Origin
Lincolnwood, IL
Morning in Lincolnwood on Tuesday
Local time
7:51 AM
CDT
Current temp
61°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Lincolnwood, IL to Chicago, IL
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
22m
Distance
12.9 mi
21 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 21m
★
6 AM
0h 23m
8 AM
0h 27m
10 AM
0h 24m
12 PM
0h 24m
3 PM
0h 24m
5 PM
0h 27m
8 PM
0h 22m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Lincolnwood, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Chicago, IL
Otoniel Alvarado
Trip Overview
Lincolnwood, IL to Chicago, IL is 12.9 miles and takes about 22 minutes via Kennedy Expressway, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Midwest region and the state of Illinois, connecting two points in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. It's a quick hop that's more about getting from point A to point B efficiently than a scenic detour. Consider this a straightforward urban transit rather than a destination drive.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Kennedy Expressway | 6.9 mi | 10m |
| North Pulaski Road | 3.1 mi | 6m |
| Dan Ryan Expressway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Crawford Avenue | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| West Cermak Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South Union Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South Halsted Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| South Canalport Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Kennedy Expressway
— 6.9 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Lincolnwood, IL and Chicago, IL.
1
Start on West Pratt Avenue
345 ft
·
14 sec
·
West Pratt Avenue
2
Turn right onto Crawford Avenue
0.5 mi
·
58 sec
·
Crawford Avenue
3
Continue on North Pulaski Road
3.1 mi
·
6 min
·
North Pulaski Road
4
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
5
Merge onto I 90; I 94
6.9 mi
·
10 min
·
Kennedy Expressway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
6
Continue on I 90; I 94
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Dan Ryan Expressway
7
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Exit 52C
Toward 18th Street
Use the slight right lane.
8
Turn slight left onto South Union Avenue
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
South Union Avenue
9
Turn right onto South Canalport Avenue
505 ft
·
12 sec
·
South Canalport Avenue
10
Turn left onto South Halsted Street
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
South Halsted Street
11
Turn right onto West Cermak Road
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
West Cermak Road
12
Turn left
152 ft
·
11 sec
13
Turn right
0.2 mi
·
58 sec
14
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 12.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Crawford Avenue
Turn right onto Crawford Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
3.9 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
I 90; I 94 / Kennedy Expressway
Merge onto I 90; I 94 / Kennedy Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
7
11.8 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Take the exit toward 18th Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 52C
Toward 18th Street
4
12.4 mi into trip
|
~20m in
|
South Halsted Street
Turn left onto South Halsted Street
Navigation decision point
4
12.5 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
West Cermak Road
Turn right onto West Cermak Road
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.02 one way
$4.03 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.21 | $4.43 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.48 | $4.96 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.85 | $5.70 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.9 | 0 | $1.35 | $0.62 |
| Efficient EV | 3.2 | 0 | $1.13 | $0.52 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.2 | 0 | $1.81 | $0.83 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Chicago, IL
Morning in Chicago on Tuesday
Local time
7:51 AM
CDT
Current temp
61°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
22m 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 61% of the 12.9 miles on expressways. You'll spend the longest stretch, 6.9 miles, on the Kennedy Expressway. The route transitions from expressway driving to surface streets like North Pulaski Road as you approach your destination. Expect urban merging and traffic patterns typical of a major metropolitan area.
61% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.9 mi on Kennedy Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Kennedy Expressway and North Pulaski Road. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Crawford Avenue.
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 22m drive. You will face about 9 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Crawford Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 3.9 miles (I 90; I 94 / Kennedy Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 11.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Chicago, IL
Full guide →Chicago is the home of the blues and the truth of jazz, the heart of comedy and the idea of the skyscraper. Here, the age of railroads found its center, and airplanes followed suit. "Stormy, Husky, Brawling / City of Big Shoulders," Chicago is a Heartland boomtown, its ethos defined by urban planner Daniel Burnham's immortal vision: "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood." It is one of the world's great cities and the third largest city in the United States, behind only New York City and Los Angeles. As the hub of the Midwest, Chicago is easy to find — its picturesque skyline calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and public art, and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world.
Top landmarks
- • Willis Tower — skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois
- • Art Institute of Chicago — art museum and school in Chicago, United States
- • Wrigley Field — baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, USA; home venue of the Chicago Cubs
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 22m. Total distance: 12.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
22m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (61%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 6.9 miles on Kennedy 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 0.1 miles (Crawford Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 3.9 miles (I 90; I 94 / Kennedy Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 11.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Chicago, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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