Origin
Richmond, IL
Night in Richmond on Friday
Local time
10:38 PM
CDT
Current temp
69°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Richmond, IL to Waukegan, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
44m
Distance
30.1 mi
48 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 41m
★
6 AM
0h 45m
8 AM
0h 52m
10 AM
0h 47m
12 PM
0h 46m
3 PM
0h 47m
5 PM
0h 52m
8 PM
0h 42m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Richmond, IL
Kelly
Trip Overview
The drive from Richmond, IL to Waukegan, IL covers 30.1 miles and takes about 44m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on West IL Route 173, North Skokie Highway, Kenosha Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 13.9 miles on West IL Route 173. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.71 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 44m. Total distance: 30.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
44m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (46%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
The drive from Richmond, IL to Waukegan, IL covers 30.1 miles and takes about 44m, using a mix of highways and local roads.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 11 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
West IL Route 173 is the longest continuous segment at about 13.9 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near US 12 / Main 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 30.1 miles you will encounter 7 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 (US 12 / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (IL 173 / Kenosha Street): Navigation decision point; at 26.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 7 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
|
US 12 / Main Street
Turn right onto US 12 / Main Street
Navigation decision point
4
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
IL 173 / Kenosha Street
Turn right onto IL 173 / Kenosha Street
Navigation decision point
6
26.8 mi into trip
|
~37m in
Take the exit toward IL 132: Grand Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward IL 132: Grand Avenue
8
27 mi into trip
|
~37m in
Keep slight left at fork toward IL 132 East
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward IL 132 East
4
29.8 mi into trip
|
~43m in
|
North Jackson Street
Turn right onto North Jackson Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| West IL Route 173 | 13.9 mi | 21m |
| North Skokie Highway | 7.4 mi | 8m |
| Kenosha Road | 3.7 mi | 5m |
| Grand Avenue | 2.8 mi | 5m |
| Kenosha Street | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Main Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| North Jackson Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Broadway Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
West IL Route 173
— 13.9 mi, about 21m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Richmond, IL and Waukegan, IL.
1
Start on Broadway Street
46 ft
·
4 sec
·
Broadway Street
2
Turn right onto US 12
0.3 mi
·
22 sec
·
Main Street
3
Turn right onto IL 173
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Kenosha Street
4
Continue on IL 173
3.7 mi
·
5 min
·
Kenosha Road
5
Continue on IL 173
14 mi
·
21 min
·
West IL Route 173
Use the left lane.
6
Turn right onto US 41
7.4 mi
·
8 min
·
North Skokie Highway
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Toward IL 132: Grand Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Keep slight left at fork
308 ft
·
10 sec
Toward IL 132 East
Use the left lane.
9
Turn straight onto IL 132
2.8 mi
·
5 min
·
Grand Avenue
Use the right lane.
10
Turn right onto North Jackson Street
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
·
North Jackson Street
11
Arrive at destination
North Jackson Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.71 one way
$9.41 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $5.17 | $10.33 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.79 | $11.58 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.65 | $13.29 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9 | 0 | $3.16 | $1.44 |
| Efficient EV | 7.5 | 0 | $2.63 | $1.20 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12 | 0 | $4.21 | $1.93 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% 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
Waukegan, IL
Night in Waukegan on Friday
Local time
10:38 PM
CDT
Current temp
62°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
7 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
44m 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 Richmond, IL to Waukegan, IL covers 30.1 miles and takes about 44m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are West IL Route 173, North Skokie Highway, Kenosha Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 15 miles from Richmond, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.71 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 30.1 miles you will encounter 7 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 (US 12 / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (IL 173 / Kenosha Street): Navigation decision point; at 26.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Richmond, IL to Waukegan, IL 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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