Origin
Porterdale, GA
Afternoon in Porterdale on Tuesday
Local time
12:59 PM
EDT
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Porterdale, GA to Atlanta, GA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
44m
Distance
36.3 mi
58 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 41m
★
6 AM
0h 44m
8 AM
0h 52m
10 AM
0h 47m
12 PM
0h 46m
3 PM
0h 47m
5 PM
0h 51m
8 PM
0h 42m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Porterdale, GA
RDNE Stock project
Atlanta, GA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Porterdale, GA to Atlanta, GA is 36.3 miles and takes about 44 minutes via Purple Heart Highway and Ralph David Abernathy Freeway, with a fuel budget near $6 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This quick trip stays within the Southeast region, connecting two points in Georgia. It's a drive that leans towards navigating local roads, so expect a more involved journey than a simple highway cruise. Given its short distance and duration, it's an ideal same-day excursion without feeling rushed.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Purple Heart Highway | 22.8 mi | 24m |
| Ralph David Abernathy Freeway | 9.3 mi | 11m |
| Washington Street Southwest | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| Turner Lake Road Northwest | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| North Broad Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Turner Lake Road Southwest | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Capitol Avenue Southeast | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Purple Heart Highway
— 22.8 mi, about 24m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Porterdale, GA and Atlanta, GA.
1
Start on GA 81
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
North Broad Street
2
Continue on GA 81
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Washington Street Southwest
3
Turn left onto Turner Lake Road Southwest
0.4 mi
·
41 sec
·
Turner Lake Road Southwest
Use the left lane.
4
Continue on Turner Lake Road Northwest
0.3 mi
·
26 sec
·
Turner Lake Road Northwest
5
Enter roundabout onto Turner Lake Road Northwest
160 ft
·
7 sec
·
Turner Lake Road Northwest
6
Continue on Turner Lake Road Northwest
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Turner Lake Road Northwest
Use the straight lane.
7
Continue on this road
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
this road
8
Merge onto I 20; US 278; GA 12
23 mi
·
24 min
·
Purple Heart Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on I 20
9.3 mi
·
11 min
·
Ralph David Abernathy Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Exit 58A
Toward Capital Avenue, Downtown
Use the slight right lane.
11
Turn right onto Capitol Avenue Southeast
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
·
Capitol Avenue Southeast
Use the right lane.
12
Arrive at destination
Capitol Avenue Southeast
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 65 decision points cluster between mile 1.6 and 36 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
1.6 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
Turner Lake Road Southwest
Turn left onto Turner Lake Road Southwest
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
2.3 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
Turner Lake Road Northwest
Enter roundabout onto Turner Lake Road Northwest
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
5
3.4 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
I 20; US 278; GA 12 / Purple Heart Highway
Merge onto I 20; US 278; GA 12 / Purple Heart Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
35.4 mi into trip
|
~42m in
Take the exit toward Capital Avenue, Downtown
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 58A
Toward Capital Avenue, Downtown
5
36 mi into trip
|
~43m in
|
Capitol Avenue Southeast
Turn right onto Capitol Avenue Southeast
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.68 one way
$11.35 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
13 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $6.21 | $12.41 |
| premium | $4.70 | $6.72 | $13.44 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.01 | $16.03 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 12.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 10.9 | 0 | $3.81 | $1.74 |
| Efficient EV | 9.1 | 0 | $3.18 | $1.45 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 14.5 | 0 | $5.08 | $2.32 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (69% 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
Atlanta, GA
Afternoon in Atlanta on Tuesday
Local time
12:59 PM
EDT
Current temp
81°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
22 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
44m 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 characterized as a 'turn-heavy local drive,' meaning you'll be making frequent adjustments rather than settling into a long, straight highway. With a highway share of 26%, a significant portion of your journey will involve navigating city streets and local thoroughfares. The longest uninterrupted stretch measures 22.8 miles on Purple Heart Highway, offering a brief period of more consistent travel before transitioning back to more complex road segments. Be prepared for a dynamic driving experience as you move from one type of road to another.
Only 26% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 22.8 mi on Purple Heart Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 1.6 miles in near Turner Lake Road Southwest.
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 44m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.6 miles (Turner Lake Road Southwest): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.3 miles (Turner Lake Road Northwest): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 3.4 miles (I 20; US 278; GA 12 / Purple Heart Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Atlanta, GA
Full guide →“The Big Peach” · Founded 1845
Atlanta is the vanguard of the New South, with the charm and elegance of the Old. It's a city that balances southern traditions with sleek modernism, and southern hospitality with three skylines and the world’s busiest airport. It's a city that has been burnt to the ground and built back up; seen the horrors of war; felt the pain of droughts and floods; and given birth to Martin Luther King, Jr., the greatest figure of the civil rights movement. Atlanta is the capital of the state of Georgia.
Top landmarks
- • Georgia State Capitol — state capitol building of the U.S. state of Georgia
- • Virginia-Highland — human settlement in Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- • Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park — heritage site in Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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 44m. Total distance: 36.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
44m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (26%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 22.8 miles on Purple Heart Highway. 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 1.6 miles (Turner Lake Road Southwest): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.3 miles (Turner Lake Road Northwest): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 3.4 miles (I 20; US 278; GA 12 / Purple Heart Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park and Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. 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 Atlanta, GA 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
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Atlanta, GA
More trips to Atlanta, GA
Explore more options from Porterdale, GA or browse trips ending in Atlanta, GA.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse GA road trips.