and high levels of violent crime.
Arriving in Cicero, IL
Full guide →Founded 1867
Cicero is a town of 81,000 people (2019) in the Chicagoland area, just west of the Chicago city limits. It became famous when gangster Al Capone moved here to escape from the Chicago Police in the early 1920s.
Top landmarks
- • Hawthorne Works — Factory complex in Cicero, Illinois
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 45m. Total distance: 27.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
45m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 10.6 miles on South Cicero Avenue. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.51 in tolls one way, starting with Tri-state Tollway. 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 — we found about 8 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
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 Cicero, 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 5 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 7.8 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): 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 Cicero, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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