Skip to main content
US Trip Planner Logo
US Trip Planner

Trip from North Lawndale, IL to Joliet, IL

Pin this trip

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

58m

Distance

39 mi

63 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 14 min
4 AM
0h 54m ★
6 AM
0h 58m
8 AM
1h 8m
10 AM
1h 2m
12 PM
1h 1m
3 PM
1h 2m
5 PM
1h 7m
8 PM
0h 56m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
Download GPX
Downtown North Lawndale, IL, IL

North Lawndale, IL

Quang Vuong

city in Illinois, United States

Joliet, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

North Lawndale, IL to Joliet, IL is 39 miles and takes about 58 minutes via Adlai Stevenson Expressway and Veterans Memorial Tollway, with a fuel budget near $6 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within the Midwest, moving from one Illinois location to another. The route is primarily highway, making it a straightforward connection between these two points. Expect a fairly quick drive that's easy to fit into a single day, whether you're starting your day or ending it.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Adlai Stevenson Expressway 15.9 mi 21m
Veterans Memorial Tollway 10.4 mi 11m
Maple Road 5.7 mi 11m
South Pulaski Road 2.4 mi 4m
Stevenson Expressway 1.2 mi 1m
North Ottawa Street 0.4 mi 1m
West 16th Street 0.3 mi <1m
Adlai E Stevenson Expressway 0.3 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Adlai Stevenson Expressway — 15.9 mi, about 21m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between North Lawndale, IL and Joliet, IL.

1

Start on this road

396 ft · 31 sec · this road
2

Turn right onto West 16th Street

0.3 mi · 59 sec · West 16th Street
3

Turn left onto South Pulaski Road

2.4 mi · 4 min · South Pulaski Road
4

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 42 sec
Toward I 55 South
5

Merge onto I 55

1.2 mi · 1 min · Stevenson Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Continue on I 55

0.3 mi · 27 sec · Adlai E Stevenson Expressway
7

Continue on I 55

16 mi · 21 min · Adlai Stevenson Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 37 sec
Exit 269 Toward I 355 South Toll, I 355 North Toll: Northwest Suburbs, Southwest Suburbs Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Keep slight left at fork

1.2 mi · 2 min
Toward I 355 Tollway South: Southwest Suburbs Use the slight left lane.
10

Merge onto I 355

10 mi · 11 min · Veterans Memorial Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 51 sec
Exit 1 Toward US 6: Southwest Highway Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Turn right onto US 6

5.7 mi · 11 min · Maple Road
13

Turn left onto IL 53

0.4 mi · 1 min · North Ottawa Street
14

Turn right

111 ft · 8 sec
15

Arrive at destination

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Downtown Barbers Corners, IL, IL

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Barbers Corners, IL

20 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Crest Hill, IL

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 39 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Barbers Corners, IL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 19.5 miles from North Lawndale, IL, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 10

5 decision points cluster between mile 3.2 and 32.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
3.2 mi into trip | ~7m in | I 55 / Stevenson Expressway

Merge onto I 55 / Stevenson Expressway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
20.6 mi into trip | ~30m in

Take the exit toward I 355 South Toll, I 355 North Toll: Northwest Suburbs, Southwest Suburbs

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 269 Toward I 355 South Toll, I 355 North Toll: Nort...
7
20.9 mi into trip | ~31m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 355 Tollway South: Southwest Suburbs

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left lane. Toward I 355 Tollway South: Southwest Suburbs
5
22.1 mi into trip | ~33m in | I 355 / Veterans Memorial Tollway

Merge onto I 355 / Veterans Memorial Tollway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
32.5 mi into trip | ~45m in

Take the exit toward US 6: Southwest Highway

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 1 Toward US 6: Southwest Highway

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.95 one way

$11.90 round trip

$3.88/gal 25.4 MPG avg 14 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.27 $6.55 $13.11
premium $4.81 $7.38 $14.76
diesel $5.40 $8.30 $16.59

Estimated Tolls: $0.73

Veterans Memorial Tollway (10.4 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

$6

Tolls

$1

Total

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 13.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 11.7 0 $4.10 $1.87
Efficient EV 9.8 0 $3.41 $1.56
EV Truck/SUV 15.6 0 $5.46 $2.50

Gas CO2

14 kg

EV CO2

5 kg (64% 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 25, 2026

Origin

North Lawndale, IL

Late night in North Lawndale on Sunday

Local time

4:49 AM

CDT

Current temp

47°F

Mostly Cloudy

N 5 to 10 mph 2% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 24 at 3:54PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 24 at 3:54PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Destination

Joliet, IL

Late night in Joliet on Sunday

Local time

4:49 AM

CDT

Current temp

48°F

Partly Cloudy

NNE 5 to 10 mph 1% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 24 at 3:54PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 24 at 3:54PM 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 warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

58m 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 is 45% highway, meaning you'll spend a good portion of the 39 miles on expressways like the Adlai Stevenson Expressway and Veterans Memorial Tollway. The longest continuous stretch on a highway is 15.9 miles on the Adlai Stevenson Expressway. After the highway segments, you'll transition to surface roads like Maple Road, which will likely involve more local traffic and potentially denser exits as you approach your destination.

45% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 15.9 mi on Adlai Stevenson Expressway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

8/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 3.2 miles in near I 55 / Stevenson Expressway.

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 10 decision points packed into just 39 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 58m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 3.2 miles (I 55 / Stevenson Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 20.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 20.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

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 North Lawndale, IL to Joliet, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Southwest Suburbs along the way.

Southwest Suburbs

20.6 mi in | ~30m

About the Cities

Arriving in Joliet, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1833

Joliet is a city in the Chicagoland region of Illinois, a state in the Midwest of the United States of America. It is the largest city and county seat of Will County.

Top landmarks

  • • Joliet Union Station — former train station in the United States
  • • Christ Episcopal Church — church building in Joliet, Illinois, United States of America
  • • Joliet Central High School — public school in Joliet, 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 58m. Total distance: 39 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

58m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (45%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 15.9 miles on Adlai Stevenson Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.73 in tolls one way, starting with Veterans Memorial 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 8 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 Joliet, 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 3.2 miles (I 55 / Stevenson Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 20.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 20.9 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 Joliet, 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.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!

/500