Origin
Pleasant Valley, MO
Afternoon in Pleasant Valley on Sunday
Local time
4:49 PM
CDT
Current temp
57°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Pleasant Valley, MO to Kansas City, MO
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
16m
Distance
11.5 mi
19 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 15m
★
6 AM
0h 16m
8 AM
0h 19m
10 AM
0h 17m
12 PM
0h 17m
3 PM
0h 17m
5 PM
0h 19m
8 PM
0h 15m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Pleasant Valley, MO
Q. Hưng Phạm
Kansas City, MO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Pleasant Valley, MO to Kansas City, MO is 11.5 miles and takes about 16 minutes via Chicago-Kansas City Expressway, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays within Missouri, traveling from the Midwest region to the Midwest region. It's a quick hop that's mostly highway, making it very straightforward. You'll likely find this route ideal for a brief commute or a simple relocation between two points in the greater Kansas City area. Given its brevity, planning is minimal, allowing for flexibility.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Kansas City Expressway | 10.1 mi | 12m |
| Northeast Pleasant Valley Road | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| US 71 | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| East 11th Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Oak Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Chicago-Kansas City Expressway
— 10.1 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Pleasant Valley, MO and Kansas City, MO.
1
Start on Northeast Pleasant Valley Road
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Northeast Pleasant Valley Road
2
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
3
Merge onto I 35; MO 110
10 mi
·
12 min
·
Chicago-Kansas City Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4
Keep slight left at fork onto US 71
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
·
US 71
Exit 3
Toward I 70 East, US 40 East, US 71 South: Saint Louis, Joplin
5
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
20 sec
Exit 2J
Toward Downtown
Use the slight right lane.
6
Turn slight right onto East 11th Street
0.3 mi
·
51 sec
·
East 11th Street
7
Turn left onto Oak Street
461 ft
·
15 sec
·
Oak Street
8
Arrive at destination
Oak Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 55 decision points cluster between mile 0.4 and 11.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
3
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Take the ramp
Navigation decision point
5
0.7 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
I 35; MO 110 / Chicago-Kansas City Expressway
Merge onto I 35; MO 110 / Chicago-Kansas City Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
10.7 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
US 71
Keep slight left at fork onto US 71 toward I 70 East, US 40 East, US 71 South: Saint Louis, Joplin
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 3
Toward I 70 East, US 40 East, US 71 South: Sain...
7
11.1 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Take the exit toward Downtown
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 2J
Toward Downtown
5
11.5 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
Oak Street
Turn left onto Oak Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.80 one way
$3.60 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $1.97 | $3.95 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.21 | $4.43 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.54 | $5.08 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.4 | 0 | $1.21 | $0.55 |
| Efficient EV | 2.9 | 0 | $1.01 | $0.46 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.6 | 0 | $1.61 | $0.74 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Kansas City, MO
Afternoon in Kansas City on Sunday
Local time
4:49 PM
CDT
Current temp
74°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
17 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
16m 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 is primarily a highway-focused drive, with 90% of it utilizing major roadways. You'll spend most of your time on the Chicago-Kansas City Expressway. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 10.1 miles on this expressway, offering a consistent, high-speed experience. Northeast Pleasant Valley Road and US 71 also contribute to the drive, integrating seamlessly with the main highway. Expect a smooth, efficient journey with minimal slowdowns, characteristic of a well-maintained expressway.
90% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
8 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.1 mi on Chicago-Kansas City Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Chicago-Kansas City Expressway and Northeast Pleasant Valley Road. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.4 miles in.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 16m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.4 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (I 35; MO 110 / Chicago-Kansas City Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 10.7 miles (US 71): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
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 Pleasant Valley, MO to Kansas City, MO, road signs begin pointing toward Joplin along the way.
Joplin
10.7 mi in
|
~14m
|
via US 71
About the Cities
Arriving in Kansas City, MO
Full guide →Kansas City is a major Midwestern metropolitan area that spreads across the border of Missouri and Kansas. It is a city that tends to hide itself from tourists. Reputed to have more boulevards than Paris and more fountains than any other city in the world except for Rome, it can be a beautiful city, too. It is unique in that it is split down the middle by the state line of Kansas and Missouri.
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 16m. Total distance: 11.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
16m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (90%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 10.1 miles on Chicago-Kansas City Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 0.4 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (I 35; MO 110 / Chicago-Kansas City Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 10.7 miles (US 71): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Kansas 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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