Origin
Columbus, OH
Late night in Columbus on Friday
Local time
3:53 AM
EDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Columbus, OH to Jefferson, OH
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
31m
Distance
18.8 mi
30 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 29m
★
6 AM
0h 31m
8 AM
0h 37m
10 AM
0h 33m
12 PM
0h 33m
3 PM
0h 34m
5 PM
0h 36m
8 PM
0h 30m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Columbus, OH
Wikimedia Commons
Jefferson, OH
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Columbus, OH to Jefferson, OH covers 18.8 miles and takes about 31m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Southeast Expressway, East Livingston Avenue, Winchester Road Northwest for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 8.8 miles on Southeast Expressway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.92 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 31m. Total distance: 18.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
31m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (52%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
The drive from Columbus, OH to Jefferson, OH covers 18.8 miles and takes about 31m, 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.
Southeast Expressway is the longest continuous segment at about 8.8 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 0.1 miles in near South High Street.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 14 decision points packed into just 18.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 31m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (South High Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.4 miles (US 62; SR 3 / East Main Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.5 miles (US 23; US 33 / South Third Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 14 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
7
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South High Street
Turn left onto South High Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
US 62; SR 3 / East Main Street
Turn left onto US 62; SR 3 / East Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
0.5 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
US 23; US 33 / South Third Street
Turn right onto US 23; US 33 / South Third Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
7
5 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Take the exit toward US 33 East: Lancaster
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 105A
Toward US 33 East: Lancaster
8
15.1 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Take the exit toward Hill Road, Diley Road
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 139
Toward Hill Road, Diley Road
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Southeast Expressway | 8.8 mi | 11m |
| East Livingston Avenue | 2.7 mi | 6m |
| Winchester Road Northwest | 2 mi | 3m |
| East Freeway | 1 mi | 1m |
| Waterloo Road Northwest | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Columbus-Lancaster Road Northwest | 0.7 mi | <1m |
| College Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| South High Street | 0.3 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Southeast Expressway
— 8.8 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Columbus, OH and Jefferson, OH.
1
Start on this road
77 ft
·
5 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto East State Street
0.1 mi
·
26 sec
·
East State Street
3
Turn left onto South High Street
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
South High Street
Use the left lane.
4
Turn left onto US 62; SR 3
0.1 mi
·
29 sec
·
East Main Street
Use the left lane.
5
Turn right onto US 23; US 33
0.3 mi
·
56 sec
·
South Third Street
Use the right lane.
6
Turn left onto US 23; US 33
2.7 mi
·
6 min
·
East Livingston Avenue
Use the left lane.
7
Turn right onto Alum Creek Drive
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
·
Alum Creek Drive
Use the right lane.
8
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Toward I 70 East
9
Merge onto I 70
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
East Freeway
10
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
Exit 105A
Toward US 33 East: Lancaster
Use the slight right lane.
11
Continue on US 33
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
·
College Avenue
Use the straight lane.
12
Keep slight right at fork onto US 33
8.8 mi
·
11 min
·
Southeast Expressway
Use the straight lane.
13
Continue on US 33
0.7 mi
·
48 sec
·
Columbus-Lancaster Road Northwest
14
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 139
Toward Hill Road, Diley Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Turn right onto CR 18
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
Diley Road
Use the right lane.
16
Continue on CR 18
0.2 mi
·
39 sec
·
Hill Road Northwest
17
Turn left onto Waterloo Road Northwest
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Waterloo Road Northwest
18
Turn left onto CR 23
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Winchester Road Northwest
19
Arrive at destination
CR 23
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.92 one way
$5.84 round trip
$3.94/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.38 | $3.24 | $6.48 |
| premium | $4.91 | $3.63 | $7.27 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.15 | $8.30 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.6 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 | 5.6 | 0 | $1.97 | $0.90 |
| Efficient EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.65 | $0.75 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.5 | 0 | $2.63 | $1.20 |
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
Jefferson, OH
Late night in Jefferson on Friday
Local time
3:53 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
5 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
31m 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 Columbus, OH to Jefferson, OH covers 18.8 miles and takes about 31m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Southeast Expressway, East Livingston Avenue, Winchester Road Northwest. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 9.4 miles from Columbus, OH. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.92 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 14 decision points packed into just 18.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 31m.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (South High Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.4 miles (US 62; SR 3 / East Main Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.5 miles (US 23; US 33 / South Third Street): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Columbus, OH to Jefferson, OH 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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