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Trip from Waukegan, IL to Franklin Park, IL

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

50m

Distance

35.8 mi

58 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 12 min
4 AM
0h 46m ★
6 AM
0h 50m
8 AM
0h 58m
10 AM
0h 53m
12 PM
0h 52m
3 PM
0h 53m
5 PM
0h 58m
8 PM
0h 48m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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village in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Franklin Park, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Waukegan, IL to Franklin Park, IL covers 35.8 miles and takes about 50m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Tri-State Tollway, Belvidere Road, Belvidere Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 27.6 miles on Tri-State Tollway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.60 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 50m. Total distance: 35.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

50m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.

Drive Character

Expect a 50m drive with frequent turns across 35.8 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 15 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Tri-State Tollway is the longest continuous segment at about 27.6 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 18.9 miles in near I 294 / Tri-State Tollway.

Driving Effort 9/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 35.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 50m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 18.9 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 32.7 miles (I 294): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 32.9 miles (I 294): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 11 key points

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

8
18.9 mi into trip | ~25m in | I 294 / Tri-State Tollway

Keep slight right at fork onto I 294 / Tri-State Tollway toward I 294 South Toll: Indiana, O'Hare

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Toward I 294 South Toll: Indiana, O'Hare
8
32.7 mi into trip | ~42m in | I 294

Take the exit onto I 294 toward IL 19: Irving Park Road, O'Hare Oasis

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Exit 38 B-A Toward IL 19: Irving Park Road, O'Hare Oasis
6
32.9 mi into trip | ~42m in | I 294

Keep slight left at fork onto I 294

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
6
33.4 mi into trip | ~44m in | I 294

Keep slight left at fork onto I 294 toward I 294 South Toll, IL 19 East: Indiana, Irving Park Road

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward I 294 South Toll, IL 19 East: Indiana, I...
9
33.5 mi into trip | ~44m in

Keep slight right at fork toward IL 19 East: Irving Park Road

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Exit 38A Toward IL 19 East: Irving Park Road

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Waukegan, IL and Franklin Park, IL, road signs point toward O'hare and O'hare Oasis.

O'hare

18.9 mi in | ~25m | via I 294

O'hare Oasis

32.7 mi in | ~42m | via I 294

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Tri-State Tollway 27.6 mi 32m
Belvidere Road 2.2 mi 3m
Belvidere Street 1.6 mi 3m
25th Avenue 1.5 mi 4m
I 294 0.9 mi 1m
North Jackson Street 0.5 mi 1m
Irving Park Road 0.5 mi 1m
Glen Rock Avenue 0.5 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Tri-State Tollway — 27.6 mi, about 32m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Waukegan, IL and Franklin Park, IL.

1

Start on North Jackson Street

0.5 mi · 1 min · North Jackson Street
2

Turn right onto Glen Rock Avenue

0.5 mi · 1 min · Glen Rock Avenue
3

Turn right onto Belvidere Street

1.6 mi · 3 min · Belvidere Street
4

Continue on IL 120

2.2 mi · 3 min · Belvidere Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
5

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 37 sec
Toward I 94 East Toll: Chicago
6

Merge onto I 94

14 mi · 15 min · Tri-State Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Keep slight right at fork onto I 294

14 mi · 17 min · Tri-State Tollway
Toward I 294 South Toll: Indiana, O'Hare Use the slight right lane.
8

Take the exit onto I 294

0.2 mi · 28 sec · I 294
Exit 38 B-A Toward IL 19: Irving Park Road, O'Hare Oasis Use the slight right lane.
9

Keep slight left at fork onto I 294

0.5 mi · 1 min · I 294
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
10

Keep slight left at fork onto I 294

0.1 mi · 17 sec · I 294
Toward I 294 South Toll, IL 19 East: Indiana, Irving Park Road
11

Keep slight right at fork

0.2 mi · 28 sec
Exit 38A Toward IL 19 East: Irving Park Road Use the right lane.
12

Turn straight onto IL 19

0.5 mi · 1 min · Irving Park Road
13

Turn right onto 25th Avenue

1.5 mi · 4 min · 25th Avenue
Use the right lane.
14

Turn right onto Franklin Avenue

45 ft · 0 sec · Franklin Avenue
15

Arrive at destination

Franklin Avenue

Where to Stop

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

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 17.9 mi from Waukegan, IL · 24m into the drive

village in Cook and Lake counties, Illinois, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Buffalo Grove, IL

18 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

Oak Park, IL

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 35.8 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Northbrook, IL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 17.9 miles from Waukegan, IL, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Franklin Park, IL

Allow a few extra minutes for the final approach into Franklin Park, IL if you are unfamiliar with the area.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.60 one way

$11.19 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 13 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $6.15 $12.29
premium $4.89 $6.89 $13.78
diesel $5.61 $7.90 $15.81

Estimated Tolls: $1.65

Tri-state Tollway (27.6 mi) $1.65

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Tolls

$2

Total

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 12.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 10.7 0 $3.76 $1.72
Efficient EV 9 0 $3.13 $1.43
EV Truck/SUV 14.3 0 $5.01 $2.29

Gas CO2

13 kg

EV CO2

4 kg (69% 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 18, 2026

Origin

Waukegan, IL

Morning in Waukegan on Saturday

Local time

10:46 AM

CDT

Current temp

49°F

Partly Sunny

WNW 15 to 20 mph 14% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 18 at 5:50AM CDT until April 21 at 4:00AM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 18 at 5:48AM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Destination

Franklin Park, IL

Morning in Franklin Park on Saturday

Local time

10:46 AM

CDT

Current temp

67°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

18 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

50m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from Waukegan, IL to Franklin Park, IL covers 35.8 miles and takes about 50m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Tri-State Tollway, Belvidere Road, Belvidere Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 17.9 miles from Waukegan, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.60 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 short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 35.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 50m.

The main spots that need attention: at 18.9 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 32.7 miles (I 294): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 32.9 miles (I 294): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Between Waukegan, IL and Franklin Park, IL, road signs point toward O'hare and O'hare Oasis.

Yes. Nearby national parks include Pullman National Historical Park.

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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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