Origin
Niles, IL
Night in Niles on Saturday
Local time
11:18 PM
CDT
Current temp
44°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Niles, IL to Westchester, IL
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
29m
Distance
19 mi
31 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 27m
★
6 AM
0h 30m
8 AM
0h 35m
10 AM
0h 31m
12 PM
0h 31m
3 PM
0h 32m
5 PM
0h 34m
8 PM
0h 28m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Niles, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Westchester, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Niles, IL to Westchester, IL is 19 miles and takes about 29m via Tri-State Tollway and surface roads, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays within the Midwest region and Illinois state, making it a convenient local trip. Since it's mostly surface roads, expect a straightforward drive without significant elevation changes. It's a good option if you need to get from point A to point B quickly within the greater Chicago area.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Tri-State Tollway | 12.1 mi | 15m |
| West Touhy Avenue | 3.5 mi | 6m |
| West Cermak Road | 2 mi | 3m |
| North Waukegan Road | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| South Mannheim Road | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| North Milwaukee Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| South Des Plaines River Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Dorchester Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Tri-State Tollway
— 12.1 mi, about 15m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Niles, IL and Westchester, IL.
1
Start on North Waukegan Road
0.4 mi
·
44 sec
·
North Waukegan Road
2
Continue on North Milwaukee Avenue
507 ft
·
17 sec
·
North Milwaukee Avenue
3
Turn right onto West Touhy Avenue
3.5 mi
·
6 min
·
West Touhy Avenue
Use the right lane.
4
Turn left onto South Des Plaines River Road
184 ft
·
3 sec
·
South Des Plaines River Road
5
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
55 sec
Toward I 294 South: Indiana
6
Merge onto I 294
11 mi
·
14 min
·
Tri-State Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Keep slight left at fork onto I 294
0.5 mi
·
29 sec
·
Tri-State Tollway
8
Take the exit
468 ft
·
11 sec
9
Merge onto I 294
0.1 mi
·
35 sec
·
Tri-State Tollway
10
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
Exit 29
Toward Cermak Road
11
Keep slight right at fork
437 ft
·
10 sec
Use the straight / right lanes.
12
Continue on West Cermak Road
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
West Cermak Road
13
Turn left onto US 12; US 20; US 45
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
·
South Mannheim Road
Use the left lane.
14
Turn left onto Dorchester Street
90 ft
·
9 sec
·
Dorchester Street
Use the left lane.
15
Turn right
72 ft
·
5 sec
16
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 0.5 and 19 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.5 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
West Touhy Avenue
Turn right onto West Touhy Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
16.6 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Take the exit toward Cermak Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Exit 29
Toward Cermak Road
7
16.8 mi into trip
|
~25m in
Keep slight right at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
18.9 mi into trip
|
~28m in
|
US 12; US 20; US 45 / South Mannheim Road
Turn left onto US 12; US 20; US 45 / South Mannheim Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
19 mi into trip
|
~29m in
|
Dorchester Street
Turn left onto Dorchester Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.90 one way
$5.80 round trip
$3.88/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.27 | $3.19 | $6.39 |
| premium | $4.81 | $3.60 | $7.19 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $4.04 | $8.08 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.73
Tri-state Tollway
(12.1 mi)
$0.73
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Tolls
$1
Total
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.7 | 0 | $1.99 | $0.91 |
| Efficient EV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.66 | $0.76 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.66 | $1.22 |
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.
Destination
Westchester, IL
Night in Westchester on Saturday
Local time
11:18 PM
CDT
Current temp
44°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
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?
This route covers 19 miles, with just over half of that distance on the Tri-State Tollway. You'll experience about 12.1 miles on the highway before transitioning to surface roads like West Touhy Avenue and West Cermak Road. The highway portion will likely feature dense exits and merging traffic common to major tollways. The latter half of the drive will be on surface streets, navigating local traffic patterns.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12.1 mi on Tri-State Tollway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.5 miles in near West Touhy Avenue.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 19 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 29m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (West Touhy Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 16.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 16.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Niles, IL
Full guide →Niles is a city of 30,912 (2020) in Illinois.
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: 19 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.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 12.1 miles on Tri-State Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.73 in tolls one way, starting with Tri-state Tollway. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
Yes — we found about 2 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Westchester, IL before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
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 0.5 miles (West Touhy Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 16.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 16.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Pullman National Historical Park. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Westchester, 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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