Origin
Carrboro, NC
Evening in Carrboro on Friday
Local time
8:51 PM
EDT
Current temp
71°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Carrboro, NC to Durham, NC
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
27m
Distance
12.3 mi
20 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 25m
★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 32m
10 AM
0h 29m
12 PM
0h 28m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 32m
8 PM
0h 26m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Carrboro, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Carrboro, NC to Durham, NC covers 12.3 miles and takes about 27m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard, East Franklin Street, University Drive for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 4.9 miles on Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.92 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 27m. Total distance: 12.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
27m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 27m drive with frequent turns across 12.3 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 12 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard is the longest continuous segment at about 4.9 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.5 miles in near West Rosemary 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 9 decision points packed into just 12.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 27m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (West Rosemary Street): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles (Hillsborough Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.6 miles (East Franklin Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 9 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0.5 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
West Rosemary Street
Keep slight left at fork onto West Rosemary Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
6
1.5 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
Hillsborough Street
Turn right onto Hillsborough Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
6
1.6 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
East Franklin Street
Turn left onto East Franklin Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
4.2 mi into trip
|
~11m in
|
US 15; US 501 / Fordham Boulevard
Merge onto US 15; US 501 / Fordham Boulevard
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
7
7.4 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
US 15 Business; US 501 Business / Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard
Keep slight left at fork onto US 15 Business; US 501 Business / Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Exit 105A
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard | 4.9 mi | 8m |
| East Franklin Street | 2.6 mi | 5m |
| University Drive | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Fordham Boulevard | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| West Rosemary Street | 1.1 mi | 3m |
| West Main Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| South Roxboro Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| West Lakewood Avenue | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard
— 4.9 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Carrboro, NC and Durham, NC.
1
Start on West Main Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
West Main Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
2
Keep slight left at fork onto West Rosemary Street
1.1 mi
·
3 min
·
West Rosemary Street
Use the straight lane.
3
Turn right onto Hillsborough Street
368 ft
·
20 sec
·
Hillsborough Street
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
4
Turn left onto East Franklin Street
2.6 mi
·
5 min
·
East Franklin Street
Use the left lane.
5
Merge onto US 15; US 501
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Fordham Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
6
Continue on US 15; US 501
2.1 mi
·
3 min
·
Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
Keep slight left at fork onto US 15 Business; US 501 Business
2.8 mi
·
5 min
·
Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard
Exit 105A
Use the straight lane.
8
Turn left onto US 15 Business; US 501 Business
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
University Drive
Use the straight lane.
9
Continue on US 15 Business; US 501 Business
0.4 mi
·
57 sec
·
West Lakewood Avenue
10
Turn left onto US 15 Business; US 501 Business
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
South Roxboro Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
11
Turn left onto East Main Street
100 ft
·
2 sec
·
East Main Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
12
Arrive at destination
East Main Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.92 one way
$3.85 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $2.10 | $4.21 |
| premium | $4.70 | $2.28 | $4.55 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.72 | $5.43 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.29 | $0.59 |
| Efficient EV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.08 | $0.49 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.72 | $0.79 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Durham, NC
Evening in Durham on Friday
Local time
8:51 PM
EDT
Current temp
50°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
21 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
27m 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 Carrboro, NC to Durham, NC covers 12.3 miles and takes about 27m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard, East Franklin Street, University Drive. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 6.1 miles from Carrboro, NC. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.92 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 9 decision points packed into just 12.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 27m.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (West Rosemary Street): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles (Hillsborough Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.6 miles (East Franklin Street): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Carrboro, NC to Durham, 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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