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Trip from Des Plaines, IL to Lower West Side, IL

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

33m

Distance

19.9 mi

32 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 30m ★
6 AM
0h 33m
8 AM
0h 39m
10 AM
0h 35m
12 PM
0h 35m
3 PM
0h 35m
5 PM
0h 39m
8 PM
0h 31m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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city in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Des Plaines, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Lower West Side, IL, IL

Lower West Side, IL

Quang Vuong

Trip Overview

Des Plaines, IL to Lower West Side, IL is 19.9 miles and takes about 33m via Kennedy Expressway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Illinois, connecting two points in the Midwest region. The drive is primarily on highways, offering a quick and straightforward journey. It’s a convenient option if you're looking for a direct route with minimal time commitment, perfect for a same-day excursion.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Kennedy Expressway 6.3 mi 8m
North Caldwell Avenue 2.4 mi 3m
West Touhy Avenue 2.3 mi 4m
Edens Expressway 2.1 mi 2m
South Ashland Avenue 1.8 mi 3m
Busse Highway 1.5 mi 2m
East Oakton Street 1.1 mi 2m
North Ogden Avenue 1 mi 2m
Longest stretch: Kennedy Expressway — 6.3 mi, about 8m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Des Plaines, IL and Lower West Side, IL.

1

Start on Henry Avenue

0.1 mi · 25 sec · Henry Avenue
2

Turn right onto South Des Plaines River Road

0.7 mi · 1 min · South Des Plaines River Road
3

Turn left onto East Oakton Street

1.1 mi · 2 min · East Oakton Street
Use the left lane.
4

Turn right onto Busse Highway

1.5 mi · 2 min · Busse Highway
Use the left lane.
5

Turn straight onto West Touhy Avenue

2.3 mi · 4 min · West Touhy Avenue
6

Turn right onto US 14

2.4 mi · 3 min · North Caldwell Avenue
7

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 35 sec
Toward I 94 East Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Merge onto I 94

2.1 mi · 2 min · Edens Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Continue on I 90; I 94

6.3 mi · 8 min · Kennedy Expressway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
10

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 27 sec
Exit 50A Toward Ogden Avenue, Racine Avenue Use the slight right lane.
11

Continue on North Racine Avenue

0.1 mi · 23 sec · North Racine Avenue
12

Turn slight right onto North Ogden Avenue

1.0 mi · 2 min · North Ogden Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
13

Turn left onto South Ashland Avenue

1.8 mi · 3 min · South Ashland Avenue
Use the left lane.
14

Turn left onto West 21st Street

137 ft · 5 sec · West 21st Street
Use the left lane.
15

Arrive at destination

West 21st Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 10

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.8 and 19.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0.8 mi into trip | ~1m in | East Oakton Street

Turn left onto East Oakton Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
8 mi into trip | ~14m in

Take the ramp toward I 94 East

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 94 East
5
8.3 mi into trip | ~15m in | I 94 / Edens Expressway

Merge onto I 94 / Edens Expressway

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
16.7 mi into trip | ~26m in

Take the exit toward Ogden Avenue, Racine Avenue

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 50A Toward Ogden Avenue, Racine Avenue
6
19.8 mi into trip | ~33m in | West 21st Street

Turn left onto West 21st Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.11 one way

$6.22 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 7 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $3.42 $6.83
premium $4.89 $3.83 $7.66
diesel $5.61 $4.39 $8.79

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 $2.09 $0.96
Efficient EV 5 0 $1.74 $0.80
EV Truck/SUV 8 0 $2.79 $1.27

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 21, 2026

Origin

Des Plaines, IL

Late night in Des Plaines on Tuesday

Local time

4:09 AM

CDT

Current temp

47°F

Mostly Cloudy

S 10 to 15 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 20 at 9:38PM CDT until April 21 at 9:00AM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 20 at 9:38PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Destination

Lower West Side, IL

Late night in Lower West Side on Tuesday

Local time

4:09 AM

CDT

Current temp

47°F

Mostly Cloudy

S 10 to 15 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 20 at 9:38PM CDT until April 21 at 9:00AM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 20 at 9:38PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

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

Very similar conditions

Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.

Road read

33m 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 offers a mixed drive, with 42% of it on highways. You'll experience stretches on the Kennedy Expressway, including a longest uninterrupted stretch of 6.3 miles. Expect a transition from West Touhy Avenue and North Caldwell Avenue to the faster pace of the expressway. The drive progresses from more local roads to a more direct, higher-speed path as you approach your destination.

42% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.3 mi on Kennedy Expressway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

6/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.8 miles in near East Oakton Street.

Driving Effort 6/10

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 19.9 miles you will encounter 10 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 0.8 miles (East Oakton Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 8.3 miles (I 94 / Edens Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

About the Cities

Starting in Des Plaines, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1852

Des Plaines is in Chicagoland. It is an inner-ring, northwest suburb of Chicago with two distinct portions: a suburban northern portion reminiscient of other, nearby northwest suburbs (including Niles, Park Ridge, and Mount Prospect), as well as a built-up southern portion with the businesses, hotels, and other amenities of the O'Hare Airport corridor (much like Rosemont, Chicago's O'Hare neighborhood, and Elk Grove Village).

Top landmarks

  • • McDonald's #1 Store Museum — former McDonald's spot

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 33m. Total distance: 19.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

33m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (42%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 6.3 miles on Kennedy Expressway. 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 Lower West Side, 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 0.8 miles (East Oakton Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 8.3 miles (I 94 / Edens Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

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 Lower West Side, 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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