Origin
Saint Joseph, MO
Morning in Saint Joseph on Friday
Local time
7:05 AM
CDT
Current temp
74°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Saint Joseph, MO to Platte City, MO
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
36m
Distance
30.6 mi
49 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 33m
★
6 AM
0h 36m
8 AM
0h 42m
10 AM
0h 38m
12 PM
0h 38m
3 PM
0h 38m
5 PM
0h 42m
8 PM
0h 34m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Saint Joseph, MO
Wikimedia Commons
Platte City, MO
zhou shen
Trip Overview
The drive from Saint Joseph, MO to Platte City, MO covers 30.6 miles and takes about 36m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on I 29, I 229, North 9th Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 23 miles on I 29. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.78 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 36m. Total distance: 30.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
36m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (91%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This is a 36m highway drive covering 30.6 miles, with most of the trip on I 29 and I 229. The longest continuous stretch is about 23 miles on I 29.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 15 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
I 29 is the longest continuous segment at about 23 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 29 and I 229. You will hit about 12 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Francis 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 30.6 miles you will encounter 12 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 (Francis Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 12 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Francis Street
Turn right onto Francis Street
Navigation decision point
6
1.8 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Take the exit toward I 229 South, US 59 South: Kansas City
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 229 South, US 59 South: Kansas City
6
6.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 29 South, US 71 South: Kansas City
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 29 South, US 71 South: Kansas City
5
29.8 mi into trip
|
~33m in
Take the exit toward MO HH
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Exit 19
Toward MO HH
5
30.6 mi into trip
|
~36m in
|
Main Street
Turn right onto Main Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 29 | 23 mi | 24m |
| I 229 | 4.5 mi | 4m |
| North 9th Street | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Vine Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Francis Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| US 36 | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 2nd Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Walter Welsh Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 29
— 23 mi, about 24m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Saint Joseph, MO and Platte City, MO.
1
Start on Walter Welsh Avenue
417 ft
·
8 sec
·
Walter Welsh Avenue
2
Turn right onto North 12th Street
297 ft
·
10 sec
·
North 12th Street
3
Turn right onto Francis Street
0.2 mi
·
37 sec
·
Francis Street
4
Turn left onto I 29 Business
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
North 9th Street
5
Take the ramp
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
6
Merge onto US 36
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
·
US 36
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward I 229 South, US 59 South: Kansas City
8
Merge onto I 229; US 59
4.5 mi
·
4 min
·
I 229; US 59
9
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
Toward I 29 South, US 71 South: Kansas City
10
Merge onto I 29; US 71
23 mi
·
24 min
·
I 29; US 71
11
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Exit 19
Toward MO HH
12
Turn right onto Vine Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Vine Street
13
Turn left onto 2nd Street
0.1 mi
·
27 sec
·
2nd Street
14
Turn right onto Main Street
43 ft
·
1 sec
·
Main Street
15
Arrive at destination
Main Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.78 one way
$9.57 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $5.25 | $10.51 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.89 | $11.78 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.76 | $13.51 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.7 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 | 9.2 | 0 | $3.21 | $1.47 |
| Efficient EV | 7.7 | 0 | $2.68 | $1.22 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.2 | 0 | $4.28 | $1.96 |
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
Platte City, MO
Morning in Platte City on Friday
Local time
7:05 AM
CDT
Current temp
55°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
19 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
36m 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 Saint Joseph, MO to Platte City, MO covers 30.6 miles and takes about 36m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are I 29, I 229, North 9th 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 15.3 miles from Saint Joseph, MO. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.78 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 30.6 miles you will encounter 12 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 (Francis Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
The route from Saint Joseph, MO to Platte City, MO does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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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