Origin
West Allis, WI
Morning in West Allis on Thursday
Local time
6:21 AM
CDT
Current temp
67°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from West Allis, WI to Rochester, WI
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 3, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
40m
Distance
25.5 mi
41 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 38m
★
6 AM
0h 41m
8 AM
0h 48m
10 AM
0h 43m
12 PM
0h 43m
3 PM
0h 44m
5 PM
0h 47m
8 PM
0h 39m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
West Allis, WI
Wikimedia Commons
Rochester, WI
Tom Fisk
Trip Overview
West Allis to Rochester is 25.5 miles and takes about 40 minutes via State Highway 36 and US 45, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Wisconsin, moving from the Midwest region to another part of the Midwest. The route is mostly highway, making it a straightforward and efficient drive. It's a good option if you need to get from point A to point B quickly without a lot of fuss.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| State Highway 36 | 7.3 mi | 10m |
| West Loomis Road | 6.1 mi | 8m |
| US 45 | 5.7 mi | 10m |
| Zoo Freeway | 3.2 mi | 4m |
| West Greenfield Avenue | 1.5 mi | 4m |
| Milwaukee Avenue | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| East Main Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Washington Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
State Highway 36
— 7.3 mi, about 10m
Traffic on I-41
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 26 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~6,782 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~397 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
17.1×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 97 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 West Allis, WI and Rochester, WI.
1
Start on WI 59
1.5 mi
·
4 min
·
West Greenfield Avenue
Use the left lane.
2
Turn left
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
Toward I 41 South, I 894 East, US 45 South
Use the left lane.
3
Merge onto I 41; I 894; US 41; US 45
3.2 mi
·
4 min
·
Zoo Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4
Take the exit onto US 45
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
US 45
Exit 4
Toward I 43 South, US 45 South: Beloit
5
Take the exit onto US 45
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
·
US 45
Exit 60
Toward US 45, WI 100: 108th Street
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
6
Keep slight right at fork onto US 45
4.7 mi
·
9 min
·
US 45
Toward WI 100 South, US 45 South
Use the slight right lane.
7
Turn right onto US 45; WI 36
6.1 mi
·
8 min
·
West Loomis Road
8
Continue on WI 36
7.3 mi
·
10 min
·
State Highway 36
9
Continue on WI 36
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Milwaukee Avenue
10
Turn right onto CTH D
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
Washington Avenue
11
Continue on CTH D
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
·
East Main Street
12
Arrive at destination
CTH D
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 1.5 and 6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
1.5 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Turn left toward I 41 South, I 894 East, US 45 South
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward I 41 South, I 894 East, US 45 South
5
1.8 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
I 41; I 894; US 41; US 45 / Zoo Freeway
Merge onto I 41; I 894; US 41; US 45 / Zoo Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
5 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
US 45
Take the exit onto US 45 toward I 43 South, US 45 South: Beloit
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 4
Toward I 43 South, US 45 South: Beloit
8
5.8 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
US 45
Take the exit onto US 45 toward US 45, WI 100: 108th Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Exit 60
Toward US 45, WI 100: 108th Street
8
6 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
US 45
Keep slight right at fork onto US 45 toward WI 100 South, US 45 South
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward WI 100 South, US 45 South
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.95 one way
$7.91 round trip
$3.94/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.32 | $4.34 | $8.67 |
| premium | $4.93 | $4.95 | $9.89 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $5.62 | $11.24 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.7 | 0 | $2.68 | $1.22 |
| Efficient EV | 6.4 | 0 | $2.23 | $1.02 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.2 | 0 | $3.57 | $1.63 |
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
Rochester, WI
Morning in Rochester on Thursday
Local time
6:21 AM
CDT
Current temp
66°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 cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
40m 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 primarily highway, with 63% of the drive on main roads like State Highway 36 and US 45. You'll experience a longest stretch of 7.3 miles on State Highway 36. Expect a mostly highway feel for the first part of the drive, transitioning to more surface road conditions as you approach your destination. The frequent exits on the highway sections will keep you engaged.
63% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.3 mi on State Highway 36.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on State Highway 36 and West Loomis Road. You will hit about 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 1.5 miles in.
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 25.5 miles you will encounter 7 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: at 1.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.8 miles (I 41; I 894; US 41; US 45 / Zoo Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 5 miles (US 45): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
816 ft
717 ft
Total Climb
195 ft
Total Descent
160 ft
Highest Point
816 ft
~21.8 mi in
Elevation Range
99 ft
About the Cities
Starting in West Allis, WI
Full guide →West Allis is a city in Southeast Wisconsin.
Top landmarks
- • West Allis Post Office — post office in Wisconsin, United States of America
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 40m. Total distance: 25.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
40m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (63%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 7.3 miles on State Highway 36. 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: at 1.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.8 miles (I 41; I 894; US 41; US 45 / Zoo Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 5 miles (US 45): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Rochester, WI 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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