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Trip from New Berlin, WI to Rochester, WI

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

31m

Distance

20.9 mi

34 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
4 AM
0h 28m ★
6 AM
0h 31m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 33m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 33m
5 PM
0h 36m
8 PM
0h 29m

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

city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States

New Berlin, WI

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Rochester, WI, WI

Rochester, WI

Tom Fisk

Trip Overview

New Berlin, WI to Rochester, WI is 20.9 miles and takes about 31 minutes via Rock Freeway and State Highway 164, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short Midwest hop stays within Wisconsin, making it a convenient option for a quick local trip. The route offers a mix of driving experiences, transitioning from freeway to surface roads. Given its brief duration, it's an ideal choice for a spontaneous outing or a simple connection between two points without requiring an overnight stay.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Rock Freeway 5.8 mi 6m
State Highway 164 4.9 mi 7m
Big Bend Drive 4.4 mi 7m
State Highway 36 1.6 mi 2m
South Moorland Road 1.5 mi 2m
Milwaukee Avenue 0.9 mi 1m
Clark Street 0.7 mi 1m
East Main Street 0.3 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Rock Freeway — 5.8 mi, about 6m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between New Berlin, WI and Rochester, WI.

1

Start on West National Avenue

69 ft · 1 sec · West National Avenue
2

Turn left onto CTH O

1.5 mi · 2 min · South Moorland Road
3

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 47 sec
Toward I 43 South
4

Merge onto I 43

5.8 mi · 6 min · Rock Freeway
5

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 22 sec
Exit 50 Toward WI 164: Big Bend, Waukesha Use the slight right lane.
6

Turn straight onto WI 164

1.9 mi · 3 min · Big Bend Drive
7

Continue on WI 164

0.7 mi · 1 min · Clark Street
8

Continue on WI 164

2.5 mi · 3 min · Big Bend Drive
9

Continue on WI 164

4.9 mi · 7 min · State Highway 164
10

Turn right onto WI 36

1.6 mi · 2 min · State Highway 36
11

Continue on WI 36

0.9 mi · 1 min · Milwaukee Avenue
12

Turn right onto CTH D

0.1 mi · 18 sec · Washington Avenue
13

Continue on CTH D

0.3 mi · 43 sec · East Main Street
14

Arrive at destination

CTH D

Heads-up: tricky spots

4 of 4

4 decision points cluster between mile 1.5 and 20.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

3
1.5 mi into trip | ~2m in

Take the ramp toward I 43 South

Navigation decision point

Toward I 43 South
3
1.9 mi into trip | ~3m in | I 43 / Rock Freeway

Merge onto I 43 / Rock Freeway

Merge point - match speed before joining

8
7.7 mi into trip | ~9m in

Take the exit toward WI 164: Big Bend, Waukesha

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Exit 50 Toward WI 164: Big Bend, Waukesha
3
20.5 mi into trip | ~30m in | CTH D / Washington Avenue

Turn right onto CTH D / Washington Avenue

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.27 one way

$6.53 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 7 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $3.59 $7.18
premium $4.89 $4.02 $8.04
diesel $5.61 $4.61 $9.23

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 7.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 6.3 0 $2.19 $1.00
Efficient EV 5.2 0 $1.83 $0.84
EV Truck/SUV 8.4 0 $2.93 $1.34

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.

Travel Intel

Current conditions at both ends of the drive.

Forecast as of Apr 20, 2026

Origin

New Berlin, WI

Late night in New Berlin on Tuesday

Local time

4:03 AM

CDT

Current temp

28°F

Widespread Frost

0 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 20 at 3:57AM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 19 at 10:08PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Destination

Rochester, WI

Late night in Rochester on Tuesday

Local time

4:03 AM

CDT

Current temp

27°F

Widespread Frost

0 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 20 at 3:57AM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 19 at 10:08PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

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

1 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

31m 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?

This drive features a 59% highway share, meaning you'll spend a significant portion of the 20.9 miles on faster roads. You'll encounter 5.8 miles on Rock Freeway before transitioning to State Highway 164 and Big Bend Drive. Expect a mix of cruising and more local traffic as you move from the freeway environment to surface streets.

59% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.8 mi on Rock Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

3/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 1.5 miles in.

Driving Effort 3/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 31m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 1.5 miles: Navigation decision point; at 1.9 miles (I 43 / Rock Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining; at 7.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

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 New Berlin, WI to Rochester, WI, road signs begin pointing toward Waukesha along the way.

Waukesha

7.7 mi in | ~9m

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 31m. Total distance: 20.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

31m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (59%). Straightforward navigation.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 5.8 miles on Rock Freeway. 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 1.5 miles: Navigation decision point; at 1.9 miles (I 43 / Rock Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining; at 7.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Rochester, WI 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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