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Trip from O'Fallon, MO to University City, MO

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 2, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

39m

Distance

27.8 mi

45 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 10 min
4 AM
0h 36m ★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 46m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 41m
3 PM
0h 42m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 37m

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

Best Time
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Downtown O'Fallon, MO, MO

O'Fallon, MO

Wikimedia Commons

city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States

University City, MO

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from O'Fallon, MO to University City, MO covers 27.8 miles and takes about 39m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on I 70, Inner Belt Expressway, North Hanley Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 19.8 miles on I 70. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.31 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 70 19.8 mi 24m
Inner Belt Expressway 1.5 mi 1m
North Hanley Road 1.4 mi 2m
Olive Boulevard 1.2 mi 1m
Drennen Parkway 0.9 mi 1m
Saint Charles Rock Road 0.7 mi 1m
South Main Street 0.6 mi 1m
Midland Boulevard 0.6 mi 1m
Longest stretch: I 70 — 19.8 mi, about 24m

Traffic on I-70

Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 22 FHWA count stations on your route.

Peak

4 PM

~6,486 veh/hr typical

Quietest

2 AM

~540 veh/hr

Peak-to-quiet ratio

12×

busier at peak than in the quiet hours

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 105 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between O'Fallon, MO and University City, MO.

1

Start on this road

25 ft · 7 sec · this road
2

Turn left onto South Main Street

0.6 mi · 1 min · South Main Street
3

Turn left onto Drennen Parkway

0.9 mi · 1 min · Drennen Parkway
Use the left lane.
4

Take the ramp

438 ft · 6 sec
Toward I 70 East: Saint Louis Use the slight left lane.
5

Merge onto I 70

20 mi · 24 min · I 70
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 40 sec
Exit 238A Toward I 170 South: Clayton Use the slight right lane.
7

Merge onto I 170

1.5 mi · 1 min · Inner Belt Expressway
8

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 16 sec
Exit 5 Toward MO 180: Saint Charles Rock Road Use the slight right lane.
9

Keep slight left at fork

426 ft · 11 sec
Toward MO 180: Saint Charles Rock Road Use the straight / slight left lanes.
10

Turn left onto MO 180

0.7 mi · 1 min · Saint Charles Rock Road
Use the right lane.
11

Turn right onto North Hanley Road

1.4 mi · 2 min · North Hanley Road
Use the right lane.
12

Turn slight left onto Midland Boulevard

0.6 mi · 1 min · Midland Boulevard
Use the left lane.
13

Turn left onto MO 340

1.2 mi · 1 min · Olive Boulevard
14

Turn slight right

182 ft · 6 sec
15

Turn slight right onto Kingsland Avenue

0.5 mi · 1 min · Kingsland Avenue
16

Continue on Kingsland Avenue

173 ft · 12 sec · Kingsland Avenue
17

Arrive at destination

Kingsland Avenue

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 11

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 24.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0.6 mi into trip | ~1m in | Drennen Parkway

Turn left onto Drennen Parkway

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
7
21.4 mi into trip | ~28m in

Take the exit toward I 170 South: Clayton

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 238A Toward I 170 South: Clayton
7
23.2 mi into trip | ~30m in

Take the exit toward MO 180: Saint Charles Rock Road

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 5 Toward MO 180: Saint Charles Rock Road
8
23.3 mi into trip | ~30m in

Keep slight left at fork toward MO 180: Saint Charles Rock Road

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight left lanes. Toward MO 180: Saint Charles Rock Road
6
24.1 mi into trip | ~32m in | North Hanley Road

Turn right onto North Hanley Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.31 one way

$8.62 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 10 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $4.73 $9.45
premium $4.93 $5.39 $10.79
diesel $5.60 $6.13 $12.26

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 9.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 8.3 0 $2.92 $1.33
Efficient EV 7 0 $2.43 $1.11
EV Truck/SUV 11.1 0 $3.89 $1.78

Gas CO2

10 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (70% 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 Aug 31, 2026

Origin

O'Fallon, MO

Evening in O'Fallon on Wednesday

Local time

6:53 PM

CDT

Current temp

73°F

Mostly Clear

S 6 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued August 30 at 8:06PM CDT until September 2 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued August 30 at 8:03PM CDT until September 2 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO

Destination

University City, MO

Evening in University City on Wednesday

Local time

6:53 PM

CDT

Current temp

75°F

Mostly Clear

S 8 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued August 30 at 8:06PM CDT until September 2 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued August 30 at 8:03PM CDT until September 2 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO

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

2 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

39m 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?

27.8 mi in 39m, mostly highway — 19.8 mi of that is on I 70.

80% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 19.8 mi on I 70.

How Hard Is This Drive?

8/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 70 and Inner Belt Expressway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.6 miles in near Drennen Parkway.

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 11 decision points packed into just 27.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 39m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.6 miles (Drennen Parkway): Lane positioning matters here; at 21.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 23.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

640 ft 460 ft

Total Climb

261 ft

Total Descent

279 ft

Highest Point

640 ft

~23.8 mi in

Elevation Range

180 ft

About the Cities

Starting in O'Fallon, MO

Full guide →

Founded 1856

St. Charles, Missouri is outside of St. Louis on the bank of the Missouri River. It was Missouri's first state capital and was one of the first stops by Lewis and Clark on their journey to explore Louisiana Territory. The historic Main Street has largely been restored to its 1812-era appearance including gas lights a boardwalk and is lined with shops selling artwork, handicrafts, home decorations, antiques. There are also many restaurants.

Arriving in University City, MO

Full guide →

St. Louis County is an area in the St. Louis Area of Missouri. Its current boundaries were set in 1877, when St. Louis City split off to become an independent city separate from any county. It is the most populated part of the St. Louis area, though it has fewer sites of interest than the City. It mostly consists of suburban residential areas.

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 39m. Total distance: 27.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

39m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (80%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 19.8 miles on I 70. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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 University City, MO 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 0.6 miles (Drennen Parkway): Lane positioning matters here; at 21.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 23.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes — Gateway Arch National 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 University City, MO 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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