Origin
River Oaks, TX
Late night in River Oaks on Tuesday
Local time
3:19 AM
CDT
Current temp
79°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from River Oaks, TX to Arlington, TX
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
29m
Distance
18.6 mi
30 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 27m
★
6 AM
0h 29m
8 AM
0h 34m
10 AM
0h 31m
12 PM
0h 30m
3 PM
0h 31m
5 PM
0h 34m
8 PM
0h 28m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
River Oaks, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Arlington, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This quick 21.2-mile drive from River Oaks, TX, to Arlington, TX, is designed for a single day, taking approximately 28 minutes to complete. You'll navigate primarily using local streets like Softwood Drive and South Main Street, with a small portion on Interstate 20. With a modest fuel cost estimated at $3, this route offers a straightforward journey through the Great Plains region of Texas. It's more of a local commute or a short hop than a destination drive, making it ideal for those needing to cover a short distance without significant time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway | 6.1 mi | 6m |
| Lyndon B Johnson Freeway | 4.1 mi | 4m |
| South Collins Street | 3.9 mi | 7m |
| South Main Street | 2.6 mi | 5m |
| East Abram Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Softwood Drive | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| Ten Mile Lane | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Interstate 20 | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway
— 6.1 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between River Oaks, TX and Arlington, TX.
1
Start on Ten Mile Lane
0.2 mi
·
40 sec
·
Ten Mile Lane
2
Turn right onto Softwood Drive
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Softwood Drive
3
At end of road, turn left onto South Main Street
2.6 mi
·
5 min
·
South Main Street
4
Turn left onto West Interstate 20
0.2 mi
·
18 sec
·
West Interstate 20
5
Continue on this road
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
·
this road
Toward I 20 West
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
6
Merge onto I 20
4.1 mi
·
4 min
·
Lyndon B Johnson Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Continue on I 20
6.1 mi
·
6 min
·
Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Exit 451
Toward Collins Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn straight onto East Interstate 20
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
·
East Interstate 20
10
Turn right onto South Collins Street
3.9 mi
·
7 min
·
South Collins Street
Use the right lane.
11
Turn left onto East Abram Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
East Abram Street
Use the left lane.
12
Arrive at destination
West Abram Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 14.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Softwood Drive
Turn right onto Softwood Drive
Navigation decision point
5
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
South Main Street
At end of road, turn left onto South Main Street
Navigation decision point
5
3.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
I 20 / Lyndon B Johnson Freeway
Merge onto I 20 / Lyndon B Johnson Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
13.7 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Take the exit toward Collins Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 451
Toward Collins Street
5
14.1 mi into trip
|
~20m in
|
South Collins Street
Turn right onto South Collins Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.81 one way
$5.62 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $3.08 | $6.15 |
| premium | $4.54 | $3.32 | $6.64 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.11 | $8.21 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.6 | 0 | $1.95 | $0.89 |
| Efficient EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.63 | $0.74 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.4 | 0 | $2.60 | $1.19 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Arlington, TX
Late night in Arlington on Tuesday
Local time
3:19 AM
CDT
Current temp
61°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
18 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
29m 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 for most of this 21.2-mile trip, with no highway percentage to speak of. The journey predominantly follows surface streets, meaning you'll be interacting with traffic signals and various intersections frequently. Without any significant uninterrupted stretches to consider, your pace will be dictated by the urban landscape. This route is characterized by its frequent changes in direction rather than long, open stretches of road, so stay alert for navigation.
Only 24% 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: 6.1 mi on Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near Softwood Drive.
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 18.6 miles you will encounter 8 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 0.2 miles (Softwood Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (South Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 3.5 miles (I 20 / Lyndon B Johnson Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in River Oaks, TX
Full guide →Founded 1940
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 29m. Total distance: 18.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
29m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 6.1 miles on Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway. 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 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 0.2 miles (Softwood Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (South Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 3.5 miles (I 20 / Lyndon B Johnson Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
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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