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Trip from Lombard, IL to Aurora, IL

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

Drive Time

38m

Distance

24.8 mi

40 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 36m ★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 41m
3 PM
0h 42m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 37m

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

village in Illinois, United States

Lombard, IL

Wikimedia Commons

city on tripoints of DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will Counties in Illinois, United States

Aurora, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Lombard to Aurora is 24.8 miles and takes about 38 minutes via Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway and local roads, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Midwest region, specifically Illinois, and is a straightforward local drive. Given its brevity, it's ideal for a quick errand, a visit to a nearby friend, or a simple change of scenery without requiring significant planning. You'll navigate a mix of tollway and surface streets, making it a practical option for a quick hop between these two suburban communities.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway 16.7 mi 20m
North Lake Street 2.2 mi 4m
South Main Street 2 mi 4m
Finley Road 0.8 mi 1m
East Madison Street 0.5 mi 1m
West 22nd Street 0.5 mi <1m
South Lincolnway Street 0.4 mi <1m
South Grace Street 0.3 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway — 16.7 mi, about 20m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Lombard, IL and Aurora, IL.

1

Start on South Grace Street

0.3 mi · 1 min · South Grace Street
2

Turn right onto East Madison Street

0.5 mi · 1 min · East Madison Street
3

Turn left onto South Main Street

2.0 mi · 4 min · South Main Street
4

Turn right onto West 22nd Street

0.5 mi · 56 sec · West 22nd Street
5

Turn left onto Finley Road

0.8 mi · 1 min · Finley Road
6

Turn left onto IL 56

0.3 mi · 35 sec · Butterfield Road
Use the left lane.
7

Turn right onto Downers Drive

0.2 mi · 27 sec · Downers Drive
Use the right lane.
8

Continue on this road

0.2 mi · 29 sec · this road
Toward I 88 West
9

Merge onto I 88; IL 110

17 mi · 20 min · Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Take the exit

0.6 mi · 1 min
Exit 117 Toward IL 31, IL 56 East Use the right lane.
11

Turn right onto IL 31

0.4 mi · 52 sec · South Lincolnway Street
12

Continue on IL 31

2.2 mi · 4 min · North Lake Street
13

Turn right onto West Galena Boulevard

0.1 mi · 9 sec · West Galena Boulevard
14

Arrive at destination

West Galena Boulevard

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 8

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.9 and 21.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

4
0.9 mi into trip | ~2m in | South Main Street

Turn left onto South Main Street

Navigation decision point

4
4.1 mi into trip | ~9m in | IL 56 / Butterfield Road

Turn left onto IL 56 / Butterfield Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
6
4.4 mi into trip | ~10m in | Downers Drive

Turn right onto Downers Drive

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
5
4.9 mi into trip | ~11m in | I 88; IL 110 / Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway

Merge onto I 88; IL 110 / Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
21.5 mi into trip | ~31m in

Take the exit toward IL 31, IL 56 East

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

Use the right lane. Exit 117 Toward IL 31, IL 56 East

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.88 one way

$7.75 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $4.26 $8.51
premium $4.89 $4.77 $9.55
diesel $5.61 $5.48 $10.95

Estimated Tolls: $1.00

Reagan Memorial Tollway (16.7 mi) $1.00

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Tolls

$1

Total

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 8.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 7.4 0 $2.60 $1.19
Efficient EV 6.2 0 $2.17 $0.99
EV Truck/SUV 9.9 0 $3.47 $1.59

Gas CO2

9 kg

EV CO2

3 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

Lombard, IL

Afternoon in Lombard on Saturday

Local time

12:35 PM

CDT

Current temp

52°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Aurora, IL

Afternoon in Aurora on Saturday

Local time

12:35 PM

CDT

Current temp

51°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

1 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

38m 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.

What kind of drive is this?

This route is characterized as a 'turn-heavy local drive,' meaning you'll be making frequent turns rather than settling into long stretches of highway. While a portion of the journey utilizes the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway for 16.7 miles, the overall experience involves more localized navigation. The highway share is 0%, indicating that any tollway use is incidental to the primary local road nature of the drive. Expect a dynamic driving experience with constant adjustments as you transition between different road types.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 16.7 mi on Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

5/10

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 0.9 miles in near South Main Street.

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 24.8 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 0.9 miles (South Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 4.1 miles (IL 56 / Butterfield Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.4 miles (Downers Drive): Lane positioning matters here.

About the Cities

Starting in Lombard, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1869

Lombard is a suburb of Chicago in Illinois and is considered part of Chicagoland. Lombard is a small town with a tight-knit community built around its high schools and the downtown Lombard culture. Residents of Lombard are very friendly and familial and willing to guide tourists to various locations in Chicago and Chicagoland.

Top landmarks

  • First Church of Lombard — historic building in Lombard, IL, USA

Arriving in Aurora, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1835

Aurora is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, located about 35 miles west of Chicago. It's at the very edge of Chicagoland and, situated on the Fox River, has many opportunities for urban, suburban, and rural recreation. Often overlooked, Aurora in fact has many surprisingly interesting attractions and a downtown unlike that of a typical suburb. It is probably best known for being the setting of the "Wayne's World" movies.

Top landmarks

  • Aurora University — private university in Aurora, Illinois, U.S
  • Hotel Arthur — United States historic place
  • Graham Building — historic building in Aurora, Illinois

City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 38m. Total distance: 24.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

38m 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

Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 16.7 miles on Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $1.00 in tolls one way, starting with Reagan Memorial Tollway. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.

Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.

The main spots that need attention: at 0.9 miles (South Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 4.1 miles (IL 56 / Butterfield Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.4 miles (Downers Drive): Lane positioning matters here.

Yes — Pullman National Historical Park. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Aurora, IL before heading back.

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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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