Omaha to Chalco is 15.5 miles and takes about 23 minutes via I 80 and Gerald R Ford Expressway, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Great Plains region of Nebraska. Given its brief duration and familiar landscape, this route is ideal for a quick local transfer or a brief leg of a larger journey. You'll find it straightforward, with most of the mileage on well-maintained highways.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
I 80
9.1 mi
10m
Gerald R Ford Expressway
2 mi
2m
Harrison Street
1.5 mi
2m
Saint Mary's Avenue
0.8 mi
2m
Chandler Road
0.6 mi
2m
State Highway 50
0.5 mi
1m
Giles Road
0.2 mi
<1m
South 18th Street
0.1 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
I 80
— 9.1 mi, about 10m
Traffic on I-80
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 16 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~5,527 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~356 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
15.5×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a6anoon6p11p
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 Omaha, NE and Chalco, NE.
1
Start on Harney Street
176 ft·10 sec·Harney Street
2
Turn right onto South 18th Street
0.1 mi·29 sec·South 18th Street
3
Turn right onto Saint Mary's Avenue
0.8 mi·2 min·Saint Mary's Avenue
4
Turn left onto South 29th Street
450 ft·10 sec·South 29th Street
5
Take the ramp
0.2 mi·20 sec
Toward I 480 South, US 75 South
6
Merge onto I 480; US 75
1.2 mi·1 min·Gerald R Ford Expressway
7
Take the exit onto I 480
0.8 mi·55 sec·Gerald R Ford Expressway
8
Merge onto I 80
9.1 mi·10 min·I 80
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.2 mi·26 sec
Exit 442Toward La Vista, Papillion
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.2 mi·20 sec
Toward La Vista, Papillion
11
Turn straight onto Giles Road
0.2 mi·19 sec·Giles Road
12
Turn left onto Harrison Street
1.5 mi·2 min·Harrison Street
Use the straight lane.
13
Turn left onto N-50
0.5 mi·1 min·State Highway 50
14
Turn right onto Chandler Road
0.6 mi·2 min·Chandler Road
15
Turn right
79 ft·5 sec
16
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 12
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 12.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip|~0m in|South 18th Street
Turn right onto South 18th Street
Navigation decision point
5
1 mi into trip|~3m in
Take the ramp toward I 480 South, US 75 South
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 480 South, US 75 South
5
3.2 mi into trip|~5m in|I 80
Merge onto I 80
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
12.3 mi into trip|~16m in
Take the exit toward La Vista, Papillion
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 442
Toward La Vista, Papillion
7
12.5 mi into trip|~16m in
Keep slight right at fork toward La Vista, Papillion
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward La Vista, Papillion
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.40 one way
$4.81 round trip
$3.94/gal25.4 MPG avg5 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.32
$2.64
$5.27
premium
$4.93
$3.01
$6.01
diesel
$5.60
$3.42
$6.83
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.4 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging
· 0 stops
· 60% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
4.7
0
$1.63
$0.74
Efficient EV
3.9
0
$1.36
$0.62
EV Truck/SUV
6.2
0
$2.17
$0.99
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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 Sep 3, 2026
Origin
Omaha, NE
Night
in Omaha on Saturday
Local time
11:30 PM
CDT
Current temp
78°F
Mostly Clear then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
S 9 mph19% chanceLive forecast
Special Weather Statement
Special Weather Statement issued September 2 at 8:44PM MDT by NWS North Platte NE
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued September 2 at 12:02PM CDT until September 4 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Hastings NE
Destination
Chalco, NE
Night
in Chalco on Saturday
Local time
11:30 PM
CDT
Current temp
77°F
Partly Cloudy then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
S 9 mph16% chanceLive forecast
Special Weather Statement
Special Weather Statement issued September 2 at 8:44PM MDT by NWS North Platte NE
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued September 2 at 12:02PM CDT until September 4 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Hastings NE
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
23m 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.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
This drive is mostly highway, with 75% of the 15.5 miles spent on freeways like I 80. You'll encounter a 9.1-mile stretch on I 80 before transitioning to surface roads like Harrison Street. Expect a fairly consistent driving experience with the usual highway exits and merges for the majority of the trip.
75% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 9.1 mi on I 80.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 80 and Gerald R Ford Expressway. You will hit about 12 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near South 18th Street.
Driving Effort6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 15.5 miles you will encounter 12 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (South 18th Street): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.2 miles (I 80): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
1,184 ft1,042 ft
Total Climb
311 ft
Total Descent
319 ft
Highest Point
1,184 ft
~10 mi in
Elevation Range
142 ft
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Omaha, NE and Chalco, NE, road signs point toward La Vista and Papillion.
Omaha is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska, with about 486,000 residents in 2020. Tourist attractions in Omaha include history, sports, outdoors and cultural experiences. Its principal tourist attractions are the Henry Doorly Zoo and the Men's College World Series. The Old Market in Downtown Omaha is another major attraction and is important to the city's retail economy.
Top landmarks
•St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church — historic church in Nebraska, United States
•St. Cecilia Cathedral — Roman Catholic cathedral in Omaha, Nebraska
•Malcolm X House — historic former house in Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Doable as a same-day drive at 23m. Total distance: 15.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
23m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (75%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 9.1 miles on I 80. 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 Chalco, NE 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.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through NE can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (South 18th Street): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.2 miles (I 80): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Chalco, NE before heading back.
