Origin
Middletown, DE
Evening in Middletown on Friday
Local time
8:36 PM
EDT
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Middletown, DE to Elsmere, DE
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
37m
Distance
26.1 mi
42 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 34m
★
6 AM
0h 37m
8 AM
0h 43m
10 AM
0h 39m
12 PM
0h 39m
3 PM
0h 40m
5 PM
0h 43m
8 PM
0h 35m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Middletown, DE
Wikimedia Commons
Elsmere, DE
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Middletown, DE to Elsmere, DE covers 26.1 miles and takes about 37m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, First Responders Memorial Highway, Kirkwood Highway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 10.9 miles on Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.33 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 37m. Total distance: 26.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
37m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 37m drive with frequent turns across 26.1 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 13 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 10.9 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near DE 71 / North Broad Street.
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 8 decision points packed into just 26.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 37m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (DE 71 / North Broad Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.4 miles (Connector Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 8 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
3
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
DE 71 / North Broad Street
Turn right onto DE 71 / North Broad Street
Navigation decision point
6
2.4 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
Connector Road
Turn left onto Connector Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
2.5 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Take the exit toward US 301 Toll North
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward US 301 Toll North
8
14 mi into trip
|
~18m in
|
DE 1 / Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway
Keep slight right at fork onto DE 1 / Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway toward DE 1 North: Wilmington, Baltimore
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward DE 1 North: Wilmington, Baltimore
4
22.6 mi into trip
|
~30m in
|
DE 2 / Kirkwood Highway
Turn right onto DE 2 / Kirkwood Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
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 Middletown, DE to Elsmere, DE, road signs begin pointing toward Baltimore along the way.
Baltimore
14 mi in
|
~18m
|
via DE 1
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway | 10.9 mi | 13m |
| First Responders Memorial Highway | 6 mi | 6m |
| Kirkwood Highway | 3.5 mi | 6m |
| Stanton Christiana Road | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Summit Bridge Road | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| North Broad Street | 1 mi | 2m |
| Limestone Road | 1 mi | 1m |
| Mitch Road | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway
— 10.9 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Middletown, DE and Elsmere, DE.
1
Start on DE 299
99 ft
·
6 sec
·
East Main Street
2
Turn right onto DE 71
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
North Broad Street
3
Turn straight onto DE 71
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Summit Bridge Road
Use the left lane.
4
Turn left onto Connector Road
0.1 mi
·
8 sec
·
Connector Road
Use the left lane.
5
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
Toward US 301 Toll North
6
Merge onto US 301 Toll
6.0 mi
·
6 min
·
First Responders Memorial Highway
7
Merge onto DE 1
5.2 mi
·
6 min
·
Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway
8
Keep slight right at fork onto DE 1
5.7 mi
·
7 min
·
Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway
Toward DE 1 North: Wilmington, Baltimore
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on DE 7
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Stanton Christiana Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
10
Continue on DE 7; DE 4
0.4 mi
·
36 sec
·
Mitch Road
Use the straight lane.
11
Continue on DE 7
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Limestone Road
12
Turn right onto DE 2
3.5 mi
·
6 min
·
Kirkwood Highway
Use the right lane.
13
Arrive at destination
DE 2
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.33 one way
$8.65 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $4.74 | $9.48 |
| premium | $4.93 | $5.06 | $10.12 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.76 | $11.53 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.1 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 | 7.8 | 0 | $2.74 | $1.25 |
| Efficient EV | 6.5 | 0 | $2.28 | $1.04 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.4 | 0 | $3.65 | $1.67 |
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.
Destination
Elsmere, DE
Evening in Elsmere on Friday
Local time
8:36 PM
EDT
Current temp
63°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
4 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
37m 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 Middletown, DE to Elsmere, DE covers 26.1 miles and takes about 37m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, First Responders Memorial Highway, Kirkwood Highway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 13 miles from Middletown, DE. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.33 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 8 decision points packed into just 26.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 37m.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (DE 71 / North Broad Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.4 miles (Connector Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
On the drive from Middletown, DE to Elsmere, DE, road signs begin pointing toward Baltimore along the way.
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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