Origin
Springfield, IL
Afternoon in Springfield on Friday
Local time
12:28 PM
CDT
Current temp
78°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Springfield, IL to Chatham, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
22m
Distance
12.7 mi
20 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 21m
★
6 AM
0h 23m
8 AM
0h 26m
10 AM
0h 24m
12 PM
0h 24m
3 PM
0h 24m
5 PM
0h 26m
8 PM
0h 21m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Springfield, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Chatham, IL
Quang Vuong
Trip Overview
Springfield, IL to Chatham, IL is 12.7 miles and takes about 22 minutes via North Main Street/South 11th Street/I-72, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Illinois, making it a straightforward local connection. You'll experience a mixed drive, transitioning from local roads to interstate speeds. It's an ideal choice for a quick hop between towns, perfect for a single-day excursion where you won't need an overnight stay. Consider this route for its simplicity and minimal time commitment.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 22m. Total distance: 12.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
22m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (41%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This drive offers a mixed experience, with 41% of the journey on highway. You'll start on local roads, navigating through Springfield before merging onto I-72. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 3 miles on North Main Street, giving you a taste of city driving before hitting faster speeds. As you transition to the interstate, expect a change in pace and traffic density. The route's character shifts from urban navigation to a brief, efficient highway segment.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
North Main Street is the longest continuous segment at about 3 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 around 0.2 miles in near South 11th 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 12.7 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: at 0.2 miles (South 11th Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.2 miles (East Stevenson Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 7 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South 11th Street
Turn right onto South 11th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
3
3.2 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
East Stevenson Drive
Turn straight onto East Stevenson Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
5
4.4 mi into trip
|
~9m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 72 West: Jacksonville
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward I 72 West: Jacksonville
5
7.4 mi into trip
|
~13m in
Take the exit toward IL 4: Springfield, Chatham
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward IL 4: Springfield, Chatham
4
7.9 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Keep slight left at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Main Street | 3 mi | 5m |
| South 11th Street | 3 mi | 6m |
| I 72 | 2.6 mi | 2m |
| South Veterans Parkway | 1.7 mi | 2m |
| I 55 Business | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| East Stevenson Drive | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| East Washington Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Main Street
— 3 mi, about 5m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Springfield, IL and Chatham, IL.
1
Start on East Washington Street
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
·
East Washington Street
2
Turn right onto South 11th Street
3.0 mi
·
6 min
·
South 11th Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
3
Turn slight right
411 ft
·
20 sec
4
Turn straight onto East Stevenson Drive
0.4 mi
·
48 sec
·
East Stevenson Drive
Use the straight lane.
5
Turn slight left onto I 55 Business
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
I 55 Business
6
Take the ramp onto I 55 Business
354 ft
·
6 sec
·
I 55 Business
7
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
43 sec
Toward I 72 West: Jacksonville
8
Merge onto I 72; US 36
2.6 mi
·
2 min
·
I 72; US 36
9
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
54 sec
Toward IL 4: Springfield, Chatham
10
Keep slight left at fork
265 ft
·
8 sec
11
Turn left onto IL 4
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
·
South Veterans Parkway
12
Continue on IL 4
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
South Veterans Parkway
13
Continue on IL 4
3.0 mi
·
5 min
·
North Main Street
Use the straight lane.
14
Arrive at destination
IL 4
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.99 one way
$3.97 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.18 | $4.36 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.44 | $4.89 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.80 | $5.61 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.8 | 0 | $1.33 | $0.61 |
| Efficient EV | 3.2 | 0 | $1.11 | $0.51 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.1 | 0 | $1.78 | $0.81 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Chatham, IL
Afternoon in Chatham on Friday
Local time
12:28 PM
CDT
Current temp
54°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
24 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
22m 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 Springfield, IL to Chatham, IL covers 12.7 miles and takes about 22m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are North Main Street, South 11th Street, I 72. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 6.3 miles from Springfield, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.99 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 12.7 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: at 0.2 miles (South 11th Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.2 miles (East Stevenson Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
The route from Springfield, IL to Chatham, 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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