Origin
Richwood, TX
Morning in Richwood on Friday
Local time
9:26 AM
CDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Richwood, TX to Houston, TX
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 8m
Distance
53.1 mi
86 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 3m
★
6 AM
1h 9m
8 AM
1h 20m
10 AM
1h 12m
12 PM
1h 11m
3 PM
1h 13m
5 PM
1h 19m
8 PM
1h 5m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Richwood, TX
Jeff Stapleton
Houston, TX
Trace Hudson
Trip Overview
Richwood, TX to Houston, TX is 53.1 miles and takes about 1h 8m via Nolan Ryan Expressway, with a fuel budget near $8 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This straightforward drive stays within Texas, transitioning from the Great Plains region to the broader Houston metropolitan area. It's a short hop, making it ideal for a quick trip or an extension of another journey. Expect a practical, highway-focused experience for most of the way, with minimal fuss and a clear path to your destination.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 8m. Total distance: 53.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 8m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (84%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This drive is primarily a highway-focused experience, with 84% of the route utilizing main roads like the Nolan Ryan Expressway and Brazoria County Expressway. You'll encounter a continuous stretch of 27.2 miles on the Nolan Ryan Expressway, offering a consistent pace for a significant portion of your journey. While largely highway, the route incorporates sections of Brazosport Boulevard North, which may offer a slightly different driving feel as you approach more populated areas. Overall, anticipate a smooth, direct drive built for efficiency.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Nolan Ryan Expressway is the longest continuous segment at about 27.2 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Nolan Ryan Expressway and Brazoria County Expressway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 34.4 miles in near TX 288 Toll / Brazoria County Expressway.
Driving Effort
9/10
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 53.1 miles you will encounter 11 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 34.4 miles (TX 288 Toll / Brazoria County Expressway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 50.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 52 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 11 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
34.4 mi into trip
|
~44m in
|
TX 288 Toll / Brazoria County Expressway
Keep slight left at fork onto TX 288 Toll / Brazoria County Expressway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
50.5 mi into trip
|
~1h 3m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 45 North: Dallas
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward I 45 North: Dallas
8
52 mi into trip
|
~1h 5m in
Take the exit toward Houston Avenue, Memorial Drive
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 47B
Toward Houston Avenue, Memorial Drive
8
52.3 mi into trip
|
~1h 6m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Memorial Drive
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward Memorial Drive
6
52.8 mi into trip
|
~1h 7m in
|
Louisiana Street
Turn left onto Louisiana Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight lanes.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Nolan Ryan Expressway | 27.2 mi | 31m |
| Brazoria County Expressway | 16.1 mi | 19m |
| Brazosport Boulevard North | 3.7 mi | 5m |
| Coale Road | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| South Velasco Street | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| Gulf Freeway | 1 mi | 1m |
| Cedar Drive | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| Louisiana Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Nolan Ryan Expressway
— 27.2 mi, about 31m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Richwood, TX and Houston, TX.
1
Start on Cedar Drive
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Cedar Drive
2
At end of road, turn left onto TX 288 Bus
3.7 mi
·
5 min
·
Brazosport Boulevard North
3
Continue on TX 288 Bus
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
South Velasco Street
4
Turn left onto CR 220
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Coale Road
5
Take the ramp
0.5 mi
·
1 min
6
Merge onto TX 288
27 mi
·
31 min
·
Nolan Ryan Expressway
7
Continue on TX 288
0.1 mi
·
7 sec
·
South Freeway
8
Keep slight left at fork onto TX 288 Toll
16 mi
·
19 min
·
Brazoria County Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight left at fork
0.5 mi
·
59 sec
Toward I 45 North: Dallas
Use the slight left lane.
10
Merge onto I 45
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Gulf Freeway
11
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
Exit 47B
Toward Houston Avenue, Memorial Drive
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight right at fork
444 ft
·
14 sec
Toward Memorial Drive
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
13
Turn right onto Memorial Drive Frontage Road
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
Memorial Drive Frontage Road
14
Continue on Rusk Street
0.3 mi
·
52 sec
·
Rusk Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
15
Turn left onto Louisiana Street
0.3 mi
·
51 sec
·
Louisiana Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
16
Arrive at destination
Louisiana Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 26.6 mi from Richwood, TX · 35m into the drive
Mid-route town
Meal stop
27 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
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 12 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 26.6 miles from Richwood, TX, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Arriving in Houston, TX
The final approach into Houston, TX usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.02 one way
$16.05 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
19 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $8.78 | $17.56 |
| premium | $4.54 | $9.48 | $18.96 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $11.72 | $23.45 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 18.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 15.9 | 0 | $5.58 | $2.55 |
| Efficient EV | 13.3 | 0 | $4.65 | $2.12 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 21.2 | 0 | $7.43 | $3.40 |
Gas CO2
19 kg
EV CO2
6 kg (68% 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
Houston, TX
Morning in Houston on Friday
Local time
9:26 AM
CDT
Current temp
79°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
13 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
1h 8m 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 Richwood, TX to Houston, TX covers 53.1 miles and takes about 1h 8m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Nolan Ryan Expressway, Brazoria County Expressway, Brazosport Boulevard North. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 26.6 miles from Richwood, TX. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $8.02 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 53.1 miles you will encounter 11 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 34.4 miles (TX 288 Toll / Brazoria County Expressway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 50.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 52 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
The route from Richwood, TX to Houston, TX 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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