Origin
Richardson, TX
Late night in Richardson on Friday
Local time
4:17 AM
CDT
Current temp
61°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Richardson, TX to McKinney, TX
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
25m
Distance
19.3 mi
31 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 23m
★
6 AM
0h 25m
8 AM
0h 29m
10 AM
0h 27m
12 PM
0h 26m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 29m
8 PM
0h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Richardson, TX
Wikimedia Commons
McKinney, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Richardson, TX to McKinney, TX covers 19.3 miles and takes about 25m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on North Central Expressway, South Tennessee Street, South McDonald Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 14.6 miles on North Central Expressway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.92 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 25m. Total distance: 19.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
25m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (76%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This is a 25m highway drive covering 19.3 miles, with most of the trip on North Central Expressway and South Tennessee Street. The longest continuous stretch is about 14.6 miles on North Central Expressway.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
North Central Expressway is the longest continuous segment at about 14.6 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on North Central Expressway and South Tennessee Street. You will hit about 6 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near East Main Street.
Driving Effort
6/10
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 19.3 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: near the start (East Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1 miles (US 75 / North Central Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. 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
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
East Main Street
Turn left onto East Main Street
Navigation decision point
5
0.8 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Take the ramp toward US 75 North
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Toward US 75 North
5
1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
US 75 / North Central Expressway
Merge onto US 75 / North Central Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
15.2 mi into trip
|
~17m in
Take the exit toward SRT South, TX 5: Sam Rayburn Tollway
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 38C
Toward SRT South, TX 5: Sam Rayburn Tollway
6
15.5 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Keep slight right at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight 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 Richardson, TX to McKinney, TX, road signs begin pointing toward Srt South along the way.
Srt South
15.2 mi in
|
~17m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Central Expressway | 14.6 mi | 15m |
| South Tennessee Street | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| South McDonald Street | 1 mi | 1m |
| Spur 399 | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| East Main Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Main Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| North Tennessee Street | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
North Central Expressway
— 14.6 mi, about 15m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Richardson, TX and McKinney, TX.
1
Start on this road
99 ft
·
13 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto East Main Street
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
·
East Main Street
3
Continue on West Main Street
467 ft
·
15 sec
·
West Main Street
4
Turn slight right
291 ft
·
10 sec
5
Turn straight onto North Central Expressway
0.5 mi
·
46 sec
·
North Central Expressway
6
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Toward US 75 North
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
7
Merge onto US 75
14 mi
·
15 min
·
North Central Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
21 sec
Exit 38C
Toward SRT South, TX 5: Sam Rayburn Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight right at fork
0.7 mi
·
1 min
Use the slight right lane.
10
Merge onto Spur 399
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Spur 399
11
Continue on TX 5
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
South McDonald Street
12
Turn slight left
281 ft
·
10 sec
13
Continue on South Tennessee Street
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
South Tennessee Street
14
Arrive at destination
North Tennessee Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.92 one way
$5.83 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $3.19 | $6.38 |
| premium | $4.54 | $3.45 | $6.89 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.26 | $8.52 |
Estimated Tolls: $1.17
Central Expressway
(14.6 mi)
$1.17
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Tolls
$1
Total
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.8 | 0 | $2.03 | $0.93 |
| Efficient EV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.69 | $0.77 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.7 | 0 | $2.70 | $1.24 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
McKinney, TX
Late night in McKinney on Friday
Local time
4:17 AM
CDT
Current temp
59°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
25m 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 Richardson, TX to McKinney, TX covers 19.3 miles and takes about 25m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are North Central Expressway, South Tennessee Street, South McDonald Street. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 9.6 miles from Richardson, TX. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.92 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 19.3 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: near the start (East Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1 miles (US 75 / North Central Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
On the drive from Richardson, TX to McKinney, TX, road signs begin pointing toward Srt South along the way.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
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