Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 8, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
30m
Distance
20.7 mi
33 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Lakewood, OH
Wikimedia Commons
Brecksville, OH
Bernd Dittrich
The drive from Lakewood, OH to Brecksville, OH covers 20.7 miles and takes about 30m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Willow Freeway, Northwest Freeway, Brecksville Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 8 miles on Willow Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.18 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Willow Freeway | 8 mi | 10m |
| Northwest Freeway | 4.8 mi | 6m |
| Brecksville Road | 3 mi | 4m |
| Troy Lee James Highway | 1.9 mi | 2m |
| Warren Road | 1 mi | 3m |
| East Pleasant Valley Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Franklin Boulevard | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| South Marginal Drive | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 36 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~3,369 veh/hr typical · worst 4,105
Quietest
2 AM
~127 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
26.5×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 101 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Lakewood, OH and Brecksville, OH.
Start on Franklin Boulevard
Turn left onto Warren Road
Turn left onto South Marginal Drive
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 90
Keep slight left at fork onto I 490
Take the exit
Keep slight right at fork
Merge onto I 77
Take the exit
Keep slight right at fork
Turn straight onto East Pleasant Valley Road
Turn right onto SR 21
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 6.2 and 16.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Keep slight left at fork onto I 490 / Troy Lee James Highway toward To I 77
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward I 77: Downtown, Akron
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork toward I 77 South: Akron
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward Pleasant Valley Road, Independence, Seven Hills
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork toward Pleasant Valley Road, Independence
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$3.18 one way
$6.36 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.40 | $3.59 | $7.17 |
| premium | $4.98 | $4.06 | $8.12 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $4.56 | $9.13 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.2 | 0 | $2.17 | $0.99 |
| Efficient EV | 5.2 | 0 | $1.81 | $0.83 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.3 | 0 | $2.90 | $1.32 |
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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Evening in Lakewood on Tuesday
Local time
6:17 PM
EDT
Current temp
83°F
Mostly Sunny
Destination
Evening in Brecksville on Tuesday
Local time
6:17 PM
EDT
Current temp
82°F
Mostly Sunny
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
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.
20.7 mi in 30m, mostly highway — 8 mi of that is on Willow Freeway.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Willow Freeway and Northwest Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 6.2 miles in near I 490 / Troy Lee James Highway.
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 20.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 6.2 miles (I 490 / Troy Lee James Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 8.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 8.1 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
409 ft
Total Descent
222 ft
Highest Point
938 ft
~16.3 mi in
Elevation Range
290 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Lakewood, OH and Brecksville, OH, road signs point toward To I 77, Akron, Independence and Seven Hills.
To I 77
Akron
Independence
Seven Hills
Founded 1889
Lakewood is a city next to Cleveland, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.
Founded 1811
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 30m. Total distance: 20.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
30m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (62%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
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, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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