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Trip from Joliet, IL to Reading, IL

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 24m

Distance

64.6 mi

104 km

Drive Score

9/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$10

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 20 min
4 AM
1h 18m ★
6 AM
1h 24m
8 AM
1h 38m
10 AM
1h 29m
12 PM
1h 28m
3 PM
1h 30m
5 PM
1h 37m
8 PM
1h 21m

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

Best Time
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city in Illinois, United States

Joliet, IL

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cognitive process of decoding symbols to derive meaning; a form of language processing

Reading, IL

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Trip Overview

The drive from Joliet, IL to Reading, IL covers 64.6 miles and takes about 1h 24m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on I 55, East 3200 North Road, I 80 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 32.9 miles on I 55. At current regular gas prices, budget about $10.02 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 55 32.9 mi 35m
East 3200 North Road 9.9 mi 14m
I 80 6.4 mi 7m
East 3000 N Road 5.7 mi 8m
East 3000 North Road 4.4 mi 6m
E 3200 N Road 3 mi 4m
Ottawa Street 0.4 mi 1m
Chicago Street 0.4 mi 1m
Longest stretch: I 55 — 32.9 mi, about 35m

Traffic on I-55

Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 4 FHWA count stations on your route.

Peak

3 PM

~1,073 veh/hr typical · worst 1,464

Quietest

2 AM

~148 veh/hr

Peak-to-quiet ratio

7.3×

busier at peak than in the quiet hours

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 73 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 Joliet, IL and Reading, IL.

1

Start on this road

111 ft · 10 sec · this road
2

Turn right onto US 6; IL 53

0.3 mi · 43 sec · Ottawa Street
3

Continue on US 6; IL 53

0.1 mi · 21 sec · Ottawa Street
4

Continue on US 6; IL 53

0.4 mi · 1 min · Chicago Street
5

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 41 sec
Toward I 80 West: Moline, Rock Island
6

Merge onto I 80

6.4 mi · 7 min · I 80
Use the right lane.
7

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 54 sec
Exit 126A Toward I 55 South: Saint Louis
8

Merge onto I 55

33 mi · 35 min · I 55
Use the right lane.
9

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 36 sec
Exit 217 Toward IL 17: Streator, Kankakee Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Turn right onto IL 17

9.9 mi · 14 min · East 3200 North Road
11

Continue on IL 17

3.0 mi · 4 min · E 3200 N Road
12

At end of road, turn left onto IL 17

1.8 mi · 2 min · East 3000 North Road
13

Continue on IL 17

5.7 mi · 8 min · East 3000 N Road
14

Continue on IL 17

2.6 mi · 3 min · East 3000 North Road
15

Turn right onto North 379 E Road

0.2 mi · 44 sec · North 379 E Road
16

Turn slight right onto Co Rd 379 E Rd

0.3 mi · 58 sec · Co Rd 379 E Rd
17

Arrive at destination

Co Rd 379 E Rd

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Downtown Wilmington, IL, IL

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Wilmington, IL

32 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

Minooka, IL

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 14 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Gardner, IL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 32.3 miles from Joliet, IL, 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 8

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 40.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | US 6; IL 53 / Ottawa Street

Turn right onto US 6; IL 53 / Ottawa Street

Navigation decision point

5
1.1 mi into trip | ~2m in | I 80

Merge onto I 80

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

Use the right lane.
5
7.6 mi into trip | ~10m in

Take the exit toward I 55 South: Saint Louis

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early

Exit 126A Toward I 55 South: Saint Louis
5
7.9 mi into trip | ~11m in | I 55

Merge onto I 55

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

Use the right lane.
8
40.8 mi into trip | ~47m in

Take the exit toward IL 17: Streator, Kankakee

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 217 Toward IL 17: Streator, Kankakee

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$10.02 one way

$20.03 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 23 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $10.98 $21.96
premium $4.93 $12.53 $25.07
diesel $5.60 $14.24 $28.48

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$10

Estimated CO2 emission: 22.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $7 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 19.4 0 $6.78 $3.10
Efficient EV 16.2 0 $5.65 $2.58
EV Truck/SUV 25.8 0 $9.04 $4.13

Gas CO2

23 kg

EV CO2

8 kg (65% 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 29, 2026

Origin

Joliet, IL

Afternoon in Joliet on Friday

Local time

2:59 PM

CDT

Current temp

80°F

Partly Sunny then Slight Chance Rain Showers

SSW 5 to 10 mph 11% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 29 at 6:10AM CDT until August 29 at 6:32PM CDT by NWS Lincoln IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 28 at 8:36PM CDT until August 30 at 7:00AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Destination

Reading, IL

Afternoon in Reading on Friday

Local time

2:59 PM

CDT

Current temp

82°F

Partly Sunny

SSW 5 to 10 mph 3% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 29 at 6:10AM CDT until August 29 at 6:32PM CDT by NWS Lincoln IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 28 at 8:36PM CDT until August 30 at 7:00AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

64°F

Wilmington, IL

32 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

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

1h 24m 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?

64.6 mi in 1h 24m, mostly highway — 32.9 mi of that is on I 55.

61% 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: 32.9 mi on I 55.

How Hard Is This Drive?

5/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 55 and East 3200 North Road. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near US 6; IL 53 / Ottawa Street.

Driving Effort 5/10

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 64.6 miles you will encounter 8 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: near the start (US 6; IL 53 / Ottawa Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles (I 80): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 7.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

734 ft 531 ft

Total Climb

280 ft

Total Descent

198 ft

Highest Point

734 ft

~50.8 mi in

Elevation Range

203 ft

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Joliet, IL to Reading, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Kankakee along the way.

Kankakee

40.8 mi in | ~47m

About the Cities

Starting in Joliet, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1833

Joliet is a city in the Chicagoland region of Illinois, a state in the Midwest of the United States of America. It is the largest city and county seat of Will County.

Top landmarks

  • • Joliet Union Station — former train station in the United States
  • • Christ Episcopal Church — church building in Joliet, Illinois, United States of America
  • • Joliet Central High School — public school in Joliet, Illinois

Arriving in Reading, IL

Full guide →

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 24m. Total distance: 64.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 24m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (61%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 32.9 miles on I 55. 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: near the start (US 6; IL 53 / Ottawa Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles (I 80): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 7.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Reading, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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Explore More

Return Trip

Reading, IL to Joliet, IL

Plan the drive back the other way.

64 mi 1h 24m

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