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Trip from Oakbrook Terrace, IL to Des Plaines, IL

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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

27m

Distance

17.2 mi

28 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 7 min
4 AM
0h 25m ★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 32m
10 AM
0h 29m
12 PM
0h 28m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 32m
8 PM
0h 26m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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city in DuPage County, Illinois, United States

Oakbrook Terrace, IL

Wikimedia Commons

city in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Des Plaines, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Oakbrook Terrace, IL to Des Plaines, IL is 17.2 miles and takes about 27 minutes via Tri-State Tollway and Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays within Illinois, connecting two points in the Midwest. Expect a straightforward trip primarily on major tollways, making it a convenient option for a quick transit. It's a good choice if you need to get from point A to point B efficiently without a long commitment.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Tri-State Tollway 9.9 mi 13m
Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway 2 mi 2m
South Des Plaines River Road 1.7 mi 3m
West 22nd Street 0.3 mi <1m
Kingery Highway 0.2 mi <1m
MacArthur Drive 0.1 mi <1m
Henry Avenue 0.1 mi <1m
Karban Road 0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Tri-State Tollway — 9.9 mi, about 13m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Oakbrook Terrace, IL and Des Plaines, IL.

1

Start on Halsey Road

403 ft · 18 sec · Halsey Road
2

Turn right onto Karban Road

0.1 mi · 30 sec · Karban Road
3

Turn left onto MacArthur Drive

0.1 mi · 31 sec · MacArthur Drive
4

Turn left onto West 22nd Street

0.3 mi · 37 sec · West 22nd Street
5

Turn right onto IL 83

0.2 mi · 20 sec · Kingery Highway
Use the right lane.
6

Take the exit

0.7 mi · 1 min
Toward I 88 Toll East: Chicago Use the straight / right lanes.
7

Merge onto I 88; IL 110

2.0 mi · 2 min · Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Take the exit

0.6 mi · 1 min
Exit 139 Toward I 294 North, I 290 West: Milwaukee, Rockford Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Keep slight left at fork

0.2 mi · 28 sec
Toward I 294 Toll North: O'Hare International Airport, Milwaukee
10

Merge onto I 294

9.9 mi · 13 min · Tri-State Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 15 sec
Exit 42 A-B Toward Touhy Avenue Use the slight right lane.
12

Keep slight left at fork

0.5 mi · 1 min
Exit 42 A-B Toward Touhy Avenue
13

Keep slight left at fork

0.1 mi · 16 sec
Toward Touhy Avenue West Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Keep slight right at fork

0.3 mi · 43 sec
Exit 42B Toward Touhy Avenue West Use the right lane.
15

Turn straight onto East Touhy Avenue

325 ft · 7 sec · East Touhy Avenue
16

Turn slight right

339 ft · 9 sec
17

Turn right onto South Des Plaines River Road

1.7 mi · 3 min · South Des Plaines River Road
18

Turn left onto Henry Avenue

0.1 mi · 24 sec · Henry Avenue
19

Arrive at destination

Henry Avenue

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 14

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.8 and 14.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
0.8 mi into trip | ~2m in

Take the exit toward I 88 Toll East: Chicago

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

Use the straight / right lanes. Toward I 88 Toll East: Chicago
8
3.4 mi into trip | ~6m in

Take the exit toward I 294 North, I 290 West: Milwaukee, Rockford

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 139 Toward I 294 North, I 290 West: Milwaukee, Rock...
7
14.2 mi into trip | ~20m in

Take the exit toward Touhy Avenue

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 42 A-B Toward Touhy Avenue
7
14.8 mi into trip | ~22m in

Keep slight left at fork toward Touhy Avenue West

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward Touhy Avenue West
8
14.9 mi into trip | ~22m in

Keep slight right at fork toward Touhy Avenue West

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Exit 42B Toward Touhy Avenue West

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.69 one way

$5.38 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $2.95 $5.90
premium $4.89 $3.31 $6.62
diesel $5.61 $3.80 $7.60

Estimated Tolls: $0.72

Tri-state Tollway (9.9 mi) $0.60
Reagan Memorial Tollway (2 mi) $0.12

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

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 5.2 0 $1.81 $0.83
Efficient EV 4.3 0 $1.51 $0.69
EV Truck/SUV 6.9 0 $2.41 $1.10

Gas CO2

6 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (67% 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 19, 2026

Origin

Oakbrook Terrace, IL

Late night in Oakbrook Terrace on Tuesday

Local time

5:36 AM

CDT

Current temp

36°F

Areas Of Frost

W 5 to 10 mph 1% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 18 at 10:25PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 18 at 10:23PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Destination

Des Plaines, IL

Late night in Des Plaines on Tuesday

Local time

5:36 AM

CDT

Current temp

62°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

26 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

27m 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 route is mostly surface roads, with 0% highway driving. You'll encounter a longest stretch of 9.9 miles on the Tri-State Tollway before transitioning to surface streets. Be prepared for frequent intersections and traffic signals as you navigate through local roads. The transition from tollway to surface roads should be manageable given the relatively short overall distance.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 9.9 mi on Tri-State Tollway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

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 0.8 miles in.

Driving Effort 10/10

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 14 decision points packed into just 17.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 27m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 3.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 14.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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.

Between Oakbrook Terrace, IL and Des Plaines, IL, road signs point toward Rockford, Milwaukee and Touhy Avenue West.

Rockford

3.4 mi in | ~6m

Milwaukee

4 mi in | ~7m

Touhy Avenue West

14.8 mi in | ~22m

About the Cities

Arriving in Des Plaines, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1852

Des Plaines is in Chicagoland. It is an inner-ring, northwest suburb of Chicago with two distinct portions: a suburban northern portion reminiscient of other, nearby northwest suburbs (including Niles, Park Ridge, and Mount Prospect), as well as a built-up southern portion with the businesses, hotels, and other amenities of the O'Hare Airport corridor (much like Rosemont, Chicago's O'Hare neighborhood, and Elk Grove Village).

Top landmarks

  • • McDonald's #1 Store Museum — former McDonald's spot

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 27m. Total distance: 17.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

27m 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 9.9 miles on Tri-State Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.72 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 1 rest area or service plaza 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 Des Plaines, 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 0.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 3.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 14.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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 Des Plaines, 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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Explore More

Return Trip

Des Plaines, IL to Oakbrook Terrace, IL

Plan the drive back the other way.

16.5 mi 26m

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