Origin
Rockwall, TX
Late night in Rockwall on Sunday
Local time
1:01 AM
CDT
Current temp
73°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Rockwall, TX to Dallas, TX
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
33m
Distance
24.7 mi
40 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 31m
★
6 AM
0h 34m
8 AM
0h 40m
10 AM
0h 36m
12 PM
0h 35m
3 PM
0h 36m
5 PM
0h 39m
8 PM
0h 32m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Rockwall, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Dallas, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are planning to head from Rockwall to Dallas, you are looking at a quick 24.7-mile journey that typically takes around 33 minutes. This trip is well-suited for a single-day excursion, as it is short enough to handle in one go without needing an overnight stay. You will navigate primarily via Congressman Ralph Hall Highway, Ridge Road, and Elm Street. With a modest fuel budget of approximately $4, the cost of getting between these two Great Plains locations is quite manageable. Since both cities are situated within the same region, you won't experience any major shifts in landscape or climate. It is a straightforward, practical commute that gets you from the suburbs into the heart of the city efficiently.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Congressman Ralph Hall Highway | 19.5 mi | 22m |
| Ridge Road | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| Elm Street | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| South Goliad Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| East Interstate 30 | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| North Lamar Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| North Alamo Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Kaufman Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Congressman Ralph Hall Highway
— 19.5 mi, about 22m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Rockwall, TX and Dallas, TX.
1
Start on this road
169 ft
·
14 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto TX 205
222 ft
·
13 sec
·
North Goliad Street
3
Turn left onto West Kaufman Street
261 ft
·
16 sec
·
West Kaufman Street
4
Turn left onto TX 205
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
·
North Alamo Road
5
Continue on TX 205
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Goliad Street
6
Turn slight right
459 ft
·
16 sec
7
Turn straight onto FM 740
1.7 mi
·
3 min
·
Ridge Road
8
Turn right onto East Interstate 30
0.4 mi
·
41 sec
·
East Interstate 30
9
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
Toward I 30 West
10
Merge onto I 30; US 67
19 mi
·
22 min
·
Congressman Ralph Hall Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
Exit 47B
Toward I 45 South, US 75 North: Houston, McKinney
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Toward US 75 North: McKinney
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
13
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Toward Main Street West, Elm Street
Use the slight left lane.
14
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
Toward Elm Street
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
15
Turn straight onto Elm Street
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Elm Street
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
16
Turn right onto North Lamar Street
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
North Lamar Street
17
Arrive at destination
North Lamar Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 23.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West Kaufman Street
Turn left onto West Kaufman Street
Navigation decision point
8
22.8 mi into trip
|
~29m in
Take the exit toward I 45 South, US 75 North: Houston, McKinney
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 47B
Toward I 45 South, US 75 North: Houston, McKinn...
7
23 mi into trip
|
~30m in
Keep slight right at fork toward US 75 North: McKinney
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward US 75 North: McKinney
8
23.3 mi into trip
|
~30m in
Keep slight left at fork toward Main Street West, Elm Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left lane.
Toward Main Street West, Elm Street
8
23.5 mi into trip
|
~31m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Elm Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward Elm Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.73 one way
$7.46 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $4.09 | $8.17 |
| premium | $4.54 | $4.41 | $8.82 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.45 | $10.91 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.4 | 0 | $2.59 | $1.19 |
| Efficient EV | 6.2 | 0 | $2.16 | $0.99 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.9 | 0 | $3.46 | $1.58 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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
Dallas, TX
Late night in Dallas on Sunday
Local time
1:01 AM
CDT
Current temp
68°F
Mostly Clear
S 10 mph
4% chance
Live forecast
Fire Weather Watch
The Fire Weather Watch has been replaced. Please see the latest information from NWS Midland/Odessa TX on this developin...
Red Flag Warning
Red Flag Warning issued April 17 at 2:01AM CDT until April 17 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Midland/Odessa TX
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
5 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
33m 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 rather than a monotonous interstate haul on this route. While you will spend a portion of your time on larger roads, the highway share is only 2 percent, meaning you will spend most of your time navigating local streets. Your longest uninterrupted stretch is 19.5 miles spent on Congressman Ralph Hall Highway, which provides a consistent rhythm before you transition into the more frequent turns of the final leg. The character of the road changes noticeably as you move away from the highway and into the denser local grid of the city. You should stay alert behind the wheel, as the route requires more active steering and attention than a standard high-speed commute.
Only 2% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 19.5 mi on Congressman Ralph Hall Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near West Kaufman Street.
Driving Effort
9/10
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 12 decision points packed into just 24.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 33m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (West Kaufman Street): Navigation decision point; at 22.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 23 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Rockwall, TX and Dallas, TX, road signs point toward Mckinney and Main Street West.
Mckinney
22.8 mi in
|
~29m
Main Street West
23.3 mi in
|
~30m
About the Cities
Starting in Rockwall, TX
Full guide →Founded 1854
Rockwall is a city in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Texas.
Arriving in Dallas, TX
Full guide →“Big D” · Founded 1841
Dallas, with a population of more than 1.3 million residents, is the ninth largest city in the United States and the third largest in the state of Texas. It is an impressive melting pot of culture and character. Boasting high-end luxury hotels, innumerable fine dining spots, and one of the busiest airports in the world, Dallas maintains an upscale ethos reflected by an affluent population, world-class museums, and a shimmering modern skyline. Its history was marred by the infamous assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, but there is more historic and contemporary heritage to be discovered in the city. As a center of the oil and cotton industries in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Dallas was a classic American boom town and remains one of the fastest growing cities in the nation.
Top landmarks
- • Dallas Museum of Art — art museum in Dallas, Texas
- • Texas School Book Depository — building in Dallas, Texas, United States
- • George W. Bush Presidential Center — Presidential library and museum for U.S. President George W. Bush, located in Da...
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 33m. Total distance: 24.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
33m 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 19.5 miles on Congressman Ralph Hall 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 Dallas, 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 0.1 miles (West Kaufman Street): Navigation decision point; at 22.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 23 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Dallas, 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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