Origin
Pottstown, PA
Late night in Pottstown on Tuesday
Local time
5:09 AM
EDT
Current temp
61°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Pottstown, PA to Reading, PA
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
30m
Distance
16.9 mi
27 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 28m
★
6 AM
0h 31m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 33m
5 PM
0h 35m
8 PM
0h 29m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Pottstown, PA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are planning a quick excursion between Pottstown and Reading, you are looking at a compact 16.9-mile transit. This drive typically takes about 30 minutes, making it an ideal candidate for a single-day trip that requires no overnight stay. You will navigate primarily via the Benjamin Franklin Highway, Perkiomen Avenue, and East High Street. With a modest fuel budget of approximately $3, this is an economical way to travel within the Northeast region. Because the entire route stays within Pennsylvania, you will enjoy a consistent, familiar driving environment throughout the journey. It is a straightforward connection that works well for anyone needing to move efficiently between these two towns.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Franklin Highway | 7.2 mi | 12m |
| Perkiomen Avenue | 5.5 mi | 9m |
| East High Street | 2.3 mi | 4m |
| Mineral Spring Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Penn Street | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| Howard Boulevard | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| South Hanover Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Queen Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Benjamin Franklin Highway
— 7.2 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Pottstown, PA and Reading, PA.
1
Start on this road
262 ft
·
21 sec
·
this road
2
At end of road, turn right onto Queen Street
249 ft
·
14 sec
·
Queen Street
3
Turn right onto South Hanover Street
350 ft
·
19 sec
·
South Hanover Street
4
Turn left onto East High Street
2.3 mi
·
4 min
·
East High Street
5
Continue on Benjamin Franklin Highway
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Benjamin Franklin Highway
6
Take the ramp onto Benjamin Franklin Highway
5.7 mi
·
9 min
·
Benjamin Franklin Highway
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
7
Continue on US 422
2.8 mi
·
4 min
·
Perkiomen Avenue
8
Keep slight right at fork onto US 422 BUS
2.3 mi
·
4 min
·
Perkiomen Avenue
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on US 422 Business
0.5 mi
·
43 sec
·
Howard Boulevard
10
Continue on US 422 Business
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Mineral Spring Road
11
Turn slight right onto US 422 Business
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
·
Perkiomen Avenue
12
Continue on US 422 Business Alternate
0.6 mi
·
58 sec
·
Penn Street
13
Arrive at destination
US 422 Business Alternate
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 55 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
|
Queen Street
At end of road, turn right onto Queen Street
Navigation decision point
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South Hanover Street
Turn right onto South Hanover Street
Navigation decision point
3
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
East High Street
Turn left onto East High Street
Navigation decision point
4
4 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
Benjamin Franklin Highway
Take the ramp onto Benjamin Franklin Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
6
12.5 mi into trip
|
~22m in
|
US 422 BUS / Perkiomen Avenue
Keep slight right at fork onto US 422 BUS / Perkiomen Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.80 one way
$5.60 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $3.07 | $6.14 |
| premium | $4.93 | $3.28 | $6.56 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.73 | $7.46 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.9 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 | 5.1 | 0 | $1.77 | $0.81 |
| Efficient EV | 4.2 | 0 | $1.48 | $0.68 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.8 | 0 | $2.37 | $1.08 |
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.
Destination
Reading, PA
Late night in Reading on Tuesday
Local time
5:09 AM
EDT
Current temp
89°F
Mostly Sunny
SW 5 to 15 mph
3% chance
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
28 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
30m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive that demands your full attention rather than a monotonous highway cruise. Since 0% of this 16.9-mile journey is on controlled-access highways, you will be navigating surface streets for the entire duration. You will spend your longest uninterrupted stretch covering 7.2 miles on the Benjamin Franklin Highway. The nature of the road is technical and consistent, requiring you to navigate local traffic patterns throughout the half-hour trip. You should prepare for a hands-on driving experience that changes rhythm as you transition between the main thoroughfares.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.2 mi on Benjamin Franklin 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 early in the drive near Queen Street.
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 30m 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: near the start (Queen Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (South Hanover Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (East High Street): Navigation decision point.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
442 ft
146 ft
Total Climb
368 ft
Total Descent
268 ft
Highest Point
442 ft
~14.5 mi in
Elevation Range
296 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Pottstown, PA
Full guide →Pottstown is a borough of 23,000 people (2019) in Montgomery County (Pennsylvania). This article also covers the nearby communities of Gilbertsville, Limerick, Sassamansville, Royersford and Linfield.
Arriving in Reading, PA
Full guide →Reading is a historic city of about 95,000 (2020 Census) in Pennsylvania, about 50 miles northwest of Philadelphia, 35 miles southwest of Allentown and 55 miles east of Harrisburg. It punches above its weight in culture, and its downtown features some iconic buildings, so consider making it a stopover on your way between any of these and other area cities.
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 30m. Total distance: 16.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
30m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 7.2 miles on Benjamin Franklin 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: near the start (Queen Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (South Hanover Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (East High Street): Navigation decision point.
Yes — Valley Forge National Historical Park, Appalachian National Scenic Trail and First State 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 Reading, PA 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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