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Trip from Cedar Rapids, IA to Mechanicsville, IA

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

36m

Distance

26.4 mi

42 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Fair

4 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 34m ★
6 AM
0h 37m
8 AM
0h 43m
10 AM
0h 39m
12 PM
0h 38m
3 PM
0h 39m
5 PM
0h 43m
8 PM
0h 35m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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human settlement in Cedar County, Iowa, United States of America

Mechanicsville, IA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Cedar Rapids, IA to Mechanicsville, IA covers 26.4 miles and takes about 36m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Lincoln Freeway, US 151, Lakeside Rd for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 14.9 miles on Lincoln Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.13 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 36m. Total distance: 26.4 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

36m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (73%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

This is a 36m highway drive covering 26.4 miles, with most of the trip on Lincoln Freeway and US 151. The longest continuous stretch is about 14.9 miles on Lincoln Freeway.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Lincoln Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 14.9 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Lincoln Freeway and US 151. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Lindale Avenue Northeast.

Driving Effort 5/10

Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 26.4 miles you will encounter 8 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Lindale Avenue Northeast): Navigation decision point; at 10.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 26 miles (CR X40 / South Madison Street): Navigation decision point.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 8 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

5
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | Lindale Avenue Northeast

At end of road, turn right onto Lindale Avenue Northeast

Navigation decision point

5
10.2 mi into trip | ~16m in

Keep slight left at fork toward US 30 East: Mount Vernon

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

Toward US 30 East: Mount Vernon
4
26 mi into trip | ~36m in | CR X40 / South Madison Street

Turn left onto CR X40 / South Madison Street

Navigation decision point

5
26.2 mi into trip | ~36m in | CR X40 / West 1st Street

Turn right onto CR X40 / West 1st Street

Navigation decision point

5
26.4 mi into trip | ~36m in | South John Street

Turn right onto South John Street

Navigation decision point

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Lincoln Freeway 14.9 mi 18m
US 151 4.3 mi 4m
Lakeside Rd 3.3 mi 5m
30th Street Drive Southeast 1.5 mi 2m
29th Street Drive Southeast 0.5 mi <1m
29th Street Northeast 0.4 mi <1m
South Madison Street 0.2 mi <1m
West 1st Street 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Lincoln Freeway — 14.9 mi, about 18m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Cedar Rapids, IA and Mechanicsville, IA.

1

Start on Tiperary Drive Northeast

56 ft · 2 sec · Tiperary Drive Northeast
2

Continue on Tiffany Drive Northeast

0.1 mi · 25 sec · Tiffany Drive Northeast
3

At end of road, turn right onto Lindale Avenue Northeast

0.1 mi · 33 sec · Lindale Avenue Northeast
4

Turn left onto 29th Street Northeast

0.4 mi · 40 sec · 29th Street Northeast
5

Continue on 29th Street Drive Southeast

0.5 mi · 54 sec · 29th Street Drive Southeast
6

Continue on 30th Street Drive Southeast

1.5 mi · 2 min · 30th Street Drive Southeast
7

Continue on CR E44

3.3 mi · 5 min · Lakeside Rd
8

Turn right onto US 151; IA 13

4.3 mi · 4 min · US 151; IA 13
9

Keep slight left at fork

0.8 mi · 1 min
Toward US 30 East: Mount Vernon
10

Merge onto US 30

15 mi · 18 min · Lincoln Freeway
11

Turn left onto CR X40

0.2 mi · 21 sec · South Madison Street
12

Turn right onto CR X40

0.2 mi · 21 sec · West 1st Street
13

Turn right onto South John Street

44 ft · 1 sec · South John Street
14

Arrive at destination

South John Street

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.13 one way

$8.25 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $4.53 $9.06
premium $4.89 $5.08 $10.16
diesel $5.61 $5.83 $11.66

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 9.2 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 7.9 0 $2.77 $1.27
Efficient EV 6.6 0 $2.31 $1.06
EV Truck/SUV 10.6 0 $3.70 $1.69

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.

Forecast as of Apr 18, 2026

Origin

Cedar Rapids, IA

Morning in Cedar Rapids on Saturday

Local time

6:03 AM

CDT

Current temp

34°F

Mostly Cloudy

NW 15 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued April 18 at 2:33AM CDT until April 18 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Omaha/Valley NE

Flood Watch

Flood Watch issued April 17 at 10:38PM CDT until April 24 at 7:00AM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Destination

Mechanicsville, IA

Morning in Mechanicsville on Saturday

Local time

6:03 AM

CDT

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

37 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

36m 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 Cedar Rapids, IA to Mechanicsville, IA covers 26.4 miles and takes about 36m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Lincoln Freeway, US 151, Lakeside Rd. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 13.2 miles from Cedar Rapids, IA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.13 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 drive requires moderate attention. Across 26.4 miles you will encounter 8 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Lindale Avenue Northeast): Navigation decision point; at 10.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 26 miles (CR X40 / South Madison Street): Navigation decision point.

The route from Cedar Rapids, IA to Mechanicsville, IA 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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Mechanicsville, IA to Cedar Rapids, IA

Plan the drive back the other way.

26.2 mi 36m

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