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Trip from Smithville, MO to Kansas City, MO

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

29m

Distance

20.8 mi

34 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
4 AM
0h 27m ★
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 28m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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Downtown Smithville, MO, MO

Smithville, MO

ShotPot

city in Missouri, United States, that is one of two county seats of Jackson County and the largest city in Missouri

Kansas City, MO

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

If you are looking for a quick transition from the quiet of Smithville to the metropolitan heart of Kansas City, this 20.8-mile journey is an ideal day trip. Spanning just 29 minutes, the route is straightforward and efficient, making it perfect for a morning commute or an afternoon outing. You will spend roughly $3 on fuel, keeping the overhead for this Midwest transit very low. Because the trip is so short, there is no need to plan for overnight stays or complex logistics. It is a practical, no-nonsense connection between two Missouri communities that allows you to reach your destination quickly without any required stops along the way.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
US 169 19.5 mi 26m
West 6th Street 0.5 mi <1m
Oak Street 0.4 mi <1m
West Main Street 0.2 mi <1m
Broadway Boulevard 0.1 mi <1m
Page Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: US 169 — 19.5 mi, about 26m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Smithville, MO and Kansas City, MO.

1

Start on this road

67 ft · 10 sec · this road
2

Turn left onto MO DD

0.2 mi · 40 sec · West Main Street
3

Turn left onto US 169

20 mi · 26 min · US 169
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4

Keep slight left at fork onto Broadway Boulevard

0.1 mi · 18 sec · Broadway Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
5

Turn left onto West 6th Street

0.5 mi · 56 sec · West 6th Street
Use the left lane.
6

Turn right onto Page Street

478 ft · 21 sec · Page Street
7

Turn slight right onto Oak Street

0.4 mi · 55 sec · Oak Street
8

Arrive at destination

Oak Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 5

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 20.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | MO DD / West Main Street

Turn left onto MO DD / West Main Street

Navigation decision point

5
0.2 mi into trip | ~0m in | US 169

Turn left onto US 169

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
19.8 mi into trip | ~27m in | Broadway Boulevard

Keep slight left at fork onto Broadway Boulevard

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane.
5
19.9 mi into trip | ~27m in | West 6th Street

Turn left onto West 6th Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
4
20.4 mi into trip | ~28m in | Page Street

Turn right onto Page Street

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.25 one way

$6.50 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 7 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $3.57 $7.14
premium $4.89 $4.00 $8.01
diesel $5.61 $4.59 $9.18

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, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 6.2 0 $2.18 $1.00
Efficient EV 5.2 0 $1.82 $0.83
EV Truck/SUV 8.3 0 $2.91 $1.33

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.

Forecast as of Apr 13, 2026

Origin

Smithville, MO

Night in Smithville on Saturday

Local time

9:50 PM

CDT

Current temp

64°F

Partly Cloudy

SSW 12 mph 10% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 12 at 9:46PM CDT until April 18 at 1:00PM CDT by NWS St Louis MO

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 12 at 9:46PM CDT until April 20 at 7:00AM CDT by NWS St Louis MO

Destination

Kansas City, MO

Night in Kansas City on Saturday

Local time

9:50 PM

CDT

Current temp

66°F

Partly Cloudy

SSW 12 mph 12% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 12 at 9:46PM CDT until April 18 at 1:00PM CDT by NWS St Louis MO

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 12 at 9:46PM CDT until April 20 at 7:00AM CDT by NWS St Louis MO

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

2 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

29m 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 focused highway experience, as 94% of this drive is spent on high-speed thoroughfares. The majority of your time behind the wheel will be spent on US 169, which accounts for a 19.5-mile stretch of the journey. Once you transition off the main highway, the route shifts into local navigation using West 6th Street and Oak Street to reach your final destination. The drive maintains a consistent, fast-paced character throughout, favoring efficiency over winding, scenic backroads. You will find that the rhythm of the road remains steady from start to finish, providing a predictable and reliable transit experience.

94% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
8 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 19.5 mi on US 169.

How Hard Is This Drive?

5/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on US 169 and West 6th Street. You will hit about 5 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near MO DD / West Main Street.

Driving Effort 5/10

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 20.8 miles you will encounter 5 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: near the start (MO DD / West Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (US 169): Lane positioning matters here; at 19.8 miles (Broadway Boulevard): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

1,041 ft 737 ft

Total Climb

394 ft

Total Descent

311 ft

Highest Point

1,041 ft

~6 mi in

Elevation Range

304 ft

About the Cities

Arriving in Kansas City, MO

Full guide →

Kansas City is a major Midwestern metropolitan area that spreads across the border of Missouri and Kansas. It is a city that tends to hide itself from tourists. Reputed to have more boulevards than Paris and more fountains than any other city in the world except for Rome, it can be a beautiful city, too. It is unique in that it is split down the middle by the state line of Kansas and Missouri.

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: 20.8 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.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (94%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 19.5 miles on US 169. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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: near the start (MO DD / West Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (US 169): Lane positioning matters here; at 19.8 miles (Broadway Boulevard): 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 Kansas City, MO 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, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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