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Trip from Matoaca, VA to Richmond, VA

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

Drive Time

41m

Distance

28.8 mi

46 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 10 min
4 AM
0h 38m ★
6 AM
0h 41m
8 AM
0h 48m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 43m
3 PM
0h 44m
5 PM
0h 48m
8 PM
0h 39m

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

Downtown Matoaca, VA, VA

Matoaca, VA

Eric Joseph

Trip Overview

The drive from Matoaca, VA to Richmond, VA covers 28.8 miles and takes about 41m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike, River Road, Downtown Expressway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 19.4 miles on Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.50 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 41m. Total distance: 28.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

41m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (73%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

This is a 41m highway drive covering 28.8 miles, with most of the trip on Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike and River Road. The longest continuous stretch is about 19.4 miles on Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 21 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike is the longest continuous segment at about 19.4 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike and River Road. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near VA 36 / River Road.

Driving Effort 7/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 15 decision points packed into just 28.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (VA 36 / River Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.2 miles (US 1; US 301 / Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 25.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 15 key points

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

6
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | VA 36 / River Road

Turn right onto VA 36 / River Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane.
5
4.2 mi into trip | ~6m in | US 1; US 301 / Boulevard

Turn left onto US 1; US 301 / Boulevard

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / straight lanes.
7
25.6 mi into trip | ~35m in

Take the exit toward VA 195 Toll: Downtown Expressway

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 74A Toward VA 195 Toll: Downtown Expressway
7
27.5 mi into trip | ~38m in

Take the exit toward Cash Toll, Meadow Street

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. Toward Cash Toll, Meadow Street
8
27.9 mi into trip | ~38m in

Keep slight right at fork toward Meadow Street

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward Meadow Street

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike 19.4 mi 24m
River Road 2.9 mi 4m
Downtown Expressway 1.6 mi 2m
East Westover Avenue 0.7 mi 1m
East River Road 0.6 mi <1m
South Meadow Street 0.6 mi 1m
Conduit Road 0.5 mi 1m
Dupuy Avenue 0.4 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike — 19.4 mi, about 24m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Matoaca, VA and Richmond, VA.

1

Start on Fitzhugh Street

287 ft · 17 sec · Fitzhugh Street
2

Turn left onto SR 1304

163 ft · 9 sec · Wilcox Street
3

Turn right onto VA 36

2.9 mi · 4 min · River Road
Use the straight lane.
4

Turn left onto SR 1107

0.1 mi · 19 sec · Granger Street
Use the left lane.
5

Continue on SR 1107

0.6 mi · 58 sec · East River Road
6

Continue on SR 1107

0.4 mi · 43 sec · Dupuy Avenue
7

Turn left onto US 1; US 301

0.4 mi · 1 min · Boulevard
Use the left / straight lanes.
8

Turn right onto East Westover Avenue

0.7 mi · 1 min · East Westover Avenue
9

At end of road, turn left onto Conduit Road

0.5 mi · 1 min · Conduit Road
10

Turn left onto VA 144

225 ft · 10 sec · Temple Avenue
Use the left lane.
11

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 52 sec
Toward I 95 North: Richmond
12

Merge onto I 95

19 mi · 24 min · Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike
13

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 35 sec
Exit 74A Toward VA 195 Toll: Downtown Expressway Use the slight right lane.
14

Continue on VA 195

1.6 mi · 2 min · Downtown Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 39 sec
Toward Cash Toll, Meadow Street Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Continue on this road

373 ft · 9 sec · this road
17

Keep slight right at fork

0.2 mi · 30 sec
Toward Meadow Street Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18

Turn right onto South Meadow Street

0.6 mi · 1 min · South Meadow Street
19

Turn right onto Monument Avenue

0.1 mi · 19 sec · Monument Avenue
20

Enter roundabout onto Marcus-David Peters Circle

81 ft · 2 sec · Marcus-David Peters Circle
21

Arrive at destination

Marcus-David Peters Circle

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.50 one way

$9.01 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 10 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.34 $4.92 $9.85
premium $4.70 $5.33 $10.66
diesel $5.61 $6.36 $12.72

Estimated Tolls: $1.36

Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike (19.4 mi) $1.36

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

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Tolls

$1

Total

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 10.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 8.6 0 $3.02 $1.38
Efficient EV 7.2 0 $2.52 $1.15
EV Truck/SUV 11.5 0 $4.03 $1.84

Gas CO2

10 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (70% 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

Matoaca, VA

Night in Matoaca on Friday

Local time

10:00 PM

EDT

Current temp

82°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Richmond, VA

Night in Richmond on Friday

Local time

10:00 PM

EDT

Current temp

72°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

10 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

41m 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 Matoaca, VA to Richmond, VA covers 28.8 miles and takes about 41m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike, River Road, Downtown Expressway. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 14.4 miles from Matoaca, VA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.50 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 15 decision points packed into just 28.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (VA 36 / River Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.2 miles (US 1; US 301 / Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 25.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

The route from Matoaca, VA to Richmond, VA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

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

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