Origin
Burlington, WI
Evening in Burlington on Friday
Local time
7:13 PM
CDT
Current temp
47°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Burlington, WI to Wauwatosa, WI
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
52m
Distance
32.5 mi
52 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 48m
★
6 AM
0h 52m
8 AM
1h 1m
10 AM
0h 55m
12 PM
0h 55m
3 PM
0h 56m
5 PM
1h 1m
8 PM
0h 50m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Burlington, WI
Wikimedia Commons
Wauwatosa, WI
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Burlington, WI to Wauwatosa, WI covers 32.5 miles and takes about 52m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on State Highway 36, Milwaukee Avenue, Loomis Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 7.3 miles on State Highway 36. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.08 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 52m. Total distance: 32.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
52m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (42%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
The drive from Burlington, WI to Wauwatosa, WI covers 32.5 miles and takes about 52m, 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 19 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
State Highway 36 is the longest continuous segment at about 7.3 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 early in the drive near North Pine Street.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 32.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 52m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (North Pine Street): Navigation decision point; at 25.1 miles (US 45): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 30.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
North Pine Street
Turn left onto North Pine Street
Navigation decision point
6
25.1 mi into trip
|
~39m in
|
US 45
Take the exit onto US 45 toward I 41 North, US 45 North, I 894 West: Fond du Lac, Madison
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 61
Toward I 41 North, US 45 North, I 894 West: Fon...
7
30.8 mi into trip
|
~47m in
Take the exit toward Watertown Plank Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 40A-B
Toward Watertown Plank Road
9
31 mi into trip
|
~48m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Watertown Plank Road East
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Exit 40A
Toward Watertown Plank Road East
6
32.3 mi into trip
|
~51m in
|
WI 181 / Harmonee Avenue
Turn left onto WI 181 / Harmonee Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight lanes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Burlington, WI to Wauwatosa, WI, road signs begin pointing toward Madison along the way.
Madison
25.1 mi in
|
~39m
|
via US 45
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| State Highway 36 | 7.3 mi | 10m |
| Milwaukee Avenue | 6.3 mi | 10m |
| Loomis Road | 6 mi | 8m |
| Zoo Freeway | 5.1 mi | 7m |
| South Lovers Lane Road | 4.4 mi | 8m |
| US 45 | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| West Watertown Plank Road | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Harwood Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
State Highway 36
— 7.3 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Burlington, WI and Wauwatosa, WI.
1
Start on East Jefferson Street
256 ft
·
18 sec
·
East Jefferson Street
2
Turn left onto North Pine Street
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
North Pine Street
3
Turn right onto Milwaukee Avenue
6.3 mi
·
10 min
·
Milwaukee Avenue
4
Continue on WI 36
7.3 mi
·
10 min
·
State Highway 36
5
Continue on WI 36
6.0 mi
·
8 min
·
Loomis Road
6
Continue on US 45
448 ft
·
19 sec
·
US 45
7
Turn left onto US 45; WI 100
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
·
West Saint Martins Road
8
Continue on US 45; WI 100
4.4 mi
·
8 min
·
South Lovers Lane Road
9
Take the ramp onto US 45
0.4 mi
·
52 sec
·
US 45
Toward I 43 North, US 45 North
10
Merge onto I 43; US 45
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
·
Rock Freeway
11
Take the exit onto US 45
0.6 mi
·
55 sec
·
US 45
Exit 61
Toward I 41 North, US 45 North, I 894 West: Fond du Lac, Madison
12
Merge onto I 41; I 894; US 41; US 45
5.1 mi
·
7 min
·
Zoo Freeway
Use the slight right lane.
13
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
Exit 40A-B
Toward Watertown Plank Road
Use the slight right lane.
14
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
24 sec
Exit 40A
Toward Watertown Plank Road East
Use the right lane.
15
Turn straight onto West Watertown Plank Road
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
West Watertown Plank Road
Use the left lane.
16
Continue on Harwood Avenue
0.3 mi
·
51 sec
·
Harwood Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
17
Turn left onto WI 181
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
·
Harmonee Avenue
Use the left / straight lanes.
18
Turn right onto West Menomonee River Parkway
498 ft
·
21 sec
·
West Menomonee River Parkway
19
Arrive at destination
West State Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 16.3 mi from Burlington, WI · 24m into the drive
Mid-route town
Meal stop
16 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 32.5 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 16.3 miles from Burlington, WI, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Arriving in Wauwatosa, WI
Allow a few extra minutes for the final approach into Wauwatosa, WI if you are unfamiliar with the area.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.08 one way
$10.16 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $5.58 | $11.16 |
| premium | $4.89 | $6.25 | $12.51 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.18 | $14.35 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.8 | 0 | $3.41 | $1.56 |
| Efficient EV | 8.1 | 0 | $2.84 | $1.30 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13 | 0 | $4.55 | $2.08 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% 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
Wauwatosa, WI
Evening in Wauwatosa on Friday
Local time
7:13 PM
CDT
Current temp
47°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
46°F
Franklin, WI
16 mi in
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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
52m 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, WI to Wauwatosa, WI covers 32.5 miles and takes about 52m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are State Highway 36, Milwaukee Avenue, Loomis Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 16.3 miles from Burlington, WI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.08 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 32.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 52m.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (North Pine Street): Navigation decision point; at 25.1 miles (US 45): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 30.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
On the drive from Burlington, WI to Wauwatosa, WI, road signs begin pointing toward Madison along the way.
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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