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Trip from Dallas, TX to Arlington, TX

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

26m

Distance

20.1 mi

32 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 6 min
4 AM
0h 25m ★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 31m
10 AM
0h 28m
12 PM
0h 28m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 31m
8 PM
0h 25m ★

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Downtown Dallas, TX, TX

Dallas, TX

Wikimedia Commons

suburban city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States

Arlington, TX

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

This quick 20.1-mile drive from Dallas to Arlington, Texas, is easily manageable as a day trip, taking about 26 minutes to complete. Focusing heavily on highways with a 79% share, you'll spend most of your time on the Tom Landry Freeway. The estimated fuel cost is a low $3, and with no planned stops, this is a straightforward transit between two points within the Great Plains region. Given the short distance, there's no need to break this drive up into overnights; you can easily make the journey and return in the same day.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Tom Landry Freeway 15.8 mi 17m
North Center Street 1.8 mi 4m
Wet N Wild Way 0.5 mi <1m
Elm Street 0.3 mi <1m
North Lamar Street 0.2 mi <1m
West Abram Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Tom Landry Freeway — 15.8 mi, about 17m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Dallas, TX and Arlington, TX.

1

Start on North Lamar Street

0.2 mi · 34 sec · North Lamar Street
2

Turn right onto Elm Street

0.2 mi · 30 sec · Elm Street
3

Continue on Elm Street

0.1 mi · 14 sec · Elm Street
4

Take the ramp

327 ft · 7 sec
Toward I 30, I 35E
5

Keep slight left at fork

0.2 mi · 20 sec
Toward I 30 West, I 35E South Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Keep slight left at fork

0.8 mi · 1 min
Toward I 30 West Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
7

Merge onto I 30

16 mi · 17 min · Tom Landry Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 36 sec
Exit 28B Toward FM 157: Collins Street Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Turn straight onto Wet N Wild Way

0.5 mi · 59 sec · Wet N Wild Way
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
10

Turn left onto North Center Street

1.8 mi · 4 min · North Center Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
11

Turn right onto West Abram Street

297 ft · 8 sec · West Abram Street
12

Arrive at destination

West Abram Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 9

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 17.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0.6 mi into trip | ~1m in

Take the ramp toward I 30, I 35E

Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward I 30, I 35E
9
0.6 mi into trip | ~1m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 30 West, I 35E South

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 30 West, I 35E South
7
0.8 mi into trip | ~1m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 30 West

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left / slight right lanes. Toward I 30 West
5
1.6 mi into trip | ~3m in | I 30 / Tom Landry Freeway

Merge onto I 30 / Tom Landry Freeway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
17.4 mi into trip | ~20m in

Take the exit toward FM 157: Collins Street

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 28B Toward FM 157: Collins Street

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.04 one way

$6.07 round trip

$3.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 7 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.20 $3.32 $6.65
premium $4.54 $3.59 $7.18
diesel $5.61 $4.44 $8.88

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 6 0 $2.11 $0.96
Efficient EV 5 0 $1.76 $0.80
EV Truck/SUV 8 0 $2.81 $1.29

Gas CO2

7 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (71% 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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Dallas, TX

Late night in Dallas on Sunday

Local time

2:44 AM

CDT

Current temp

60°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Arlington, TX

Late night in Arlington on Sunday

Local time

2:44 AM

CDT

Current temp

55°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

5 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

26m 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?

Expect a highway-focused experience for most of this trip, accounting for 79% of the route. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 15.8 miles on the Tom Landry Freeway, offering a consistent pace. While the primary roads include North Center Street and Wet N Wild Way, the bulk of your travel will be on the freeway, minimizing complex navigation. This drive is designed for efficiency, prioritizing direct travel with minimal transitions between different road types.

79% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 15.8 mi on Tom Landry Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

8/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Tom Landry Freeway and North Center Street. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.6 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 9 decision points packed into just 20.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 26m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.6 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 0.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 0.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

About the Cities

Starting 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...

Arriving in Arlington, TX

Full guide →

Founded 1876

Arlington is a city in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex metropolitan area, in the Prairies and Lakes region of Texas. With a population of almost 400,000 (2019), it is Texas' seventh largest, and the third largest in the Metroplex. Arlington is south of the sprawling DFW International Airport.

Top landmarks

  • Six Flags Over Texas — amusement park
  • Mini Mine Train — Steel roller coaster
  • Arlington Museum of Art — art museum in Texas, United States

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 26m. Total distance: 20.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

26m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (79%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 15.8 miles on Tom Landry Freeway. 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 Arlington, TX 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: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 0.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 0.8 miles: 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 Arlington, 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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Explore More

Return Trip

Arlington, TX to Dallas, TX

Plan the drive back the other way.

20.2 mi 27m

Explore more options from Dallas, TX or browse trips ending in Arlington, TX.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse TX road trips.