Skip to main content

Trip from Roanoke, VA to Motley, VA

Last recalculated Apr 16, 2026

Drive Time

1h 14m

Distance

47.5 mi

76 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 18 min
4 AM
1h 9m ★
6 AM
1h 15m
8 AM
1h 27m
10 AM
1h 19m
12 PM
1h 18m
3 PM
1h 19m
5 PM
1h 26m
8 PM
1h 11m

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

independent city in Virginia, United States

Roanoke, VA

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Motley, VA, VA

Motley, VA

cottonbro studio

Trip Overview

The drive from Roanoke, VA to Motley, VA covers 47.5 miles and takes about 1h 14m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Stewartsville Road, Shingle Block Road, Bishop Creek Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 17.3 miles on Stewartsville Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $7.43 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 14m. Total distance: 47.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 14m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (8%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a 1h 14m drive with frequent turns across 47.5 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 27 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Stewartsville Road is the longest continuous segment at about 17.3 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 14 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near 1st Street Southwest.

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 47.5 miles you will encounter 14 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 (1st Street Southwest): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (US 221; US 220 BUS / Franklin Road Southwest): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 0.3 miles (VA 116 / South Jefferson Street): Navigation decision point.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 14 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

5
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | 1st Street Southwest

Turn left onto 1st Street Southwest

Navigation decision point

6
0.2 mi into trip | ~1m in | US 221; US 220 BUS / Franklin Road Southwest

Turn sharp left onto US 221; US 220 BUS / Franklin Road Southwest

Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach

5
0.3 mi into trip | ~1m in | VA 116 / South Jefferson Street

Turn right onto VA 116 / South Jefferson Street

Navigation decision point

5
0.4 mi into trip | ~1m in | VA 24 / Elm Avenue Southeast

Turn left onto VA 24 / Elm Avenue Southeast

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane.
4
0.9 mi into trip | ~2m in | VA 24 / Bullitt Avenue Southeast

Keep slight right at fork onto VA 24 / Bullitt Avenue Southeast

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Stewartsville Road 17.3 mi 25m
Shingle Block Road 5.5 mi 7m
Bishop Creek Road 4.1 mi 7m
US 29 3.6 mi 4m
Bishops Creek Road 3.1 mi 5m
Glenwood Drive 2.6 mi 3m
East Washington Avenue 1.8 mi 2m
Bedford Highway 1.6 mi 2m
Longest stretch: Stewartsville Road — 17.3 mi, about 25m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Roanoke, VA and Motley, VA.

1

Start on this road

285 ft · 26 sec · this road
2

Turn left onto 1st Street Southwest

0.1 mi · 34 sec · 1st Street Southwest
3

Turn sharp left onto US 221; US 220 BUS

0.1 mi · 14 sec · Franklin Road Southwest
4

Turn right onto VA 116

0.2 mi · 38 sec · South Jefferson Street
5

Turn left onto VA 24

0.4 mi · 36 sec · Elm Avenue Southeast
Use the straight lane.
6

Continue on VA 24

426 ft · 7 sec · Jamison Avenue Southeast
7

Keep slight right at fork onto VA 24

0.7 mi · 1 min · Bullitt Avenue Southeast
8

Continue on VA 24

0.2 mi · 18 sec · Jamison Avenue Southeast
9

Continue on VA 24

0.7 mi · 1 min · Dale Avenue Southeast
10

Continue on VA 24

0.7 mi · 1 min · West Virginia Avenue
11

Continue on VA 24

0.6 mi · 1 min · Hardy Road
12

Continue on VA 24

0.4 mi · 38 sec · Bypass Road
13

Turn right onto VA 24

1.8 mi · 2 min · East Washington Avenue
14

Continue on VA 24

17 mi · 25 min · Stewartsville Road
15

Continue on VA 24

5.5 mi · 7 min · Shingle Block Road
16

At end of road, turn right onto VA 24; VA 43

2.6 mi · 3 min · Glenwood Drive
17

Turn right onto VA 43

1.5 mi · 2 min · Leesville Road
18

Turn left onto SR 628

1.0 mi · 1 min · Mentow Drive
19

Continue on SR 628

3.1 mi · 5 min · Bishops Creek Road
20

Continue on SR 628

4.1 mi · 7 min · Bishop Creek Road
21

At end of road, turn left onto VA 43

1.6 mi · 2 min · Bedford Highway
22

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 35 sec
Toward US 29 South
23

Merge onto US 29

3.6 mi · 4 min · US 29
24

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 25 sec
Toward US 29 Business
25

Turn right onto SR 638

0.8 mi · 1 min · Highwayview Road
26

Turn left

88 ft · 6 sec
27

Arrive at destination

Where to Stop

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

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 23.7 mi from Roanoke, VA · 37m into the drive

town in Bedford County, Virginia, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Bedford, VA

24 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

Blue Ridge, VA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Bedford, VA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 23.7 miles from Roanoke, VA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Motley, VA

The final approach into Motley, VA 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

$7.43 one way

$14.86 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 17 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.34 $8.12 $16.24
premium $4.70 $8.79 $17.58
diesel $5.61 $10.49 $20.97

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 16.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 14.3 0 $4.99 $2.28
Efficient EV 11.9 0 $4.16 $1.90
EV Truck/SUV 19 0 $6.65 $3.04

Gas CO2

17 kg

EV CO2

6 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 16, 2026

Origin

Roanoke, VA

Evening in Roanoke on Thursday

Local time

7:28 PM

EDT

Current temp

79°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Motley, VA

Evening in Motley on Thursday

Local time

7:28 PM

EDT

Current temp

46°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

48°F

Bedford, VA

24 mi in

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

33 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

1h 14m 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 Roanoke, VA to Motley, VA covers 47.5 miles and takes about 1h 14m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Stewartsville Road, Shingle Block Road, Bishop Creek Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 23.7 miles from Roanoke, VA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $7.43 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 47.5 miles you will encounter 14 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 (1st Street Southwest): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (US 221; US 220 BUS / Franklin Road Southwest): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 0.3 miles (VA 116 / South Jefferson Street): Navigation decision point.
The route from Roanoke, VA to Motley, VA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!

/500

Explore More

Return Trip

Motley, VA to Roanoke, VA

Plan the drive back the other way.

47.5 mi 1h 15m

Explore more options from Roanoke, VA or browse trips ending in Motley, VA.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse VA road trips.

Explore maps for Roanoke, VA or Motley, VA on MapSof.net.