Origin
Arcola, TX
Late night in Arcola on Friday
Local time
4:01 AM
CDT
Current temp
77°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Arcola, TX to Houston, TX
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
33m
Distance
21.3 mi
34 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 31m
★
6 AM
0h 33m
8 AM
0h 39m
10 AM
0h 35m
12 PM
0h 35m
3 PM
0h 36m
5 PM
0h 39m
8 PM
0h 32m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Arcola, TX
Megan Bailey
Houston, TX
Trace Hudson
Trip Overview
The drive from Arcola, TX to Houston, TX covers 21.3 miles and takes about 33m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Almeda Road, FM 521, TX 288 Toll for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 7 miles on Almeda Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.22 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 33m. Total distance: 21.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
33m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (53%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
The drive from Arcola, TX to Houston, TX covers 21.3 miles and takes about 33m, using a mix of highways and local roads.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Almeda Road is the longest continuous segment at about 7 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 13.9 miles in.
Driving Effort
10/10
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 12 decision points packed into just 21.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 33m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 13.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 18.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 12 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
7
13.9 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Keep slight left at fork toward TX 288 North: Downtown
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward TX 288 North: Downtown
7
14.5 mi into trip
|
~22m in
Keep slight left at fork toward TX 288 North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward TX 288 North
7
18.7 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 45 North: Dallas
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward I 45 North: Dallas
8
20.2 mi into trip
|
~30m in
Take the exit toward Houston Avenue, Memorial Drive
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 47B
Toward Houston Avenue, Memorial Drive
8
20.5 mi into trip
|
~31m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Memorial Drive
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward Memorial Drive
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Almeda Road | 7 mi | 10m |
| FM 521 | 6.2 mi | 9m |
| TX 288 Toll | 4 mi | 4m |
| Gulf Freeway | 1 mi | 1m |
| Louisiana Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Rusk Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Memorial Drive Frontage Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South Loop West Frontage Road | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Almeda Road
— 7 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Arcola, TX and Houston, TX.
1
Start on FM 521
6.2 mi
·
9 min
·
FM 521
2
Turn slight right
0.2 mi
·
17 sec
Use the right lane.
3
Continue on Almeda Road
7.0 mi
·
10 min
·
Almeda Road
Use the left lane.
4
Turn right onto South Loop West Frontage Road
0.1 mi
·
12 sec
·
South Loop West Frontage Road
Use the right lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
49 sec
6
Keep slight left at fork
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Toward TX 288 North: Downtown
Use the slight left lane.
7
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
Toward TX 288 North
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
8
Merge onto TX 288 Toll
4.0 mi
·
4 min
·
TX 288 Toll
9
Keep slight left at fork
0.5 mi
·
59 sec
Toward I 45 North: Dallas
Use the slight left lane.
10
Merge onto I 45
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Gulf Freeway
11
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
Exit 47B
Toward Houston Avenue, Memorial Drive
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight right at fork
444 ft
·
14 sec
Toward Memorial Drive
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
13
Turn right onto Memorial Drive Frontage Road
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
Memorial Drive Frontage Road
14
Continue on Rusk Street
0.3 mi
·
52 sec
·
Rusk Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
15
Turn left onto Louisiana Street
0.3 mi
·
51 sec
·
Louisiana Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
16
Arrive at destination
Louisiana Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.22 one way
$6.44 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $3.52 | $7.05 |
| premium | $4.54 | $3.80 | $7.61 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.70 | $9.41 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.5 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 | 6.4 | 0 | $2.24 | $1.02 |
| Efficient EV | 5.3 | 0 | $1.86 | $0.85 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.5 | 0 | $2.98 | $1.36 |
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.
Destination
Houston, TX
Late night in Houston on Friday
Local time
4:01 AM
CDT
Current temp
85°F
Mostly Sunny
S 15 mph
2% chance
Live forecast
Red Flag Warning
Red Flag Warning issued April 16 at 4:16PM CDT until April 16 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Lubbock TX
Red Flag Warning
Red Flag Warning issued April 16 at 4:16PM CDT until April 17 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Lubbock TX
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
8 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
33m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Arcola, TX to Houston, TX covers 21.3 miles and takes about 33m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Almeda Road, FM 521, TX 288 Toll. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 10.6 miles from Arcola, TX. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.22 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 21.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 33m.
The main spots that need attention: at 13.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 18.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Arcola, TX to Houston, TX does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
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