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Trip from Houston, TX to Arcola, TX

Last recalculated Apr 17, 2026

Drive Time

33m

Distance

21.2 mi

34 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 31m ★
6 AM
0h 34m
8 AM
0h 40m
10 AM
0h 36m
12 PM
0h 35m
3 PM
0h 36m
5 PM
0h 39m
8 PM
0h 32m

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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Downtown houston-tx

Houston, TX

Trace Hudson

Downtown Arcola, TX, TX

Arcola, TX

Megan Bailey

Trip Overview

The drive from Houston, TX to Arcola, TX covers 21.2 miles and takes about 33m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Almeda Road, FM 521, South Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 7.3 miles on Almeda Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.20 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 33m. Total distance: 21.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

33m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (50%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

The drive from Houston, TX to Arcola, TX covers 21.2 miles and takes about 33m, 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 24 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Almeda Road is the longest continuous segment at about 7.3 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 early in the drive near Congress Street.

Driving Effort 9/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 16 decision points packed into just 21.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 33m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (Congress Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.7 miles (Memorial Drive Frontage Road): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 0.8 miles (Houston Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 16 key points

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

7
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | Congress Street

Turn left onto Congress Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / straight lanes.
7
0.7 mi into trip | ~2m in | Memorial Drive Frontage Road

Keep slight left at fork onto Memorial Drive Frontage Road

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
7
0.8 mi into trip | ~2m in | Houston Avenue

Turn left onto Houston Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
7
0.8 mi into trip | ~2m in

Take the ramp toward I 45 South: Houston Municipal Court and Juror, Gulf Freeway

Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / left lanes. Toward I 45 South: Houston Municipal Court and...
8
2.3 mi into trip | ~4m in

Take the exit toward US 59 South, TX 288 South, I 69 South: Lake Jackson, Freeport, Victoria

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 46B Toward US 59 South, TX 288 South, I 69 South: L...

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Houston, TX and Arcola, TX, road signs point toward Freeport and Victoria.

Freeport

2.3 mi in | ~4m

Victoria

2.3 mi in | ~4m

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Almeda Road 7.3 mi 11m
FM 521 6.2 mi 9m
South Freeway 2.8 mi 3m
Gulf Freeway 1.1 mi 1m
South Loop West Frontage Road 0.6 mi 1m
South Freeway Frontage Road 0.4 mi <1m
Memorial Drive Frontage Road 0.2 mi <1m
Prairie Street 0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Almeda Road — 7.3 mi, about 11m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Houston, TX and Arcola, TX.

1

Start on Louisiana Street

148 ft · 11 sec · Louisiana Street
2

Turn left onto Congress Street

298 ft · 14 sec · Congress Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
3

Turn left onto Smith Street

0.1 mi · 25 sec · Smith Street
Use the left lane.
4

Turn right onto Prairie Street

0.1 mi · 22 sec · Prairie Street
5

Turn slight left onto Bagby Street

0.1 mi · 19 sec · Bagby Street
6

Turn right onto Capitol Street

465 ft · 12 sec · Capitol Street
7

Continue on Memorial Drive Frontage Road

0.1 mi · 15 sec · Memorial Drive Frontage Road
8

Keep slight left at fork onto Memorial Drive Frontage Road

516 ft · 22 sec · Memorial Drive Frontage Road
Use the left lane.
9

Turn left onto Houston Avenue

154 ft · 5 sec · Houston Avenue
Use the left lane.
10

Take the ramp

258 ft · 6 sec
Toward I 45 South: Houston Municipal Court and Juror, Gulf Freeway Use the straight / left lanes.
11

Continue on this road

0.2 mi · 19 sec · this road
Toward I 45 South: Galveston
12

Continue on Pierce Elevated

0.1 mi · 16 sec · Pierce Elevated
13

Turn straight

0.1 mi · 14 sec
Toward I 45 South: Galveston
14

Merge onto I 45

1.1 mi · 1 min · Gulf Freeway
15

Take the exit

0.7 mi · 1 min
Exit 46B Toward US 59 South, TX 288 South, I 69 South: Lake Jackson, Freeport, Victoria Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Keep slight left at fork

0.5 mi · 1 min
Toward TX 288 South: Lake Jackson, Freeport
17

Continue on TX 288

0.6 mi · 46 sec · South Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18

Keep slight right at fork onto TX 288

2.1 mi · 2 min · South Freeway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
19

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 38 sec
Toward Holly Hall Drive Use the slight right lane.
20

Continue on South Freeway Frontage Road

0.4 mi · 44 sec · South Freeway Frontage Road
21

Continue on South Loop West Frontage Road

0.6 mi · 1 min · South Loop West Frontage Road
22

Turn left onto FM 521

7.3 mi · 11 min · Almeda Road
Use the left lane.
23

Turn straight onto FM 521

6.2 mi · 9 min · FM 521
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
24

Arrive at destination

FM 521

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.20 one way

$6.41 round trip

$3.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 7 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.20 $3.51 $7.01
premium $4.54 $3.79 $7.57
diesel $5.61 $4.68 $9.36

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 7.4 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 6.4 0 $2.23 $1.02
Efficient EV 5.3 0 $1.85 $0.85
EV Truck/SUV 8.5 0 $2.97 $1.36

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.

Forecast as of Apr 16, 2026

Origin

Houston, TX

Night in Houston on Thursday

Local time

11:44 PM

CDT

Current temp

85°F

Mostly Sunny

S 15 mph 2% chance Live forecast

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued April 16 at 5:12PM CDT until April 16 at 5:45PM CDT by NWS Midland/Odessa TX

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued April 16 at 4:16PM CDT until April 16 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Lubbock TX

Destination

Arcola, TX

Night in Arcola on Thursday

Local time

11:44 PM

CDT

Current temp

77°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

8 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

33m 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 Houston, TX to Arcola, TX covers 21.2 miles and takes about 33m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Almeda Road, FM 521, South Freeway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 10.6 miles from Houston, TX. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.20 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 16 decision points packed into just 21.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 33m.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Congress Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.7 miles (Memorial Drive Frontage Road): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 0.8 miles (Houston Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
Between Houston, TX and Arcola, TX, road signs point toward Freeport and Victoria.

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