Origin
Orland Park, IL
Morning in Orland Park on Saturday
Local time
9:24 AM
CDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Orland Park, IL to Thornton, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
32m
Distance
17.3 mi
28 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 29m
★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 37m
10 AM
0h 34m
12 PM
0h 33m
3 PM
0h 34m
5 PM
0h 37m
8 PM
0h 30m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Orland Park, IL
Choco Kitty
Thornton, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Orland Park, IL to Thornton, IL covers 17.3 miles and takes about 32m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on West 159th Street, West 143rd Street, Tri-State Tollway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 5.7 miles on West 159th Street. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.70 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 32m. Total distance: 17.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
32m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 32m drive with frequent turns across 17.3 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
West 159th Street is the longest continuous segment at about 5.7 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.
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 12 decision points packed into just 17.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 32m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start: Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 11.4 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 12 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
Turn sharp right
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
6
11.4 mi into trip
|
~20m in
|
I 294 / Tri-State Tollway
Keep slight left at fork onto I 294 / Tri-State Tollway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
14.1 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Take the exit toward IL 1: Halsted Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 2B-A
Toward IL 1: Halsted Street
8
14.3 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Keep slight right at fork toward IL 1 South: Halsted Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 2B
Toward IL 1 South: Halsted Street
5
16.5 mi into trip
|
~29m in
|
Margaret Street
At end of road, turn right onto Margaret Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| West 159th Street | 5.7 mi | 9m |
| West 143rd Street | 3.1 mi | 5m |
| Tri-State Tollway | 2.7 mi | 3m |
| Harlem Avenue | 2 mi | 3m |
| Ridge Road | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Margaret Street | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Halsted Street | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| South La Grange Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
West 159th Street
— 5.7 mi, about 9m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Orland Park, IL and Thornton, IL.
1
Start on US 45
38 ft
·
3 sec
·
South La Grange Road
2
Turn sharp right
83 ft
·
6 sec
3
Turn sharp right onto West 143rd Street
3.1 mi
·
5 min
·
West 143rd Street
4
Turn right onto IL 43
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Harlem Avenue
5
Turn left onto US 6
5.7 mi
·
9 min
·
West 159th Street
Use the left lane.
6
Take the ramp
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 294 South Toll: Indiana
7
Merge onto I 294
136 ft
·
1 sec
·
Tri-State Tollway
8
Keep slight left at fork onto I 294
2.7 mi
·
3 min
·
Tri-State Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
Exit 2B-A
Toward IL 1: Halsted Street
Use the slight right lane.
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
51 sec
Exit 2B
Toward IL 1 South: Halsted Street
Use the slight right lane.
11
Turn straight onto IL 1
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Halsted Street
Use the left lane.
12
Turn left onto Ridge Road
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Ridge Road
13
At end of road, turn right onto Margaret Street
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Margaret Street
14
Arrive at destination
Margaret Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.70 one way
$5.41 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.97 | $5.94 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.33 | $6.66 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.82 | $7.64 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.16
Tri-state Tollway
(2.7 mi)
$0.16
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Tolls
$0
Total
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.2 | 0 | $1.82 | $0.83 |
| Efficient EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.51 | $0.69 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.42 | $1.11 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
Thornton, IL
Morning in Thornton on Saturday
Local time
9:24 AM
CDT
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
2 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
32m 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 Orland Park, IL to Thornton, IL covers 17.3 miles and takes about 32m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are West 159th Street, West 143rd Street, Tri-State Tollway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 8.7 miles from Orland Park, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.70 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 12 decision points packed into just 17.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 32m.
The main spots that need attention: near the start: Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 11.4 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Orland Park, IL to Thornton, IL does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Pullman National Historical Park.
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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