Origin
Woodlawn, VA
Morning in Woodlawn on Sunday
Local time
6:13 AM
EDT
Current temp
70°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Woodlawn, VA to Alexandria, VA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
17m
Distance
8.5 mi
14 km
Drive Score
5/10
Practical drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 16m
★
6 AM
0h 18m
8 AM
0h 21m
10 AM
0h 19m
12 PM
0h 19m
3 PM
0h 19m
5 PM
0h 21m
8 PM
0h 17m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Woodlawn, VA
Eric Joseph
Alexandria, VA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 8.5-mile trip from Woodlawn, VA to Alexandria, VA takes about 17 minutes and is perfect for a quick local excursion. You'll primarily navigate via Richmond Highway and South Washington Street, with no highway driving involved. Given its brief duration and low estimated fuel cost of just $1, this route is ideal as a day trip, requiring no overnight stays. The drive offers a turn-heavy local experience, connecting two points within the Southeast region of Virginia. Plan this for a convenient way to get from point A to point B without much fuss.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond Highway | 7.5 mi | 15m |
| South Washington Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| South Patrick Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Franklin Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Richmond Highway
— 7.5 mi, about 15m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Woodlawn, VA and Alexandria, VA.
1
Start on US 1
7.5 mi
·
15 min
·
Richmond Highway
Use the left lane.
2
Continue on US 1
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
·
South Patrick Street
3
Turn right onto Franklin Street
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
·
Franklin Street
Use the right lane.
4
Turn left onto VA 400
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Washington Street
Use the left lane.
5
Arrive at destination
VA 400
Heads-up: tricky spots
3 of 33 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
3
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
US 1 / Richmond Highway
Depart onto US 1 / Richmond Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
7.8 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
Franklin Street
Turn right onto Franklin Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
8 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
VA 400 / South Washington Street
Turn left onto VA 400 / South Washington Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.33 one way
$2.66 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $1.45 | $2.91 |
| premium | $4.70 | $1.57 | $3.15 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.88 | $3.75 |
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 | $0.89 | $0.41 |
| Efficient EV | 2.1 | 0 | $0.74 | $0.34 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.4 | 0 | $1.19 | $0.54 |
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.
Destination
Alexandria, VA
Morning in Alexandria on Sunday
Local time
6:13 AM
EDT
Current temp
69°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
17m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive on this journey. With a 0% highway share, you'll be on surface streets for the entire 8.5 miles. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 7.5 miles along Richmond Highway. This means you'll be navigating through neighborhoods and commercial areas, with frequent intersections and changes in speed. The road's personality is that of a typical urban or suburban commute, requiring your attention at each turn and traffic signal.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
5 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.5 mi on Richmond Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near US 1 / Richmond Highway.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 17m drive. You will face about 3 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (US 1 / Richmond Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 7.8 miles (Franklin Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 8 miles (VA 400 / South Washington Street): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Alexandria, VA
Full guide →Alexandria is a city in Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C., in the United States.
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 17m. Total distance: 8.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
17m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 7.5 miles on Richmond Highway. 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 (US 1 / Richmond Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 7.8 miles (Franklin Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 8 miles (VA 400 / South Washington Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Alexandria, VA 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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