Skip to main content

Trip from Richmond, VA to Bon Air, VA

Pin this trip

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

15m

Distance

7.4 mi

12 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$1

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 14m ★
6 AM
0h 15m
8 AM
0h 18m
10 AM
0h 16m
12 PM
0h 16m
3 PM
0h 16m
5 PM
0h 18m
8 PM
0h 15m

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

Downtown Bon Air, VA, VA

Bon Air, VA

Sami Aksu

Trip Overview

This short 7.4-mile drive from Richmond to Bon Air, Virginia, can be completed in about 15 minutes, making it an easy addition to any local itinerary or a quick hop for a specific destination. With a minimal fuel cost of around $1, it's a budget-friendly trip. The route is primarily on the Powhite Parkway and Jahnke Road, offering a mixed driving experience. Since it's a single-day trip, you won't need to worry about overnight stays. Both locations are situated in the Southeast region of Virginia, so you'll remain within familiar territory for this brief journey.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Powhite Parkway 1.7 mi 2m
Jahnke Road 1 mi 2m
E-ZPass Only (Powhite Parkway) 1 mi 1m
West Main Street 0.6 mi 1m
Buford Road 0.6 mi 1m
VA 146 0.6 mi <1m
North Meadow Street 0.5 mi 1m
McCloy Street 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Powhite Parkway — 1.7 mi, about 2m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Richmond, VA and Bon Air, VA.

1

Start on Marcus-David Peters Circle

525 ft · 14 sec · Marcus-David Peters Circle
2

Continue on Monument Avenue

0.1 mi · 28 sec · Monument Avenue
3

Turn left onto North Meadow Street

0.5 mi · 1 min · North Meadow Street
4

Turn right onto VA 147

0.6 mi · 1 min · West Main Street
5

Continue on VA 147

0.2 mi · 35 sec · Ellwood Avenue
6

Turn left onto South Sheppard Street

0.1 mi · 24 sec · South Sheppard Street
7

Turn right onto Parkwood Avenue

0.2 mi · 42 sec · Parkwood Avenue
8

Turn left onto McCloy Street

0.2 mi · 44 sec · McCloy Street
9

Turn left onto Maplewood Avenue

30 ft · 1 sec · Maplewood Avenue
10

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 26 sec
Toward VA 76 Toll South
11

Merge onto VA 146

0.6 mi · 46 sec · VA 146
12

Merge onto VA 76

1.0 mi · 1 min · Powhite Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13

Keep slight left at fork onto VA 76

1.0 mi · 1 min · E-ZPass Only (Powhite Parkway)
14

Merge onto VA 76

0.7 mi · 1 min · Powhite Parkway
15

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 37 sec
Toward SR 686 West: Jahnke Road Use the slight right lane.
16

Turn straight onto SR 686

1.0 mi · 2 min · Jahnke Road
17

Turn sharp right onto SR 678

0.6 mi · 1 min · Buford Road
18

Turn left onto SR 718

14 ft · 0 sec · Rockaway Road
19

Arrive at destination

SR 718

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 14

5 decision points cluster between mile 1.6 and 5.5 — 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 | ~4m in | Parkwood Avenue

Turn right onto Parkwood Avenue

Navigation decision point

5
1.8 mi into trip | ~5m in | McCloy Street

Turn left onto McCloy Street

Navigation decision point

5
2 mi into trip | ~6m in | Maplewood Avenue

Turn left onto Maplewood Avenue

Navigation decision point

5
2.8 mi into trip | ~7m in | VA 76 / Powhite Parkway

Merge onto VA 76 / Powhite Parkway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
5.5 mi into trip | ~11m in

Take the exit toward SR 686 West: Jahnke Road

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

Use the slight right lane. Toward SR 686 West: Jahnke Road

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.16 one way

$2.31 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 3 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.34 $1.27 $2.53
premium $4.70 $1.37 $2.74
diesel $5.61 $1.63 $3.27

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$1

Estimated CO2 emission: 2.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 2.2 0 $0.78 $0.36
Efficient EV 1.9 0 $0.65 $0.30
EV Truck/SUV 3 0 $1.04 $0.47

Gas CO2

3 kg

EV CO2

1 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.

Forecast as of Apr 16, 2026

Origin

Richmond, VA

Morning in Richmond on Tuesday

Local time

6:19 AM

EDT

Current temp

93°F

Sunny

SW 12 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Destination

Bon Air, VA

Morning in Bon Air on Tuesday

Local time

6:19 AM

EDT

Current temp

71°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 cooler at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

15m 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 mixed drive on this route, with 44% of the journey being on highways. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 1.7 miles along the Powhite Parkway. This section offers a taste of faster-paced driving before transitioning to local roads like Jahnke Road. The road character shifts as you progress, moving from a more arterial feel on the parkway to a more neighborhood-oriented drive as you approach Bon Air. It's not an overly monotonous stretch, offering some variation in the driving experience.

44% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 1.7 mi on Powhite Parkway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

6/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 14 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 1.6 miles in near Parkwood Avenue.

Driving Effort 6/10

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 7.4 miles you will encounter 14 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: at 1.6 miles (Parkwood Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 1.8 miles (McCloy Street): Navigation decision point; at 2 miles (Maplewood Avenue): Navigation decision point.

About the Cities

Starting in Richmond, VA

Full guide →

Richmond is the capital of Virginia. Richmond has a population of 227,000 (2020) and the adjacent counties of Henrico and Chesterfield combine to create a local population of more than 1.3 million people.

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 15m. Total distance: 7.4 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

15m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (44%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 1.7 miles on Powhite Parkway. 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 Bon Air, VA 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 1.6 miles (Parkwood Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 1.8 miles (McCloy Street): Navigation decision point; at 2 miles (Maplewood Avenue): Navigation decision point.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Bon Air, VA 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.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!

/500

Explore More

More trips to Bon Air, VA

Explore more options from Richmond, VA or browse trips ending in Bon Air, VA.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse VA road trips.