Origin
Union City, GA
Morning in Union City on Friday
Local time
10:18 AM
EDT
Current temp
91°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Union City, GA to Brookhaven, GA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
42m
Distance
27.4 mi
44 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 38m
★
6 AM
0h 42m
8 AM
0h 49m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 44m
3 PM
0h 45m
5 PM
0h 49m
8 PM
0h 40m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Union City, GA
Wikimedia Commons
Brookhaven, GA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Union City, GA to Brookhaven, GA is 27.4 miles and takes about 42 minutes via I 85, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays within the Southeast region, traversing Georgia for its entirety. Given its proximity and duration, this route is best suited for a quick trip, perhaps for a local errand or a short hop between cities. You'll spend most of your time on the interstate, making it a straightforward transit rather than a scenic expedition.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 85 | 18.3 mi | 23m |
| North Druid Hills Road Northeast | 1.9 mi | 3m |
| Flat Shoals Road | 1.8 mi | 4m |
| Northeast Expressway | 1.5 mi | 1m |
| Buford-Spring Connector | 1.4 mi | 1m |
| Buford Highway | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Limerick Drive | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Bally Shannon Drive | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 85
— 18.3 mi, about 23m
Traffic on I-85
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 124 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
3 PM
~6,271 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~743 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
8.4×
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 Union City, GA and Brookhaven, GA.
1
Start on Bantry Circle
267 ft
·
18 sec
·
Bantry Circle
2
Turn left onto Limerick Drive
0.1 mi
·
29 sec
·
Limerick Drive
3
At end of road, turn left onto Kilkenny Drive
205 ft
·
11 sec
·
Kilkenny Drive
4
Turn right onto Bally Shannon Drive
498 ft
·
27 sec
·
Bally Shannon Drive
5
Turn left onto Flat Shoals Road
1.8 mi
·
4 min
·
Flat Shoals Road
6
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
45 sec
Toward I 85 North: Atlanta
Use the left lane.
7
Merge onto I 85
18 mi
·
23 min
·
I 85
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Keep slight left at fork onto I 85
1.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Northeast Expressway
Exit 251B
Toward I 85 North: Greenville
9
Take the exit
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Exit 86
Toward GA 13 North: Buford Highway
Use the slight right lane.
10
Merge onto GA 13
1.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Buford-Spring Connector
Use the straight lane.
11
Continue on GA 13
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Buford Highway
12
Turn left onto North Druid Hills Road Northeast
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
·
North Druid Hills Road Northeast
Use the left lane.
13
Keep slight right at fork onto North Druid Hills Road Northeast
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
North Druid Hills Road Northeast
Toward North Druid Hills Road
Use the slight right lane.
14
Turn slight right onto GA 141
427 ft
·
12 sec
·
Peachtree Road Northeast
15
Turn right
139 ft
·
12 sec
16
Turn right
63 ft
·
9 sec
17
Turn left
347 ft
·
25 sec
18
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 145 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 25.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Kilkenny Drive
At end of road, turn left onto Kilkenny Drive
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
6
2.1 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Take the ramp toward I 85 North: Atlanta
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 85 North: Atlanta
6
20.7 mi into trip
|
~29m in
|
I 85 / Northeast Expressway
Keep slight left at fork onto I 85 / Northeast Expressway toward I 85 North: Greenville
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Exit 251B
Toward I 85 North: Greenville
7
22.2 mi into trip
|
~31m in
Take the exit toward GA 13 North: Buford Highway
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 86
Toward GA 13 North: Buford Highway
7
25.7 mi into trip
|
~37m in
|
North Druid Hills Road Northeast
Keep slight right at fork onto North Druid Hills Road Northeast toward North Druid Hills Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward North Druid Hills Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.20 one way
$8.40 round trip
$3.89/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.27 | $4.61 | $9.21 |
| premium | $4.64 | $5.00 | $10.00 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $6.04 | $12.08 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.2 | 0 | $2.88 | $1.32 |
| Efficient EV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.40 | $1.10 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11 | 0 | $3.84 | $1.75 |
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
Brookhaven, GA
Morning in Brookhaven on Friday
Local time
10:18 AM
EDT
Current temp
92°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
42m 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?
This route is mostly highway, with 72% of it on interstates. You'll experience a long stretch of 18.3 miles on I 85, which means you'll be navigating a good deal of interstate cruising. Expect dense exits and merging traffic as you transition off the highway onto North Druid Hills Road Northeast and then Flat Shoals Road for the final leg.
72% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 18.3 mi on I 85.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 85 and North Druid Hills Road Northeast. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near Kilkenny Drive.
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 14 decision points packed into just 27.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 42m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Kilkenny Drive): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 2.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 20.7 miles (I 85 / Northeast Expressway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
About the Cities
Starting in Union City, GA
Full guide →Arriving in Brookhaven, GA
Full guide →Founded 2012
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 42m. Total distance: 27.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
42m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (72%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 18.3 miles on I 85. 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 Brookhaven, GA 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 (Kilkenny Drive): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 2.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 20.7 miles (I 85 / Northeast Expressway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Brookhaven, GA 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 FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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