Origin
Fayetteville, AL
Morning in Fayetteville on Tuesday
Local time
7:17 AM
CDT
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Fayetteville, AL to Birmingham, AL
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
1h 14m
Distance
46.3 mi
75 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 8m
★
6 AM
1h 14m
8 AM
1h 26m
10 AM
1h 18m
12 PM
1h 17m
3 PM
1h 19m
5 PM
1h 25m
8 PM
1h 11m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Fayetteville, AL
Kelly
Birmingham, AL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Fayetteville to Birmingham is 46.3 miles and takes about 1 hour 14 minutes via US 231 and Red Mountain Expressway, with a fuel budget near $7 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Alabama, connecting two points in the Southeast region. You'll spend most of your time on highways, making for a straightforward transit between your starting point and the larger city of Birmingham. Given its brevity, this route is ideal for a quick hop when you need to get from point A to point B efficiently.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| US 231 | 32.7 mi | 43m |
| Childersburg Fayetteville Highway | 10.6 mi | 25m |
| Red Mountain Expressway | 2.1 mi | 2m |
| US 280 | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| 24th Street North | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| 1st Avenue North | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
US 231
— 32.7 mi, about 43m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Fayetteville, AL and Birmingham, AL.
1
Start on Childersburg Fayetteville Highway
11 mi
·
25 min
·
Childersburg Fayetteville Highway
2
Turn left onto US 231; US 280; AL 76
33 mi
·
43 min
·
US 231; US 280; AL 76
Use the straight lane.
3
Take the exit onto US 280
0.4 mi
·
29 sec
·
US 280
Toward US 31 North, US 280 West: Birmingham
4
Merge onto US 31; US 280
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Red Mountain Expressway
5
Take the exit
484 ft
·
11 sec
Toward US 11 North: 1st Avenue North
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight left at fork
274 ft
·
12 sec
Toward US 11 South
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Turn left onto US 11
0.2 mi
·
18 sec
·
1st Avenue North
8
Turn right onto 24th Street North
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
·
24th Street North
9
Arrive at destination
24th Street North
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
23 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 23.2 miles from Fayetteville, AL, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 43.3 and 46.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
43.3 mi into trip
|
~1h 9m in
|
US 280
Take the exit onto US 280 toward US 31 North, US 280 West: Birmingham
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward US 31 North, US 280 West: Birmingham
6
45.7 mi into trip
|
~1h 12m in
Take the exit toward US 11 North: 1st Avenue North
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward US 11 North: 1st Avenue North
8
45.8 mi into trip
|
~1h 13m in
Keep slight left at fork toward US 11 South
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward US 11 South
5
45.9 mi into trip
|
~1h 13m in
|
US 11 / 1st Avenue North
Turn left onto US 11 / 1st Avenue North
Navigation decision point
5
46.1 mi into trip
|
~1h 13m in
|
24th Street North
Turn right onto 24th Street North
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.99 one way
$13.98 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
16 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.21 | $7.68 | $15.35 |
| premium | $4.56 | $8.31 | $16.62 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $10.22 | $20.44 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 16.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 13.9 | 0 | $4.86 | $2.22 |
| Efficient EV | 11.6 | 0 | $4.05 | $1.85 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 18.5 | 0 | $6.48 | $2.96 |
Gas CO2
16 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (69% 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
Birmingham, AL
Morning in Birmingham on Tuesday
Local time
7:17 AM
CDT
Current temp
60°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
82°F
Wilsonville, AL
23 mi in
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
1 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
1h 14m 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?
This drive is mostly highway, with 76% of the route on higher-speed roads. You'll encounter a continuous stretch of 32.7 miles on US 231 before transitioning to surface roads. Expect a significant number of exits and merges as you approach and enter the Birmingham metropolitan area. The latter portion of the drive will feel more urban.
76% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
9 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 32.7 mi on US 231.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on US 231 and Childersburg Fayetteville Highway. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 43.3 miles in near US 280.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 1h 14m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 43.3 miles (US 280): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 45.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 45.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
945 ft
421 ft
Total Climb
813 ft
Total Descent
646 ft
Highest Point
945 ft
~33.1 mi in
Elevation Range
525 ft
About the Cities
Arriving in Birmingham, AL
Full guide →Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama, and its cultural and economic nucleus. While it's best remembered as the site of protest, bombings, and other racial tumult during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, visitors to the Birmingham of today will find a pleasant green city of ridges, valleys, attractive views, and friendly, hospitable people.
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 1h 14m. Total distance: 46.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 14m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (76%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 32.7 miles on US 231. 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 43.3 miles (US 280): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 45.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 45.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. 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 Birmingham, AL 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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