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Trip from Owensboro, KY to Tompkinsville, KY

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

Drive Time

2h 35m

Distance

132.7 mi

214 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$21

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 31 min
4 AM
2h 26m ★
6 AM
2h 36m
8 AM
2h 57m
10 AM
2h 43m
12 PM
2h 41m
3 PM
2h 44m
5 PM
2h 56m
8 PM
2h 30m

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

Downtown Owensboro, KY, KY

Owensboro, KY

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Tompkinsville, KY, KY

Tompkinsville, KY

Kelly

Trip Overview

The drive from Owensboro, KY to Tompkinsville, KY covers 132.7 miles and takes about 2h 35m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on West 18th Street, Triplett Street, New Hartford Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $20.75 one way before food or hotel costs.

Trip Pace

Same-day drive is realistic

A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.

Break Rhythm

1 planned break

A short stop every 2 to 3 hours is enough for this drive.

Midpoint

66.3 miles from Owensboro, KY

A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 1h 17m into the drive .

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 2h 35m. Total distance: 132.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

2h 35m drive, comfortable solo distance.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a 2h 35m drive with frequent turns across 132.7 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 25 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
West 18th Street is one of the defining roads on this drive.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.

Driving Effort 1/10

Very easy - short and simple to drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

The drive from Owensboro, KY to Tompkinsville, KY is easy. At 2h 35m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

Where does it get tricky?

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Owensboro, KY to Tompkinsville, KY is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
West 18th Street
Triplett Street
New Hartford Road
Wendell Ford Expressway
I 165 South
Morgantown Road
Old Morgantown Road
University Boulevard

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

Longest stretch: West 18th Street — detailed segment metrics are refreshing.

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Owensboro, KY and Tompkinsville, KY.

1

Start on Frederica Street

1.1 mi · 1 min · Frederica Street
2

Turn left onto West 18th Street

0.5 mi · 1 min · West 18th Street
3

Turn right onto Triplett Street

0.2 mi · 28 sec · Triplett Street
4

Turn straight onto New Hartford Road

1.9 mi · 3 min · New Hartford Road
5

Turn left

0.3 mi · 43 sec
6

Merge slight left onto Wendell Ford Expressway

0.4 mi · 30 sec · Wendell Ford Expressway
7

Take the exit slight right toward I 165 South: Bowling Green

0.4 mi · 56 sec · I 165 South: Bowling Green
8

Continue straight

62 mi · 1 hr 6 min
9

Take the exit slight right

0.2 mi · 20 sec
10

Turn left onto Morgantown Road

1.8 mi · 2 min · Morgantown Road
11

Turn left onto Old Morgantown Road

1.0 mi · 2 min · Old Morgantown Road
12

Turn left onto University Boulevard

361 ft · 9 sec · University Boulevard
13

Continue on Kentucky Street

1.6 mi · 2 min · Kentucky Street
14

Continue on Louisville Road

2.8 mi · 4 min · Louisville Road
15

Turn right

0.7 mi · 1 min
16

Keep slight left

0.7 mi · 1 min
17

Merge slight left

14 mi · 15 min
18

Take the exit slight right toward Somerset, Glasgow

0.5 mi · 1 min · Somerset, Glasgow
19

Merge slight left onto Cumberland Parkway

13 mi · 14 min · Cumberland Parkway
20

Take the exit slight right toward KY 90: Glasgow, Burkesville

0.3 mi · 42 sec · KY 90: Glasgow, Burkesville
21

Merge slight left onto Burkesville Road

11 mi · 12 min · Burkesville Road
22

Continue on Summer Shade Road

4.7 mi · 5 min · Summer Shade Road
23

Turn right

13 mi · 14 min
24

Turn right onto West 4th Street

62 ft · 1 sec · West 4th Street
25

Arrive at your destination

Trip Plan

Morning Departure

Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.

Evening Departure

Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.

You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 66.3 miles from Owensboro, KY, or about 1h 17m into the drive.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

Departure

Before you leave

Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.

First stop

Around 29 miles or 34m in

Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.

Halfway reset

Around 66.3 miles or 1h 17m in

This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.

Final approach

Final hour starts around 2h 7m

Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Tompkinsville, KY than in the middle of the route.

Before You Leave

+

Open the route before leaving Owensboro, KY so your first major turns are already loaded.

+

Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.

+

Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.

Day 1

Settle into the route from Owensboro, KY

This is one driving day of about 132.7 miles and 2h 35m.

Your first comfortable stop window is around 29 miles from Owensboro, KY.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 66.3 mi from Owensboro, KY · 1h 17m into the drive

city and county seat of Warren, Kentucky, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Bowling Green, KY

66 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Morgantown, KY

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 29 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Bowling Green, KY

Meal break

The midpoint is around 66.3 miles from Owensboro, KY, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Tompkinsville, KY

The final approach into Tompkinsville, KY usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.

Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Tompkinsville, KY.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$20.75 one way

$41.49 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 46 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $22.78 $45.56
premium $4.89 $25.54 $51.07
diesel $5.61 $29.30 $58.60

No toll roads detected on this route.

Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)

Fuel

$21

Meals

$25–$50

Total

$46–$71

Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.

Estimated CO2 emission: 46.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $14 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 39.8 0 $13.93 $6.37
Efficient EV 33.2 0 $11.61 $5.31
EV Truck/SUV 53.1 0 $18.58 $8.49

Gas CO2

46 kg

EV CO2

16 kg (65% 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 15, 2026

Origin

Owensboro, KY

Morning in Owensboro on Saturday

Local time

9:43 AM

CDT

Current temp

76°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Tompkinsville, KY

Morning in Tompkinsville on Saturday

Local time

9:43 AM

CDT

Current temp

52°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Seasonal Notes

Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.

Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.

Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.

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

24 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

2h 35m 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 Owensboro, KY to Tompkinsville, KY covers 132.7 miles and takes about 2h 35m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are West 18th Street, Triplett Street, New Hartford Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 66.3 miles from Owensboro, KY. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $20.75 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.

Plan about 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, or rest. A short stop every 2 to 3 hours is enough for this drive.

The drive from Owensboro, KY to Tompkinsville, KY is easy. At 2h 35m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Owensboro, KY to Tompkinsville, KY is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

The route from Owensboro, KY to Tompkinsville, KY 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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