Origin
Royal Oak, MI
Late night in Royal Oak on Saturday
Local time
3:32 AM
EDT
Current temp
61°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Royal Oak, MI to Melvindale, MI
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 5, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
30m
Distance
20.9 mi
34 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 28m
★
6 AM
0h 30m
8 AM
0h 35m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 31m
3 PM
0h 32m
5 PM
0h 35m
8 PM
0h 29m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Royal Oak, MI
Wikimedia Commons
Melvindale, MI
Gera Cejas
Trip Overview
The drive from Royal Oak, MI to Melvindale, MI covers 20.9 miles and takes about 30m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on South Walter P. Chrysler Freeway, Edsel Ford Freeway, Detroit Industrial Expressway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 8.6 miles on South Walter P. Chrysler Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.24 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| South Walter P. Chrysler Freeway | 8.6 mi | 9m |
| Edsel Ford Freeway | 5.6 mi | 7m |
| Detroit Industrial Expressway | 2 mi | 2m |
| West 11 Mile Road | 1.4 mi | 3m |
| Schaefer Highway | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Raupp Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Oakwood Boulevard | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Schaefer Road | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
South Walter P. Chrysler Freeway
— 8.6 mi, about 9m
Traffic on I-94
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 36 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
3 PM
~4,263 veh/hr typical · worst 5,148
Quietest
2 AM
~651 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
6.5×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 105 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Royal Oak, MI and Melvindale, MI.
1
Start on this road
124 ft
·
11 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto West 11 Mile Road
1.4 mi
·
3 min
·
West 11 Mile Road
3
Turn right onto South Stephenson Highway
396 ft
·
9 sec
·
South Stephenson Highway
Use the right lane.
4
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
Toward I 75 South
5
Merge onto I 75
8.6 mi
·
9 min
·
South Walter P. Chrysler Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
Exit 53B
Toward I 94: Port Huron, Chicago
Use the slight right lane.
7
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
Toward I 94 West: Chicago
Use the slight right lane.
8
Merge onto I 94
5.6 mi
·
7 min
·
Edsel Ford Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on I 94
2.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Detroit Industrial Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 208
Toward Schaefer Road
Use the slight right lane.
11
Keep slight right at fork
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Toward Schaefer Road, Butler Road
Use the slight right lane.
12
Turn left onto Butler Road
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
·
Butler Road
13
Turn right onto Schaefer Road
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
·
Schaefer Road
14
Turn straight onto Schaefer Highway
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Schaefer Highway
15
Turn right onto Raupp Street
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
·
Raupp Street
16
Turn slight right onto Oakwood Boulevard
0.3 mi
·
48 sec
·
Oakwood Boulevard
17
Arrive at destination
Oakwood Boulevard
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 1.5 and 19.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
1.5 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
South Stephenson Highway
Turn right onto South Stephenson Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
8
10.4 mi into trip
|
~13m in
Take the exit toward I 94: Port Huron, Chicago
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 53B
Toward I 94: Port Huron, Chicago
8
10.7 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 94 West: Chicago
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 94 West: Chicago
7
18.6 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Take the exit toward Schaefer Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 208
Toward Schaefer Road
8
19.1 mi into trip
|
~25m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Schaefer Road, Butler Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward Schaefer Road, Butler Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.24 one way
$6.48 round trip
$3.94/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.32 | $3.55 | $7.11 |
| premium | $4.93 | $4.05 | $8.11 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $4.61 | $9.21 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.3 | 0 | $2.19 | $1.00 |
| Efficient EV | 5.2 | 0 | $1.83 | $0.84 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.4 | 0 | $2.93 | $1.34 |
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
Melvindale, MI
Late night in Melvindale on Saturday
Local time
3:32 AM
EDT
Current temp
62°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
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
30m 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?
20.9 mi in 30m, mostly highway — 8.6 mi of that is on South Walter P. Chrysler Freeway.
77% 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: 8.6 mi on South Walter P. Chrysler Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on South Walter P. Chrysler Freeway and Edsel Ford Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.5 miles in near South Stephenson Highway.
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 20.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.5 miles (South Stephenson Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 10.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 10.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
662 ft
574 ft
Total Climb
59 ft
Total Descent
132 ft
Highest Point
662 ft
Elevation Range
88 ft
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.
On the drive from Royal Oak, MI to Melvindale, MI, road signs begin pointing toward Chicago along the way.
Chicago
10.4 mi in
|
~13m
About the Cities
Starting in Royal Oak, MI
Full guide →Founded 1891
Royal Oak is a suburb of Detroit in Oakland County, Michigan known for its trendy downtown shopping area and bars. 1 mile South of Royal Oak is Ferndale, a place very similar to Royal Oak, known for its large lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender population. North of Royal Oak is Birmingham, an opulent area known for its upscale boutiques.
Arriving in Melvindale, MI
Full guide →Melvindale is a city in Wayne County in the state of Michigan.
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 30m. Total distance: 20.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
30m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (77%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 8.6 miles on South Walter P. Chrysler Freeway. 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 Melvindale, MI 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 1.5 miles (South Stephenson Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 10.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 10.7 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 Melvindale, MI 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 FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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