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Trip from Whitehall, OH to Columbus, OH

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

Drive Time

16m

Distance

8.7 mi

14 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$1

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 15m ★
6 AM
0h 16m
8 AM
0h 19m
10 AM
0h 17m
12 PM
0h 17m
3 PM
0h 17m
5 PM
0h 19m
8 PM
0h 15m ★

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

city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States

Whitehall, OH

Wikimedia Commons

capital city of Ohio, United States of America

Columbus, OH

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Whitehall, OH to Columbus, OH is 8.7 miles and takes about 16 minutes via Northeast Freeway, with a fuel budget near $1 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short, same-day trip keeps you within the Midwest region, specifically within Ohio. The drive is a straightforward connection between two points, making it a convenient option for local travel or as a brief segment of a larger journey. You'll find this route efficient for getting from one area to another without significant detours.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Northeast Freeway 3.5 mi 4m
East 5th Avenue 2.9 mi 5m
South Yearling Road 1.4 mi 3m
North Third Street 0.7 mi 2m
East State Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Northeast Freeway — 3.5 mi, about 4m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Whitehall, OH and Columbus, OH.

1

Start on South Yearling Road

1.4 mi · 3 min · South Yearling Road
Use the straight lane.
2

At end of road, turn left onto East 5th Avenue

2.9 mi · 5 min · East 5th Avenue
Use the left lane.
3

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 23 sec
Toward I 670 West: Downtown
4

Merge onto I 670

2.9 mi · 3 min · Northeast Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5

Keep slight left at fork onto Northeast Freeway

0.6 mi · 53 sec · Northeast Freeway
Toward US 23 South
6

Turn straight onto US 23

0.7 mi · 2 min · North Third Street
Use the straight lane.
7

Turn right onto East State Street

106 ft · 3 sec · East State Street
Use the right lane.
8

Turn right

88 ft · 6 sec
9

Arrive at destination

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 7

5 decision points cluster between mile 1.4 and 8.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
1.4 mi into trip | ~3m in | East 5th Avenue

At end of road, turn left onto East 5th Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
4.3 mi into trip | ~8m in

Take the ramp toward I 670 West: Downtown

Navigation decision point

Toward I 670 West: Downtown
5
4.5 mi into trip | ~9m in | I 670 / Northeast Freeway

Merge onto I 670 / Northeast Freeway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
7.4 mi into trip | ~12m in | Northeast Freeway

Keep slight left at fork onto Northeast Freeway toward US 23 South

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

Toward US 23 South
6
8.7 mi into trip | ~16m in | East State Street

Turn right onto East State Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.35 one way

$2.70 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 3 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.38 $1.50 $3.00
premium $4.91 $1.68 $3.36
diesel $5.61 $1.92 $3.84

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$1

Estimated CO2 emission: 3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 2.6 0 $0.91 $0.42
Efficient EV 2.2 0 $0.76 $0.35
EV Truck/SUV 3.5 0 $1.22 $0.56

Gas CO2

3 kg

EV CO2

1 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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Whitehall, OH

Late night in Whitehall on Sunday

Local time

3:44 AM

EDT

Current temp

72°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Columbus, OH

Late night in Columbus on Sunday

Local time

3:44 AM

EDT

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

6 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

16m 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 offers a mixed drive experience, with 40% of it being highway. You'll encounter stretches on Northeast Freeway, East 5th Avenue, and South Yearling Road. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll experience is 3.5 miles on Northeast Freeway, providing a taste of faster-paced driving. As you progress, the character of the road will shift between these more direct, higher-speed sections and potentially more local road segments, offering a varied, albeit brief, driving experience.

40% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
9 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 3.5 mi on Northeast Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

5/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 1.4 miles in near East 5th Avenue.

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 8.7 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 1.4 miles (East 5th Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.3 miles: Navigation decision point; at 4.5 miles (I 670 / Northeast Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

About the Cities

Arriving in Columbus, OH

Full guide →

Columbus is the capital of the American state of Ohio and is located centrally within the state as the core of the Greater Columbus area. Sited in an area where the Rust Belt, Bible Belt, Appalachia, and the Farm Belt meet, Columbus is a fusion of many different parts of America. It is the home of the Ohio State University. The combination of Ohio Government and the Ohio State University has fueled amazing growth both financially and physically in Columbus. It has created a business and research environment that has provided substantial employment opportunities to the diverse ethnic and local graduates of the Ohio State University, and other academic institutions in Columbus. The Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC), is projected to be one of the top 50 supercomputers in the world and among the top 10 supercomputing academic centers.

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 16m. Total distance: 8.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

16m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (40%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 3.5 miles on Northeast Freeway. 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 1.4 miles (East 5th Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.3 miles: Navigation decision point; at 4.5 miles (I 670 / Northeast Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Columbus, OH 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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