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Trip from Richardson, TX to Arlington, TX

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

41m

Distance

32.1 mi

52 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 10 min
4 AM
0h 38m ★
6 AM
0h 41m
8 AM
0h 48m
10 AM
0h 43m
12 PM
0h 43m
3 PM
0h 44m
5 PM
0h 48m
8 PM
0h 39m

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

city in Collin and Dallas counties in Texas, United States

Richardson, TX

Wikimedia Commons

suburban city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States

Arlington, TX

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

If you are traveling from Richardson to Arlington, you are looking at a straightforward 32.4-mile trip that typically takes about 37 minutes. This journey stays entirely within the Great Plains region of Texas, making it a quick and easy connection between the two cities. Given the short duration, you definitely do not need an overnight stay; a single day is more than enough to complete the drive. With a fuel budget of just $5, it is a very economical trip to plan. Because the route relies on local streets like East Main Street, West Main Street, and South Central Expressway rather than major highways, you should expect a different pace than a typical interstate commute.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
President George Bush Turnpike 12 mi 12m
I 635 TEXpress 3.5 mi 3m
Tom Landry Freeway 3.3 mi 4m
Lyndon B Johnson Freeway 3 mi 3m
Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway 2.4 mi 2m
North Center Street 1.8 mi 4m
South Central Expressway 1.8 mi 2m
Wet N Wild Way 0.5 mi <1m
Longest stretch: President George Bush Turnpike — 12 mi, about 12m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Richardson, TX and Arlington, TX.

1

Start on this road

99 ft · 13 sec · this road
2

Turn left onto East Main Street

0.2 mi · 32 sec · East Main Street
3

Continue on West Main Street

0.2 mi · 39 sec · West Main Street
4

Turn left onto South Central Expressway

0.7 mi · 1 min · South Central Expressway
Use the straight / left lanes.
5

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 26 sec
Toward US 75 South
6

Merge onto US 75

1.1 mi · 1 min · South Central Expressway
7

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 32 sec
Exit 21 Toward I 635 Use the straight / right lanes.
8

Keep slight right at fork

0.9 mi · 55 sec
Toward I 635 West Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
9

Merge onto I 635

2.4 mi · 2 min · Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Continue on I 635

1.5 mi · 1 min · Lyndon B Johnson Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 32 sec
Toward I 635 TEXpress West Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Merge onto I 635 TEXpress

3.5 mi · 3 min · I 635 TEXpress
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13

Merge onto I 635

1.5 mi · 1 min · Lyndon B Johnson Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 39 sec
Exit 30 Toward PGBT Toll South: President George Bush Turnpike, Las Colinas Boulevard Use the slight right lane.
15

Keep slight left at fork

0.7 mi · 1 min
Toward PGBT South: President George Bush Turnpike South Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
16

Merge onto PGBT

12 mi · 12 min · President George Bush Turnpike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 27 sec
Toward I 30 West: Fort Worth Use the slight right lane.
18

Merge onto I 30

3.3 mi · 4 min · Tom Landry Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 36 sec
Exit 28B Toward FM 157: Collins Street Use the straight / slight right lanes.
20

Turn straight onto Wet N Wild Way

0.5 mi · 59 sec · Wet N Wild Way
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
21

Turn left onto North Center Street

1.8 mi · 4 min · North Center Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
22

Turn right onto West Abram Street

297 ft · 8 sec · West Abram Street
23

Arrive at destination

West Abram Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 19

5 decision points cluster between mile 2.4 and 29.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

7
2.4 mi into trip | ~4m in

Take the exit toward I 635

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

Use the straight / right lanes. Exit 21 Toward I 635
7
2.6 mi into trip | ~4m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 635 West

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left / slight right lanes. Toward I 635 West
8
12.8 mi into trip | ~15m in

Take the exit toward PGBT Toll South: President George Bush Turnpike, Las Colinas Boulevard

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 30 Toward PGBT Toll South: President George Bush T...
7
13.3 mi into trip | ~16m in

Keep slight left at fork toward PGBT South: President George Bush Turnpike South

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left / slight right lanes. Toward PGBT South: President George Bush Turnpi...
7
29.5 mi into trip | ~35m in

Take the exit toward FM 157: Collins Street

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 28B Toward FM 157: Collins Street

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.85 one way

$9.70 round trip

$3.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 11 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.20 $5.31 $10.62
premium $4.54 $5.73 $11.46
diesel $5.61 $7.09 $14.17

Estimated Tolls: $1.10

President George Bush Turnpike (12 mi) $0.96
Central Expressway (1.8 mi) $0.14

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Tolls

$1

Total

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 11.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 9.6 0 $3.37 $1.54
Efficient EV 8 0 $2.81 $1.28
EV Truck/SUV 12.8 0 $4.49 $2.05

Gas CO2

11 kg

EV CO2

4 kg (64% 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 Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Richardson, TX

Late night in Richardson on Sunday

Local time

2:28 AM

CDT

Current temp

61°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Arlington, TX

Late night in Arlington on Sunday

Local time

2:28 AM

CDT

Current temp

55°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

6 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

41m 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?

Expect a turn-heavy local drive rather than a high-speed interstate experience on this route. Since the highway share is 0%, your time behind the wheel will be spent entirely on local roads, requiring your full attention as you navigate through the area. There is no long-distance cruising here, as the longest stretch without a turn is 0 miles on East Main Street. You will feel the stop-and-go nature of city driving throughout the entire 32.4-mile journey. Prepare for a hands-on driving experience where the road demands constant awareness of your surroundings and frequent navigation adjustments.

81% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
23 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12 mi on President George Bush Turnpike.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on President George Bush Turnpike and I 635 TEXpress. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2.4 miles in.

Driving Effort 10/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 19 decision points packed into just 32.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 2.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 12.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. 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.

Between Richardson, TX and Arlington, TX, road signs point toward Pgbt Toll South: President George Bush Turnpike and Pgbt South: President George Bush Turnpike South.

Pgbt Toll South: President George Bush Turnpike

12.8 mi in | ~15m

Pgbt South: President George Bush Turnpike South

13.3 mi in | ~16m

About the Cities

Starting in Richardson, TX

Full guide →

Founded 1840

Arriving in Arlington, TX

Full guide →

Founded 1876

Arlington is a city in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex metropolitan area, in the Prairies and Lakes region of Texas. With a population of almost 400,000 (2019), it is Texas' seventh largest, and the third largest in the Metroplex. Arlington is south of the sprawling DFW International Airport.

Top landmarks

  • Six Flags Over Texas — amusement park
  • Mini Mine Train — Steel roller coaster
  • Arlington Museum of Art — art museum in Texas, United States

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 41m. Total distance: 32.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

41m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (81%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 12 miles on President George Bush Turnpike. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $1.10 in tolls one way, starting with President George Bush Turnpike. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.

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 Arlington, TX 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 2.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 12.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Arlington, TX 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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