Origin
Lowesville, NC
Morning in Lowesville on Friday
Local time
8:17 AM
EDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Lowesville, NC to Concord, NC
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
44m
Distance
33 mi
53 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 40m
★
6 AM
0h 44m
8 AM
0h 52m
10 AM
0h 47m
12 PM
0h 46m
3 PM
0h 47m
5 PM
0h 51m
8 PM
0h 42m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Lowesville, NC
Mark Stebnicki
Concord, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Lowesville, NC to Concord, NC is 33 miles and takes about 44m via NC 16 BUS, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This straightforward drive stays within North Carolina, moving from the Southeast region to another part of the Southeast. Expect a highway-focused experience that makes for an easy, quick transit. It's a short enough journey that you can easily fit it into a single day, with plenty of time to spare upon arrival.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 44m. Total distance: 33 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
44m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (64%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This route is primarily a highway-focused drive, with 64% of the journey utilizing major roadways. You'll spend a good portion of your time on NC 16 BUS, which accounts for the longest uninterrupted stretch at 8.1 miles. While the main roads include H Allen Tate Jr Highway and Concord Parkway South, the overall feel is one of steady progress on well-maintained routes. It’s not a winding backroad adventure, but rather a direct and efficient path between your starting and ending points.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
NC 16 BUS is the longest continuous segment at about 8.1 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on NC 16 BUS and H Allen Tate Jr Highway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2.4 miles in near NC 16 BUS.
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 10 decision points packed into just 33 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 44m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.4 miles (NC 16 BUS): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 8.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 8.4 miles (I 485 / Craig Lawing Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 10 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
7
2.4 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
NC 16 BUS
Keep slight right at fork onto NC 16 BUS toward NC 16 South: Charlotte
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Toward NC 16 South: Charlotte
5
8.1 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Take the exit
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
8.4 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
I 485 / Craig Lawing Freeway
Merge onto I 485 / Craig Lawing Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
22.5 mi into trip
|
~27m in
Take the exit toward US 29: Charlotte, Concord
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 32
Toward US 29: Charlotte, Concord
8
22.9 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Keep slight left at fork toward US 29 North: Concord, Charlotte Motor Speedway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward US 29 North: Concord, Charlotte Motor Sp...
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 Lowesville, NC to Concord, NC, road signs begin pointing toward Charlotte Motor Speedway along the way.
Charlotte Motor Speedway
22.9 mi in
|
~28m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| NC 16 BUS | 8.1 mi | 11m |
| H Allen Tate Jr Highway | 8 mi | 8m |
| Concord Parkway South | 6.7 mi | 9m |
| Craig Lawing Freeway | 5.9 mi | 6m |
| Cabarrus Avenue West | 2 mi | 3m |
| North Tryon Street | 1.3 mi | 1m |
| Governor James G Martin Freeway | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Spring Street Southwest | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
NC 16 BUS
— 8.1 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Lowesville, NC and Concord, NC.
1
Start on Old Plank Road
77 ft
·
4 sec
·
Old Plank Road
2
Turn right onto NC 16 BUS
2.3 mi
·
3 min
·
NC 16 BUS
3
Keep slight right at fork onto NC 16 BUS
5.8 mi
·
8 min
·
NC 16 BUS
Toward NC 16 South: Charlotte
Use the straight lane.
4
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
Use the right lane.
5
Merge onto I 485
5.9 mi
·
6 min
·
Craig Lawing Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Continue on I 485
8.0 mi
·
8 min
·
H Allen Tate Jr Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Continue on I 485
0.3 mi
·
17 sec
·
Governor James G Martin Freeway
8
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
Exit 32
Toward US 29: Charlotte, Concord
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight left at fork
246 ft
·
9 sec
Toward US 29 North: Concord, Charlotte Motor Speedway
Use the left lane.
10
Turn left onto US 29
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
North Tryon Street
Use the straight lane.
11
Continue on US 29
6.7 mi
·
9 min
·
Concord Parkway South
Use the straight lane.
12
Turn right onto Cabarrus Avenue West
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Cabarrus Avenue West
Use the right lane.
13
Enter roundabout onto Cabarrus Avenue West
156 ft
·
3 sec
·
Cabarrus Avenue West
14
Continue on Cabarrus Avenue West
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Cabarrus Avenue West
15
Turn right onto Spring Street Southwest
409 ft
·
11 sec
·
Spring Street Southwest
Use the straight / right lanes.
16
Arrive at destination
Spring Street Southwest
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.16 one way
$10.32 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
12 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $5.64 | $11.28 |
| premium | $4.70 | $6.11 | $12.22 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.29 | $14.57 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.5 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 | 9.9 | 0 | $3.47 | $1.58 |
| Efficient EV | 8.3 | 0 | $2.89 | $1.32 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.2 | 0 | $4.62 | $2.11 |
Gas CO2
12 kg
EV CO2
4 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.
Destination
Concord, NC
Morning in Concord on Friday
Local time
8:17 AM
EDT
Current temp
50°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 warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
44m 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 Lowesville, NC to Concord, NC covers 33 miles and takes about 44m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are NC 16 BUS, H Allen Tate Jr Highway, Concord Parkway South. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 16.5 miles from Lowesville, NC. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.16 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 10 decision points packed into just 33 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 44m.
The main spots that need attention: at 2.4 miles (NC 16 BUS): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 8.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 8.4 miles (I 485 / Craig Lawing Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
On the drive from Lowesville, NC to Concord, NC, road signs begin pointing toward Charlotte Motor Speedway 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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