Origin
Romeoville, IL
Morning in Romeoville on Sunday
Local time
9:17 AM
CDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Romeoville, IL to Chicago, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
45m
Distance
28.8 mi
46 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 41m
★
6 AM
0h 45m
8 AM
0h 53m
10 AM
0h 48m
12 PM
0h 47m
3 PM
0h 48m
5 PM
0h 52m
8 PM
0h 43m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Romeoville, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Chicago, IL
Otoniel Alvarado
Trip Overview
Traveling from Romeoville to Chicago is a quick, straightforward journey covering 28.8 miles. You can comfortably complete this trip in about 45 minutes, making it a perfect day trip that requires no overnight stay. The route primarily relies on the Adlai Stevenson Expressway and Joliet Road to get you into the city. Budgeting around $4 for fuel should be sufficient for this short Midwestern commute. Because both locations are within the same region, you won't experience major climate or landscape shifts, just a transition from suburban Romeoville to the urban center of Chicago.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Adlai Stevenson Expressway | 17.3 mi | 23m |
| Stevenson Expressway | 3.6 mi | 4m |
| Joliet Road | 2.3 mi | 3m |
| Independence Boulevard | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| West Cermak Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| South Damen Avenue | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| South Blue Island Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Belmont Drive | 0.5 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Adlai Stevenson Expressway
— 17.3 mi, about 23m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Romeoville, IL and Chicago, IL.
1
Start on Kingston Drive
41 ft
·
4 sec
·
Kingston Drive
2
Turn right onto Belmont Drive
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Belmont Drive
3
Turn left onto IL 53
1.7 mi
·
3 min
·
Independence Boulevard
4
Continue on Joliet Road
2.3 mi
·
3 min
·
Joliet Road
Use the left lane.
5
Take the ramp
108 ft
·
2 sec
Toward I 355 South Toll, I 55 North: Suburbs, Chicago
6
Keep slight left at fork
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 55 North: Chicago
7
Merge onto I 55
17 mi
·
23 min
·
Adlai Stevenson Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Continue on I 55
3.6 mi
·
4 min
·
Stevenson Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
Exit 290
Toward Damen Avenue, Ashland Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
Toward Damen Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight left at fork
440 ft
·
12 sec
Toward Ashland Market Place, South Damen Avenue
Use the left lane.
12
Turn straight onto South Damen Avenue
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
South Damen Avenue
13
Turn right onto South Blue Island Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
South Blue Island Avenue
14
Turn right onto West Cermak Road
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
West Cermak Road
15
Turn right
152 ft
·
11 sec
16
Turn right
0.2 mi
·
58 sec
17
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 4.5 and 26.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
4.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 55 North: Chicago
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward I 55 North: Chicago
5
5 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
I 55 / Adlai Stevenson Expressway
Merge onto I 55 / Adlai Stevenson Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
26 mi into trip
|
~38m in
Take the exit toward Damen Avenue, Ashland Avenue
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 290
Toward Damen Avenue, Ashland Avenue
8
26.2 mi into trip
|
~38m in
Keep slight left at fork toward Damen Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward Damen Avenue
9
26.4 mi into trip
|
~39m in
Keep slight left at fork toward Ashland Market Place, South Damen Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward Ashland Market Place, South Damen Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.50 one way
$9.01 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $4.94 | $9.89 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.54 | $11.08 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.36 | $12.72 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.6 | 0 | $3.02 | $1.38 |
| Efficient EV | 7.2 | 0 | $2.52 | $1.15 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.5 | 0 | $4.03 | $1.84 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
Chicago, IL
Morning in Chicago on Sunday
Local time
9:17 AM
CDT
Current temp
52°F
Slight Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Cloudy
WNW 15 to 20 mph
20% 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
1 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
45m 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 highway-focused experience, as 73% of your drive takes place on major thoroughfares. You will spend the bulk of your time on the Adlai Stevenson Expressway, which features a long, uninterrupted stretch of 17.3 miles. While the route begins with local access via Joliet Road, the personality of the drive shifts quickly into a high-speed interstate environment. It is a functional, efficient path rather than a scenic tour, designed to get you from the suburbs to the city core with minimal fuss.
73% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 17.3 mi on Adlai Stevenson Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Adlai Stevenson Expressway and Stevenson Expressway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 4.5 miles in.
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 10 decision points packed into just 28.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 45m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 4.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 5 miles (I 55 / Adlai Stevenson Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 26 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
731 ft
576 ft
Total Climb
153 ft
Total Descent
184 ft
Highest Point
731 ft
~6.2 mi in
Elevation Range
155 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Romeoville, IL
Full guide →Arriving in Chicago, IL
Full guide →Chicago is the home of the blues and the truth of jazz, the heart of comedy and the idea of the skyscraper. Here, the age of railroads found its center, and airplanes followed suit. "Stormy, Husky, Brawling / City of Big Shoulders," Chicago is a Heartland boomtown, its ethos defined by urban planner Daniel Burnham's immortal vision: "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood." It is one of the world's great cities and the third largest city in the United States, behind only New York City and Los Angeles. As the hub of the Midwest, Chicago is easy to find — its picturesque skyline calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and public art, and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world.
Top landmarks
- • Willis Tower — skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois
- • Art Institute of Chicago — art museum and school in Chicago, United States
- • Wrigley Field — baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, USA; home venue of the Chicago Cubs
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 45m. Total distance: 28.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
45m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (73%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 17.3 miles on Adlai Stevenson Expressway. 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 Chicago, IL 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 4.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 5 miles (I 55 / Adlai Stevenson Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 26 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Pullman 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 Chicago, IL 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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