Trip from Highland Acres, DE to Smyrna, DE

Q: What are the main roads on this route?

The main roads are Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, Puncheon Run Connector, South Dupont Boulevard. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

Q: Is this a good same-day trip?

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

Q: Where should I stop halfway?

The midpoint is about 8.5 miles from Highland Acres, DE. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

Q: How much does gas cost for this trip?

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.80 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.

Q: What is the best time to leave?

Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.

Last recalculated Apr 16, 2026

Drive Time

24m

Distance

16.9 mi

27 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 7 min

4 AM

0h 22m ★

6 AM

0h 24m

8 AM

0h 29m

10 AM

0h 26m

12 PM

0h 25m

3 PM

0h 26m

5 PM

0h 28m

8 PM

0h 23m

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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Trip Overview

The drive from Highland Acres, DE to Smyrna, DE covers 16.9 miles and takes about 24m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, Puncheon Run Connector, South Dupont Boulevard for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 10.5 miles on Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.80 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 24m. Total distance: 16.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

24m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a 24m drive with frequent turns across 16.9 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.

There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.

Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 10.5 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 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near North Old Mill Road.

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 16.9 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 (North Old Mill Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.5 miles (South State Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles (Webbs Lane): Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 8 key points

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

4

0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | North Old Mill Road

Turn left onto North Old Mill Road

Navigation decision point

5

0.5 mi into trip | ~2m in | South State Street

At end of road, turn left onto South State Street

Navigation decision point

4

1.1 mi into trip | ~3m in | Webbs Lane

Turn left onto Webbs Lane

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / straight lanes.

6

1.7 mi into trip | ~4m in

Take the exit toward Wilmington, Delaware Memorial Bridge

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

Toward Wilmington, Delaware Memorial Bridge

4

6.5 mi into trip | ~10m in | DE 1 Toll / Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway

Keep slight right at fork onto DE 1 Toll / Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

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 Highland Acres, DE to Smyrna, DE, road signs begin pointing toward Wilmington along the way.

Wilmington

1.7 mi in | ~4m

Main Roads

Road	Distance	Duration
Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway	10.5 mi	12m
Puncheon Run Connector	2.4 mi	3m
South Dupont Boulevard	1.1 mi	1m
South State Street	0.6 mi	<1m
Webbs Lane	0.4 mi	1m
South Main Street	0.4 mi	<1m
North Old Mill Road	0.4 mi	1m
South Dupont Highway	0.2 mi	<1m

Longest stretch: Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway — 10.5 mi, about 12m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Highland Acres, DE and Smyrna, DE.

1

Start on Candlewicke Drive

478 ft · 26 sec · Candlewicke Drive

2

Turn left onto North Old Mill Road

0.4 mi · 1 min · North Old Mill Road

3

At end of road, turn left onto South State Street

0.6 mi · 59 sec · South State Street

4

Turn left onto Webbs Lane

0.4 mi · 1 min · Webbs Lane

Use the left / straight lanes.

5

Turn right onto US 13

0.2 mi · 21 sec · South Dupont Highway

6

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 8 sec

Toward Wilmington, Delaware Memorial Bridge

7

Continue on Puncheon Run Connector

2.4 mi · 3 min · Puncheon Run Connector

8

Merge onto DE 1 Toll

2.3 mi · 2 min · Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway

9

Keep slight right at fork onto DE 1 Toll

8.2 mi · 9 min · Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway

10

Take the exit

0.7 mi · 1 min

Toward US 13: South Smyrna

11

Turn right onto US 13

1.1 mi · 1 min · South Dupont Boulevard

12

Turn left onto South Main Street

0.4 mi · 58 sec · South Main Street

13

Turn right onto East South Street

44 ft · 1 sec · East South Street

14

Arrive at destination

East South Street

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.80 one way

$5.60 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO₂

Fuel Type	$/gal	One Way	Round Trip
midgrade	$4.61	$3.07	$6.14
premium	$4.93	$3.28	$6.56
diesel	$5.61	$3.73	$7.46

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 5.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO₂

Vehicle Type	kWh	DC Fast	Home Charge
Average EV	5.1	$1.77	$0.81
Efficient EV	4.2	$1.48	$0.68
EV Truck/SUV	6.8	$2.37	$1.08

Gas CO2

6 kg

EV CO2

2 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 15, 2026

Origin

Highland Acres, DE

Evening in Highland Acres on Thursday

Local time

6:30 PM

EDT

Current temp

63°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Smyrna, DE

Evening in Smyrna on Thursday

Local time

6:30 PM

EDT

Current temp

63°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

Very similar conditions

Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.

Road read

24m 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 Highland Acres, DE to Smyrna, DE covers 16.9 miles and takes about 24m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, Puncheon Run Connector, South Dupont Boulevard. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 8.5 miles from Highland Acres, DE. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.80 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 16.9 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 (North Old Mill Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.5 miles (South State Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles (Webbs Lane): Lane positioning matters here.

On the drive from Highland Acres, DE to Smyrna, DE, road signs begin pointing toward Wilmington along the way.

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