Origin
Kearney, MO
Late night in Kearney on Tuesday
Local time
4:47 AM
CDT
Current temp
63°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Kearney, MO to Kansas City, MO
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
29m
Distance
23.8 mi
38 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 27m
★
6 AM
0h 30m
8 AM
0h 35m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 31m
3 PM
0h 32m
5 PM
0h 35m
8 PM
0h 28m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Kearney, MO
Cats Coming
Kansas City, MO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short, 23.8-mile drive from Kearney to Kansas City, Missouri, can easily be completed in about 29 minutes, making it a perfect day trip. The route is heavily highway-focused, with 97% of the journey on major roads, and is estimated to cost around $4 in fuel. You'll be spending most of your time on the Chicago-Kansas City Expressway and US 71. Given its brevity and straightforward nature, no overnight stops are necessary. This trip is ideal for a quick commute or an easy addition to a larger Midwest adventure.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Kansas City Expressway | 22.3 mi | 26m |
| MO 92 | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| US 71 | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| East 11th Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Oak Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| South Jefferson Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Chicago-Kansas City Expressway
— 22.3 mi, about 26m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Kearney, MO and Kansas City, MO.
1
Start on MO 33
46 ft
·
3 sec
·
South Jefferson Street
2
Turn left onto MO 92
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
MO 92
3
Turn left
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
Use the left lane.
4
Merge onto I 35; MO 110
22 mi
·
26 min
·
Chicago-Kansas City Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Keep slight left at fork onto US 71
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
·
US 71
Exit 3
Toward I 70 East, US 40 East, US 71 South: Saint Louis, Joplin
6
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
20 sec
Exit 2J
Toward Downtown
Use the slight right lane.
7
Turn slight right onto East 11th Street
0.3 mi
·
51 sec
·
East 11th Street
8
Turn left onto Oak Street
461 ft
·
15 sec
·
Oak Street
9
Arrive at destination
Oak Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 65 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 23.7 — 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
Turn left
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
0.7 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
I 35; MO 110 / Chicago-Kansas City Expressway
Merge onto I 35; MO 110 / Chicago-Kansas City Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
23 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
US 71
Keep slight left at fork onto US 71 toward I 70 East, US 40 East, US 71 South: Saint Louis, Joplin
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 3
Toward I 70 East, US 40 East, US 71 South: Sain...
7
23.3 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Take the exit toward Downtown
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 2J
Toward Downtown
5
23.7 mi into trip
|
~29m in
|
Oak Street
Turn left onto Oak Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.72 one way
$7.44 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $4.09 | $8.17 |
| premium | $4.89 | $4.58 | $9.16 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.25 | $10.51 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.1 | 0 | $2.50 | $1.14 |
| Efficient EV | 6 | 0 | $2.08 | $0.95 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.5 | 0 | $3.33 | $1.52 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Kansas City, MO
Late night in Kansas City on Tuesday
Local time
4:47 AM
CDT
Current temp
65°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
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
29m 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 nearly the entire 23.8 miles, with 97% of the drive utilizing major expressways. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 22.3 miles on the Chicago-Kansas City Expressway. This means you'll be on fast-paced roads for the majority of your travel time. The route is designed for efficient travel, so it's less about scenic detours and more about getting you to your destination quickly and directly.
97% 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: 22.3 mi on Chicago-Kansas City Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Chicago-Kansas City Expressway and MO 92. You will hit about 6 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.6 miles in.
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 23.8 miles you will encounter 6 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 0.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 0.7 miles (I 35; MO 110 / Chicago-Kansas City Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 23 miles (US 71): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
978 ft
774 ft
Total Climb
428 ft
Total Descent
360 ft
Highest Point
978 ft
~8.5 mi in
Elevation Range
204 ft
About the Cities
Arriving in Kansas City, MO
Full guide →Kansas City is a major Midwestern metropolitan area that spreads across the border of Missouri and Kansas. It is a city that tends to hide itself from tourists. Reputed to have more boulevards than Paris and more fountains than any other city in the world except for Rome, it can be a beautiful city, too. It is unique in that it is split down the middle by the state line of Kansas and Missouri.
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 29m. Total distance: 23.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
29m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (97%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 22.3 miles on Chicago-Kansas City Expressway. 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 0.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 0.7 miles (I 35; MO 110 / Chicago-Kansas City Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 23 miles (US 71): 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 Kansas City, MO 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 USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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