Indianapolis to Franklin is 24.9 miles and takes about 33 minutes via Monument Circle and East Market Street, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a short, straightforward trip entirely within the Midwest region, connecting two points in Indiana. Given its minimal distance and duration, it's ideal for a quick excursion or a brief leg of a larger trip. You won't encounter any highway driving, making it a relaxed experience focused on local roads.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
I 65
20.8 mi
24m
East King Street
1.5 mi
2m
East Jefferson Street
0.6 mi
<1m
East Market Street
0.5 mi
1m
East Washington Street
0.2 mi
<1m
Monument Circle
0.1 mi
<1m
North Park Avenue
<0.1 mi
<1m
North Forsythe Street
<0.1 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
I 65
— 20.8 mi, about 24m
Traffic on I-65
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 84 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~4,951 veh/hr typical
· worst 5,732
Quietest
1 AM
~498 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
9.9×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a6anoon6p11p
Averaged across 99 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Indianapolis, IN and Franklin, IN.
1
Start on this road
257 ft·32 sec·this road
2
Turn left
37 ft·9 sec
3
Turn left onto Monument Circle
0.1 mi·23 sec·Monument Circle
4
Turn right onto East Market Street
0.5 mi·1 min·East Market Street
5
Turn right onto North Park Avenue
512 ft·23 sec·North Park Avenue
6
At end of road, turn left onto East Washington Street
0.2 mi·33 sec·East Washington Street
7
Take the ramp
0.2 mi·29 sec
Toward I 65 South, I 70 West: Louisville, Saint Louis
8
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi·19 sec
Toward I 65 South, I 70 West: Louisville, Saint Louis, East Street
9
Merge onto I 65; I 70
0.4 mi·33 sec·I 65; I 70
10
Keep slight left at fork onto I 65
20 mi·24 min·I 65
Use the slight left lane.
11
Take the exit
0.4 mi·46 sec
Exit 90Toward SR 44: Shelbyville, Franklin
12
Turn right onto East King Street
0.9 mi·1 min·East King Street
13
Enter roundabout onto East King Street
102 ft·1 sec·East King Street
14
Continue on East King Street
0.6 mi·57 sec·East King Street
15
Turn left onto North Forsythe Street
491 ft·10 sec·North Forsythe Street
16
Turn right onto East Jefferson Street
0.6 mi·55 sec·East Jefferson Street
17
Arrive at destination
East Jefferson Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 14
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 22.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip|~0m in|Monument Circle
Turn left onto Monument Circle
Navigation decision point
6
0.8 mi into trip|~3m in|East Washington Street
At end of road, turn left onto East Washington Street
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
7
1.2 mi into trip|~4m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 65 South, I 70 West: Louisville, Saint Louis, East Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 65 South, I 70 West: Louisville, Saint...
6
1.8 mi into trip|~5m in|I 65
Keep slight left at fork onto I 65
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
6
22.2 mi into trip|~29m in
Take the exit toward SR 44: Shelbyville, Franklin
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 90
Toward SR 44: Shelbyville, Franklin
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.86 one way
$7.72 round trip
$3.94/gal25.4 MPG avg9 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.32
$4.23
$8.47
premium
$4.93
$4.83
$9.66
diesel
$5.60
$5.49
$10.98
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.7 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
7.5
0
$2.61
$1.20
Efficient EV
6.2
0
$2.18
$1.00
EV Truck/SUV
10
0
$3.49
$1.59
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (67% 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 Aug 30, 2026
Origin
Indianapolis, IN
Evening
in Indianapolis on Thursday
Local time
6:59 PM
EDT
Current temp
67°F
Mostly Cloudy
SSE 3 mph7% chanceLive forecast
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued August 29 at 5:29PM CDT until August 30 at 9:10AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued August 29 at 5:29PM CDT until August 30 at 10:00AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN
Destination
Franklin, IN
Evening
in Franklin on Thursday
Local time
6:59 PM
EDT
Current temp
65°F
Partly Cloudy
ESE 3 mph1% chanceLive forecast
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued August 29 at 5:29PM CDT until August 30 at 9:10AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued August 29 at 5:29PM CDT until August 30 at 10:00AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis 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
2 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
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.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
This route is 100% surface roads, meaning you'll be navigating local streets for the entire 24.9 miles. The drive begins on Monument Circle and continues through East Market Street before transitioning to North Park Avenue. Since there's no highway component, expect to encounter traffic signals and intersections for the duration of the approximately 33-minute trip. The longest stretch without a significant interruption is not specified, but the overall profile indicates continuous surface road travel.
84% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 20.8 mi on I 65.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 65 and East King Street. You will hit about 14 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Monument Circle.
Driving Effort6/10
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 24.9 miles you will encounter 14 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 0.1 miles (Monument Circle): Navigation decision point; at 0.8 miles (East Washington Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 1.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana and also the state’s largest city. Efforts to beautify and modernize the city have brought Indianapolis into the 21st century as a world-class destination for everything from business meetings and trade conventions to backpackers making their way across the States.
Indianapolis is widely hailed as the "Racing Capital of the World" because of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400 at the Brickyard, and as the "Amateur Sports Capital of America" for hosting the NCAA Hall of Champions. The city has several attractions outside of sports, including museums, a large zoo, over 100 ethnic restaurants, several arts and historic districts, and a revitalized downtown. Although Indy has been mocked with the epithet "India-noplace", visitors will encounter a mix of a large metropolitan city and a simple Midwestern community.
Top landmarks
•The Children's Museum of Indianapolis — museum
•Indiana Statehouse — state capitol building of the U.S. state of Indiana
•Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument — monument in Indianapolis
Franklin is a city and southern suburb of Indianapolis in the Nine-County Region of Indiana, home to Franklin College and an aesthetic Colonial Revival city hall.
Doable as a same-day drive at 33m. Total distance: 24.9 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 (84%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 20.8 miles on I 65. 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 Franklin, IN 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 0.1 miles (Monument Circle): Navigation decision point; at 0.8 miles (East Washington Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 1.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Franklin, IN before heading back.
