Origin
Ralston, NE
Morning in Ralston on Friday
Local time
9:52 AM
CDT
Current temp
74°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Ralston, NE to Boys Town, NE
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
16m
Distance
8.7 mi
14 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 15m
★
6 AM
0h 17m
8 AM
0h 20m
10 AM
0h 18m
12 PM
0h 18m
3 PM
0h 18m
5 PM
0h 20m
8 PM
0h 16m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Ralston, NE
Wikimedia Commons
Boys Town, NE
WoodysMedia
Trip Overview
The drive from Ralston, NE to Boys Town, NE covers 8.7 miles and takes about 16m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on L Street, South 144th Street, Industrial Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 4 miles on L Street. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.36 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 16m. Total distance: 8.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
16m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 16m drive with frequent turns across 8.7 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 12 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
L Street is the longest continuous segment at about 4 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near N-85 / South 84th Street.
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 8.7 miles you will encounter 8 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 0.1 miles (N-85 / South 84th Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (US 275; N-92 / L Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.9 miles (South 144th Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 8 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
N-85 / South 84th Street
Turn right onto N-85 / South 84th Street
Navigation decision point
4
0.6 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
US 275; N-92 / L Street
Turn left onto US 275; N-92 / L Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
5.9 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
South 144th Street
Turn right onto South 144th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
8.4 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
Norton Drive
Enter roundabout onto Norton Drive
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
6
8.6 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
Dowd Drive
Enter roundabout onto Dowd Drive
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| L Street | 4 mi | 7m |
| South 144th Street | 2.3 mi | 4m |
| Industrial Road | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| South 84th Street | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Overlook Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Norton Drive | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Q Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Dowd Drive | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
L Street
— 4 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Ralston, NE and Boys Town, NE.
1
Start on Q Street
176 ft
·
11 sec
·
Q Street
2
Continue on Q Street
322 ft
·
20 sec
·
Q Street
3
Turn right onto N-85
0.5 mi
·
50 sec
·
South 84th Street
4
Turn left onto US 275; N-92
4.0 mi
·
7 min
·
L Street
Use the left lane.
5
Continue on US 275; N-92
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Industrial Road
Use the straight lane.
6
Turn right onto South 144th Street
2.3 mi
·
4 min
·
South 144th Street
Use the left lane.
7
Turn right onto Overlook Road
0.2 mi
·
45 sec
·
Overlook Road
8
Enter roundabout onto Norton Drive
36 ft
·
2 sec
·
Norton Drive
9
Continue on Norton Drive
0.2 mi
·
43 sec
·
Norton Drive
10
Enter roundabout onto Dowd Drive
137 ft
·
7 sec
·
Dowd Drive
11
Continue on Dowd Drive
180 ft
·
8 sec
·
Dowd Drive
12
Arrive at destination
Dowd Drive
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.36 one way
$2.72 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $1.49 | $2.99 |
| premium | $4.89 | $1.67 | $3.35 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.92 | $3.84 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 3 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 | 2.6 | 0 | $0.91 | $0.42 |
| Efficient EV | 2.2 | 0 | $0.76 | $0.35 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.5 | 0 | $1.22 | $0.56 |
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
Boys Town, NE
Morning in Boys Town on Friday
Local time
9:52 AM
CDT
Current temp
77°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
3 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
16m 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 Ralston, NE to Boys Town, NE covers 8.7 miles and takes about 16m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are L Street, South 144th Street, Industrial Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 4.3 miles from Ralston, NE. 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 8.7 miles you will encounter 8 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 0.1 miles (N-85 / South 84th Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (US 275; N-92 / L Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.9 miles (South 144th Street): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Ralston, NE to Boys Town, NE 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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