Origin
Washington, MI
Late night in Washington on Friday
Local time
4:52 AM
EDT
Current temp
33°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Washington, MI to Sterling Heights, MI
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
16m
Distance
11.5 mi
18 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 15m
★
6 AM
0h 16m
8 AM
0h 19m
10 AM
0h 17m
12 PM
0h 17m
3 PM
0h 17m
5 PM
0h 19m
8 PM
0h 15m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Washington, MI
Arian Fernandez
Sterling Heights, MI
fish socks
Trip Overview
The drive from Washington, MI to Sterling Heights, MI covers 11.5 miles and takes about 16m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Christopher Columbus Freeway, Van Dyke Road, 26 Mile Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 9.4 miles on Christopher Columbus Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.80 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 16m. Total distance: 11.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
16m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (82%). Straightforward navigation.
Drive Character
This is a 16m highway drive covering 11.5 miles, with most of the trip on Christopher Columbus Freeway and Van Dyke Road. The longest continuous stretch is about 9.4 miles on Christopher Columbus Freeway.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Christopher Columbus Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 9.4 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Christopher Columbus Freeway and Van Dyke Road. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 1.2 miles in.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 16m drive. You will face about 11 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 11 miles (17 Mile Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.2 miles: Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 11 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
1.2 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the ramp toward M 53 South
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward M 53 South
5
11 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
17 Mile Road
Turn right onto 17 Mile Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
11.2 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Turn right
Navigation decision point
5
11.2 mi into trip
|
~15m in
Turn left
Navigation decision point
6
11.3 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
17 Mile Road
At end of road, turn left onto 17 Mile Road
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Washington, MI to Sterling Heights, MI, road signs begin pointing toward M 53 South along the way.
M 53 South
1.2 mi in
|
~2m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Christopher Columbus Freeway | 9.4 mi | 11m |
| Van Dyke Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| 26 Mile Road | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| 17 Mile Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| West Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Christopher Columbus Freeway
— 9.4 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Washington, MI and Sterling Heights, MI.
1
Start on West Road
36 ft
·
3 sec
·
West Road
2
Turn right onto Van Dyke Road
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Van Dyke Road
3
Turn right onto 26 Mile Road
187 ft
·
3 sec
·
26 Mile Road
4
Turn slight left
350 ft
·
20 sec
5
Turn left onto 26 Mile Road
0.4 mi
·
34 sec
·
26 Mile Road
6
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
48 sec
Toward M 53 South
Use the right lane.
7
Merge onto M 53
9.4 mi
·
11 min
·
Christopher Columbus Freeway
8
Turn right onto 17 Mile Road
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
·
17 Mile Road
Use the right lane.
9
Turn right
135 ft
·
15 sec
10
Turn left
216 ft
·
16 sec
11
Turn right
133 ft
·
11 sec
12
Turn right
197 ft
·
19 sec
13
At end of road, turn left onto 17 Mile Road
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
·
17 Mile Road
14
Arrive at destination
17 Mile Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.80 one way
$3.60 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $1.97 | $3.95 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.21 | $4.43 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.54 | $5.08 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 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 | 3.4 | 0 | $1.21 | $0.55 |
| Efficient EV | 2.9 | 0 | $1.01 | $0.46 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.6 | 0 | $1.61 | $0.74 |
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
Sterling Heights, MI
Late night in Sterling Heights on Friday
Local time
4:52 AM
EDT
Current temp
68°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
35 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
16m 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 Washington, MI to Sterling Heights, MI covers 11.5 miles and takes about 16m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Christopher Columbus Freeway, Van Dyke Road, 26 Mile Road. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 5.7 miles from Washington, MI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.80 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 is a straightforward 16m drive. You will face about 11 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 1.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 11 miles (17 Mile Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.2 miles: Navigation decision point.
On the drive from Washington, MI to Sterling Heights, MI, road signs begin pointing toward M 53 South along the way.
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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