Origin
Waukegan, IL
Night in Waukegan on Friday
Local time
9:07 PM
CDT
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Waukegan, IL to Richmond, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
44m
Distance
30.2 mi
49 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 41m
★
6 AM
0h 45m
8 AM
0h 52m
10 AM
0h 47m
12 PM
0h 47m
3 PM
0h 48m
5 PM
0h 52m
8 PM
0h 43m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Richmond, IL
Kelly
Trip Overview
The drive from Waukegan, IL to Richmond, IL covers 30.2 miles and takes about 44m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on US 12, Belvidere Road, East Belvidere Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 12.2 miles on US 12. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.72 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 44m. Total distance: 30.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
44m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (40%). Straightforward navigation.
Drive Character
The drive from Waukegan, IL to Richmond, IL covers 30.2 miles and takes about 44m, using a mix of highways and local roads.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 15 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
US 12 is the longest continuous segment at about 12.2 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.5 miles in near Glen Rock Avenue.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 44m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (Glen Rock Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles (Belvidere Street): Navigation decision point; at 18 miles (US 12; IL 59): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
4 of 4 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
3
0.5 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Glen Rock Avenue
Turn right onto Glen Rock Avenue
Navigation decision point
3
1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
Belvidere Street
Turn right onto Belvidere Street
Navigation decision point
6
18 mi into trip
|
~30m in
|
US 12; IL 59
Turn right onto US 12; IL 59
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
30.2 mi into trip
|
~44m in
|
Broadway Street
Turn right onto Broadway Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| US 12 | 12.2 mi | 14m |
| Belvidere Road | 6.3 mi | 9m |
| East Belvidere Road | 3.4 mi | 5m |
| West Big Hollow Road | 2.9 mi | 5m |
| Belvidere Street | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| East Main Street | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Round Lake Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Railroad Avenue | 0.5 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
US 12
— 12.2 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Waukegan, IL and Richmond, 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
6.3 mi
·
9 min
·
Belvidere Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
Continue on IL 120
3.4 mi
·
5 min
·
East Belvidere Road
6
Turn straight
0.1 mi
·
13 sec
7
Turn straight onto IL 134
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
East Main Street
8
Continue on IL 134
0.5 mi
·
59 sec
·
Railroad Avenue
9
Continue on IL 134
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Round Lake Road
10
Continue on IL 134
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
·
Long Lake Road
Use the left lane.
11
Continue on IL 134
2.9 mi
·
5 min
·
West Big Hollow Road
12
Turn right onto US 12; IL 59
10 mi
·
12 min
·
US 12; IL 59
Use the left lane.
13
Continue on US 12
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
US 12
14
Turn right onto Broadway Street
46 ft
·
2 sec
·
Broadway Street
15
Arrive at destination
Broadway Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.72 one way
$9.44 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $5.18 | $10.37 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.81 | $11.62 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.67 | $13.34 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.6 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 | 9.1 | 0 | $3.17 | $1.45 |
| Efficient EV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.64 | $1.21 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.1 | 0 | $4.23 | $1.93 |
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
Richmond, IL
Night in Richmond on Friday
Local time
9:07 PM
CDT
Current temp
41°F
Showers And Thunderstorms Likely
SW 15 to 20 mph
96% chance
Live forecast
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued April 17 at 6:06PM CDT until April 17 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued April 17 at 6:01PM CDT until April 17 at 6:45PM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL
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
21 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
44m 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 Richmond, IL covers 30.2 miles and takes about 44m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are US 12, Belvidere Road, East Belvidere Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 15.1 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 $4.72 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 44m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (Glen Rock Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles (Belvidere Street): Navigation decision point; at 18 miles (US 12; IL 59): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Waukegan, IL to Richmond, 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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