Origin
Burlington, NC
Late night in Burlington on Saturday
Local time
1:02 AM
EDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Burlington, NC to Carrboro, NC
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
38m
Distance
26 mi
42 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 36m
★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 46m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 41m
3 PM
0h 42m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 37m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Burlington, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Carrboro, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Burlington, NC to Carrboro, NC covers 26 miles and takes about 38m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on NC 54, East Harden Street, West Webb Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 13.4 miles on NC 54. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.07 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 38m. Total distance: 26 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
38m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (52%). Straightforward navigation.
Drive Character
The drive from Burlington, NC to Carrboro, NC covers 26 miles and takes about 38m, 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 10 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
NC 54 is the longest continuous segment at about 13.4 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near NC 87; NC 100 / West Webb Avenue.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 38m drive. You will face about 5 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 (NC 87; NC 100 / West Webb Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 2.4 miles (NC 49; NC 54; NC 87 / West Harden Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.2 miles (NC 54 / East Harden Street): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 5 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
3
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
NC 87; NC 100 / West Webb Avenue
Turn right onto NC 87; NC 100 / West Webb Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
2.4 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
NC 49; NC 54; NC 87 / West Harden Street
Turn left onto NC 49; NC 54; NC 87 / West Harden Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
3.2 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
NC 54 / East Harden Street
Enter roundabout onto NC 54 / East Harden Street
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
3
3.3 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
NC 54 / East Harden Street
Straight onto NC 54 / East Harden Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
24.8 mi into trip
|
~35m in
|
West Main Street
Turn left onto West Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| NC 54 | 13.4 mi | 18m |
| East Harden Street | 8.1 mi | 12m |
| West Webb Avenue | 2.1 mi | 2m |
| West Main Street | 1.2 mi | 3m |
| West Harden Street | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| West Elm Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| South Church Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
NC 54
— 13.4 mi, about 18m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Burlington, NC and Carrboro, NC.
1
Start on US 70; NC 62
192 ft
·
8 sec
·
South Church Street
2
Turn right onto NC 87; NC 100
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
West Webb Avenue
3
Continue on NC 87
0.3 mi
·
27 sec
·
West Elm Street
Use the left lane.
4
Turn left onto NC 49; NC 54; NC 87
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
West Harden Street
Use the left lane.
5
Enter roundabout onto NC 54
78 ft
·
1 sec
·
East Harden Street
6
Continue on NC 54
8.1 mi
·
12 min
·
East Harden Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
Continue on NC 54
13 mi
·
18 min
·
NC 54
Use the straight lane.
8
Continue on NC 54
0.4 mi
·
40 sec
·
NC 54
Use the straight / right lanes.
9
Turn left onto West Main Street
1.2 mi
·
3 min
·
West Main Street
Use the left lane.
10
Arrive at destination
West Main Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.07 one way
$8.13 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $4.45 | $8.89 |
| premium | $4.70 | $4.81 | $9.62 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.74 | $11.48 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.8 | 0 | $2.73 | $1.25 |
| Efficient EV | 6.5 | 0 | $2.28 | $1.04 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.4 | 0 | $3.64 | $1.66 |
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
Carrboro, NC
Late night in Carrboro on Saturday
Local time
1:02 AM
EDT
Current temp
71°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
15 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
38m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Burlington, NC to Carrboro, NC covers 26 miles and takes about 38m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are NC 54, East Harden Street, West Webb Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 13 miles from Burlington, NC. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.07 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 straightforward 38m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (NC 87; NC 100 / West Webb Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 2.4 miles (NC 49; NC 54; NC 87 / West Harden Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.2 miles (NC 54 / East Harden Street): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
The route from Burlington, NC to Carrboro, NC does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh 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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