Origin
Chicago Ridge, IL
Morning in Chicago Ridge on Sunday
Local time
9:17 AM
CDT
Current temp
50°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Chicago Ridge, IL to Chicago, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
27m
Distance
15.6 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 25m
★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 32m
10 AM
0h 29m
12 PM
0h 28m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 32m
8 PM
0h 26m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Chicago Ridge, IL
Otoniel Alvarado
Chicago, IL
Otoniel Alvarado
Trip Overview
Chicago Ridge, IL to Chicago, IL is 15.6 miles and takes about 27 minutes via South Cicero Avenue, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a short, local drive entirely within Illinois, connecting two points in the Midwest. Given its brief duration, it's a straightforward trip perfect for a single day, or even just a few hours. You'll navigate through familiar suburban and urban landscapes, making it a practical route for local errands or connecting within the greater Chicago area.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| South Cicero Avenue | 6.5 mi | 10m |
| Stevenson Expressway | 2.9 mi | 3m |
| Southwest Highway | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| West 93rd Street | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| West Cermak Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| South Damen Avenue | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| South Ridgeland Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| South Blue Island Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
South Cicero Avenue
— 6.5 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Chicago Ridge, IL and Chicago, IL.
1
Start on South Ridgeland Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
South Ridgeland Avenue
2
Turn right onto Southwest Highway
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
Southwest Highway
Use the right lane.
3
Continue on West 93rd Street
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
West 93rd Street
4
Turn left onto IL 50
6.5 mi
·
10 min
·
South Cicero Avenue
Use the left lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
56 sec
Toward I 55 North: Chicago
6
Merge onto I 55
2.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Stevenson Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
Exit 290
Toward Damen Avenue, Ashland Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
Toward Damen Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight left at fork
440 ft
·
12 sec
Toward Ashland Market Place, South Damen Avenue
Use the left lane.
10
Turn straight onto South Damen Avenue
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
South Damen Avenue
11
Turn right onto South Blue Island Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
South Blue Island Avenue
12
Turn right onto West Cermak Road
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
West Cermak Road
13
Turn right
152 ft
·
11 sec
14
Turn right
0.2 mi
·
58 sec
15
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 13.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0.6 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Southwest Highway
Turn right onto Southwest Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
9.9 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
I 55 / Stevenson Expressway
Merge onto I 55 / Stevenson Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
12.8 mi into trip
|
~20m in
Take the exit toward Damen Avenue, Ashland Avenue
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 290
Toward Damen Avenue, Ashland Avenue
8
12.9 mi into trip
|
~20m in
Keep slight left at fork toward Damen Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward Damen Avenue
9
13.2 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Keep slight left at fork toward Ashland Market Place, South Damen Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward Ashland Market Place, South Damen Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.44 one way
$4.88 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.68 | $5.36 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.00 | $6.00 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.44 | $6.89 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.5 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 | 4.7 | 0 | $1.64 | $0.75 |
| Efficient EV | 3.9 | 0 | $1.37 | $0.62 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.2 | 0 | $2.18 | $1.00 |
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
Chicago, IL
Morning in Chicago on Sunday
Local time
9:17 AM
CDT
Current temp
52°F
Slight Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Cloudy
WNW 15 to 20 mph
20% 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
2 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
27m 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 characterized as a 'turn-heavy local drive,' meaning you'll be making frequent turns rather than settling into long stretches of highway. Only 18% of this journey involves highway driving, with the longest uninterrupted stretch covering 6.5 miles on South Cicero Avenue. Expect to navigate a mix of local roads and some expressway segments. The drive will feel more like a typical urban or suburban commute, with traffic lights and intersections playing a significant role in your progress.
Only 18% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.5 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 0.6 miles in near Southwest Highway.
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 10 decision points packed into just 15.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 27m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.6 miles (Southwest Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 9.9 miles (I 55 / Stevenson Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 12.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
About the Cities
Arriving in Chicago, IL
Full guide →Chicago is the home of the blues and the truth of jazz, the heart of comedy and the idea of the skyscraper. Here, the age of railroads found its center, and airplanes followed suit. "Stormy, Husky, Brawling / City of Big Shoulders," Chicago is a Heartland boomtown, its ethos defined by urban planner Daniel Burnham's immortal vision: "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood." It is one of the world's great cities and the third largest city in the United States, behind only New York City and Los Angeles. As the hub of the Midwest, Chicago is easy to find — its picturesque skyline calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and public art, and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world.
Top landmarks
- • Willis Tower — skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois
- • Art Institute of Chicago — art museum and school in Chicago, United States
- • Wrigley Field — baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, USA; home venue of the Chicago Cubs
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 27m. Total distance: 15.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
27m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 6.5 miles on South Cicero Avenue. 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 Chicago, 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 0.6 miles (Southwest Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 9.9 miles (I 55 / Stevenson Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 12.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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 Chicago, 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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