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Trip from Eagan, MN to South Saint Paul, MN

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

Drive Time

17m

Distance

11.7 mi

19 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 16m ★
6 AM
0h 18m
8 AM
0h 21m
10 AM
0h 19m
12 PM
0h 19m
3 PM
0h 19m
5 PM
0h 21m
8 PM
0h 17m

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

city in Minnesota, United States

Eagan, MN

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown South Saint Paul, MN, MN

South Saint Paul, MN

Tom Fisk

Trip Overview

The drive from Eagan, MN to South Saint Paul, MN covers 11.7 miles and takes about 17m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on I 494, I 35E, Pilot Knob Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 5.3 miles on I 494. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.74 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 17m. Total distance: 11.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

17m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (60%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

The drive from Eagan, MN to South Saint Paul, MN covers 11.7 miles and takes about 17m, using a mix of highways and local roads.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 11 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
I 494 is the longest continuous segment at about 5.3 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 around 1.7 miles in.

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 8 decision points packed into just 11.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 17m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 1.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 2.1 miles (I 35E): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 3.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

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
1.7 mi into trip | ~2m in

Take the ramp toward I 35E North

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 35E North
5
2.1 mi into trip | ~3m in | I 35E

Merge onto I 35E

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
3.8 mi into trip | ~5m in

Take the exit toward I 494 West, I 494 East

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Exit 99A-B Toward I 494 West, I 494 East
8
4.1 mi into trip | ~6m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 494 East

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 99A Toward I 494 East
7
10.1 mi into trip | ~14m in

Take the exit toward CR 56: Concord Street

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 64B Toward CR 56: Concord Street

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 494 5.3 mi 6m
I 35E 1.7 mi 1m
Pilot Knob Road 1.7 mi 2m
Concord Street South 1.3 mi 2m
John E Carroll Avenue <0.1 mi <1m
Concord Exchange North <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: I 494 — 5.3 mi, about 6m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Eagan, MN and South Saint Paul, MN.

1

Start on CR 31

1.7 mi · 2 min · Pilot Knob Road
Use the left lane.
2

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 54 sec
Toward I 35E North Use the straight / slight right lanes.
3

Merge onto I 35E

1.7 mi · 1 min · I 35E
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 35 sec
Exit 99A-B Toward I 494 West, I 494 East
5

Keep slight right at fork

0.7 mi · 1 min
Exit 99A Toward I 494 East Use the slight right lane.
6

Merge onto I 494

5.3 mi · 6 min · I 494
Use the straight / right lanes.
7

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 37 sec
Exit 64B Toward CR 56: Concord Street Use the slight right lane.
8

Turn left onto CH 56

1.3 mi · 2 min · Concord Street South
Use the left lane.
9

Turn left onto CH 14

272 ft · 16 sec · John E Carroll Avenue
10

Turn left onto Concord Exchange North

74 ft · 1 sec · Concord Exchange North
11

Arrive at destination

Concord Exchange North

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.74 one way

$3.48 round trip

$3.78/gal 25.4 MPG avg 4 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.07 $1.88 $3.75
premium $4.53 $2.09 $4.18
diesel $5.61 $2.58 $5.17

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 4.1 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 3.5 0 $1.23 $0.56
Efficient EV 2.9 0 $1.02 $0.47
EV Truck/SUV 4.7 0 $1.64 $0.75

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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Eagan, MN

Morning in Eagan on Saturday

Local time

10:28 AM

CDT

Current temp

47°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

South Saint Paul, MN

Morning in South Saint Paul on Saturday

Local time

10:28 AM

CDT

Current temp

65°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

18 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

17m 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 Eagan, MN to South Saint Paul, MN covers 11.7 miles and takes about 17m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are I 494, I 35E, Pilot Knob Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 5.9 miles from Eagan, MN. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.74 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 8 decision points packed into just 11.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 17m.

The main spots that need attention: at 1.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 2.1 miles (I 35E): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 3.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

The route from Eagan, MN to South Saint Paul, MN 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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