Origin
Merrydale, LA
Evening in Merrydale on Friday
Local time
8:05 PM
CDT
Current temp
83°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Merrydale, LA to Baton Rouge, LA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
14m
Distance
9 mi
15 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 13m
★
6 AM
0h 14m
8 AM
0h 17m
10 AM
0h 15m
12 PM
0h 15m
3 PM
0h 15m
5 PM
0h 17m
8 PM
0h 14m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Merrydale, LA
Perry Z
Trip Overview
This quick 9-mile drive from Merrydale to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, will take you about 14 minutes, making it a perfect option for a single-day trip. With a minimal fuel cost of around $1, you'll primarily travel on the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Freeway and Airline Highway. The drive offers a mixed driving profile, so expect a blend of speeds and road types. Since it's such a short distance, you won't need an overnight stay and can easily fit this into any travel plans within the Southeast region.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 14m. Total distance: 9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
14m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (53%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This route features a 53% highway share, indicating a good portion of your travel will be on faster-paced roads. You'll encounter a longest stretch of 4.8 miles along the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Freeway, offering a continuous segment of highway driving. The overall profile is a mixed drive, meaning you'll transition between highway speeds and potentially more local road conditions. This variety should keep the drive engaging, moving from quicker sections to those with more local traffic patterns.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 8 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 4.8 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 6 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 1.4 miles in near US 61; US 190 / Airline Highway.
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 9 miles you will encounter 6 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 1.4 miles (US 61; US 190 / Airline Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 6 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
1.4 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
US 61; US 190 / Airline Highway
Turn right onto US 61; US 190 / Airline Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
2.8 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Take the exit toward I 110: Natchez, Baton Rouge
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 110: Natchez, Baton Rouge
7
3 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 110 South: Baton Rouge
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 110 South: Baton Rouge
5
3.5 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
I 110 / Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Freeway
Merge onto I 110 / Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
8.3 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Take the exit toward LA 73: Government Street, River Center, Downtown
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Exit 1A
Toward LA 73: Government Street, River Center,...
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Merrydale, LA and Baton Rouge, LA, road signs point toward River Center and Downtown.
River Center
8.3 mi in
|
~12m
Downtown
8.3 mi in
|
~12m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Freeway | 4.8 mi | 6m |
| Airline Highway | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Greenwell Street | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Government Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Freeway
— 4.8 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Merrydale, LA and Baton Rouge, LA.
1
Start on Greenwell Street
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Greenwell Street
2
Turn right onto US 61; US 190
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Airline Highway
Use the right lane.
3
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Toward I 110: Natchez, Baton Rouge
4
Keep slight left at fork
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 110 South: Baton Rouge
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Merge onto I 110
4.8 mi
·
6 min
·
Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Exit 1A
Toward LA 73: Government Street, River Center, Downtown
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
7
Turn right onto LA 73
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Government Street
8
Arrive at destination
Government Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.36 one way
$2.72 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.21 | $1.49 | $2.98 |
| premium | $4.56 | $1.62 | $3.23 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.99 | $3.97 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.7 | 0 | $0.94 | $0.43 |
| Efficient EV | 2.3 | 0 | $0.79 | $0.36 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.6 | 0 | $1.26 | $0.58 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 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
Baton Rouge, LA
Evening in Baton Rouge on Friday
Local time
8:05 PM
CDT
Current temp
83°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
14m 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 Merrydale, LA to Baton Rouge, LA covers 9 miles and takes about 14m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Freeway, Airline Highway, Greenwell Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 4.5 miles from Merrydale, LA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.36 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 9 miles you will encounter 6 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 1.4 miles (US 61; US 190 / Airline Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Between Merrydale, LA and Baton Rouge, LA, road signs point toward River Center and Downtown.
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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