Origin
Elgin, IL
Late night in Elgin on Friday
Local time
3:38 AM
CDT
Current temp
50°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Elgin, IL to Fairfield, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
34m
Distance
20.6 mi
33 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 32m
★
6 AM
0h 35m
8 AM
0h 41m
10 AM
0h 37m
12 PM
0h 36m
3 PM
0h 37m
5 PM
0h 41m
8 PM
0h 33m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Elgin, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Fairfield, IL
Choco Kitty
Trip Overview
The drive from Elgin, IL to Fairfield, IL covers 20.6 miles and takes about 34m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on New Sutton Road, Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, North Hough Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 5.3 miles on New Sutton Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.22 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 34m. Total distance: 20.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
34m 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 34m drive with frequent turns across 20.6 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 23 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
New Sutton Road is the longest continuous segment at about 5.3 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 12 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Center Street.
Driving Effort
6/10
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 20.6 miles you will encounter 12 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: near the start (Center Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.2 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
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
|
Center Street
Turn left onto Center Street
Navigation decision point
4
2.2 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Take the ramp toward I 90 Toll West, I 90 Toll East: Rockford, Chicago
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 90 Toll West, I 90 Toll East: Rockford...
5
2.4 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 90 Toll East: Chicago
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward I 90 Toll East: Chicago
7
5.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Take the exit toward IL 59
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 59
Toward IL 59
5
5.9 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
IL 59 / New Sutton Road
Turn left onto IL 59 / New Sutton Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
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 Elgin, IL to Fairfield, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Chicago along the way.
Chicago
2.2 mi in
|
~4m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| New Sutton Road | 5.3 mi | 8m |
| Jane Addams Memorial Tollway | 2.7 mi | 2m |
| North Hough Road | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| Dundee Avenue | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| West Main Street | 1.5 mi | 3m |
| South Hough Street | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Dundee Road | 1.4 mi | 1m |
| Church Street | 1.2 mi | 2m |
Longest stretch:
New Sutton Road
— 5.3 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Elgin, IL and Fairfield, IL.
1
Start on East Chicago Street
34 ft
·
8 sec
·
East Chicago Street
2
Turn left onto Center Street
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
Center Street
3
Continue on Dundee Avenue
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Dundee Avenue
4
Turn right onto IL 25
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
·
Page Avenue
5
Turn straight onto IL 25
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
·
North Liberty Street
6
Continue on IL 25
0.5 mi
·
50 sec
·
Dundee Avenue
7
Take the ramp
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
Toward I 90 Toll West, I 90 Toll East: Rockford, Chicago
8
Continue on this road
486 ft
·
11 sec
·
this road
Toward I 90 West, I 90 East: Rockford, Chicago
9
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
49 sec
Toward I 90 Toll East: Chicago
10
Merge onto I 90
2.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
11
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
59 sec
Exit 59
Toward IL 59
Use the slight right lane.
12
Turn left onto IL 59
3.6 mi
·
5 min
·
New Sutton Road
Use the left lane.
13
Continue on IL 59; IL 68
1.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Dundee Road
14
Continue on IL 59
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
New Sutton Road
15
Continue on South Hough Street
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
South Hough Street
16
Continue on IL 59
1.7 mi
·
3 min
·
North Hough Road
Use the right lane.
17
Turn right onto IL 22
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
State Route 22
18
Continue on IL 22
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
West Main Street
19
Turn left onto West Main Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
West Main Street
20
Turn left onto Church Street
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Church Street
21
Continue on Midlothian Road
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Midlothian Road
22
Turn right onto V77
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
·
Old McHenry Road
23
Arrive at destination
V77
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.22 one way
$6.44 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $3.54 | $7.07 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.96 | $7.93 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.55 | $9.10 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.19
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
(2.7 mi)
$0.19
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Tolls
$0
Total
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.2 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 | 6.2 | 0 | $2.16 | $0.99 |
| Efficient EV | 5.2 | 0 | $1.80 | $0.82 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.2 | 0 | $2.88 | $1.32 |
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
Fairfield, IL
Late night in Fairfield on Friday
Local time
3:38 AM
CDT
Current temp
46°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
4 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
34m 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 Elgin, IL to Fairfield, IL covers 20.6 miles and takes about 34m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are New Sutton Road, Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, North Hough Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 10.3 miles from Elgin, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.22 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 20.6 miles you will encounter 12 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: near the start (Center Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.2 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
On the drive from Elgin, IL to Fairfield, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Chicago along the way.
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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