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Trip from West Burlington, IA to Iowa City, IA

Data updated 0 seconds ago

Drive Time

1h 34m

Distance

75.1 mi

121 km

Drive Score

9/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$12

one way

EV Charging

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station data

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 21 min
4 AM
1h 27m ★
6 AM
1h 34m
8 AM
1h 48m
10 AM
1h 39m
12 PM
1h 38m
3 PM
1h 40m
5 PM
1h 48m
8 PM
1h 30m

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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city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States

Iowa City, IA

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Trip Overview

The drive from West Burlington, IA to Iowa City, IA covers 75.1 miles and takes about 1h 34m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Avenue of the Saints, US 34, West Mount Pleasant Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 46 miles on Avenue of the Saints. At current regular gas prices, budget about $11.74 one way before food or hotel costs.

Trip Pace

Same-day drive is realistic

A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.

Break Rhythm

0 planned breaks

A short stop every 2 to 3 hours is enough for this drive.

Midpoint

37.5 miles from West Burlington, IA

A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 46m into the drive .

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Drive Character

The drive from West Burlington, IA to Iowa City, IA covers 75.1 miles and takes about 1h 34m, 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.
Avenue of the Saints is the longest continuous segment at about 46 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 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Broadway Street.

Route Complexity 5/10

Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 75.1 miles you will encounter 10 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: near the start (Broadway Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (West Mount Pleasant Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.6 miles: Navigation decision point.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 10 key points

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

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | Broadway Street

Turn right onto Broadway Street

Navigation decision point

4
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | West Mount Pleasant Street

Turn left onto West Mount Pleasant Street

Navigation decision point

4
1.6 mi into trip | ~3m in

Turn left

Navigation decision point

5
23.9 mi into trip | ~29m in | US 34; IA 163

Take the exit onto US 34; IA 163 toward US 218, IA 27 North: Iowa City, Fairfield

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

Toward US 218, IA 27 North: Iowa City, Fairfiel...
4
26.5 mi into trip | ~33m in | US 218; IA 27 / Avenue of the Saints

Keep slight left at fork onto US 218; IA 27 / Avenue of the Saints

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

Between West Burlington, IA and Iowa City, IA, road signs point toward Fairfield and Airport.

Fairfield

23.9 mi in | ~29m | via US 34; IA 163

Airport

70.7 mi in | ~1h 24m

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Avenue of the Saints 46 mi 53m
US 34 22.8 mi 27m
West Mount Pleasant Street 1.6 mi 3m
South Gilbert Street 1.1 mi 2m
Oak Crest Hill Road Southeast 0.9 mi 1m
South Riverside Drive 0.7 mi 1m
Old Highway 218 South 0.6 mi 1m
Highway 6 East 0.4 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Avenue of the Saints — 46 mi, about 53m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between West Burlington, IA and Iowa City, IA.

1

Start on East Wheeler Street

22 ft · 3 sec · East Wheeler Street
2

Turn right onto Broadway Street

365 ft · 19 sec · Broadway Street
3

Turn left onto West Mount Pleasant Street

1.6 mi · 3 min · West Mount Pleasant Street
4

Turn left

0.3 mi · 36 sec
5

Merge onto US 34; IA 163

22 mi · 25 min · US 34; IA 163
6

Take the exit onto US 34; IA 163

0.8 mi · 1 min · US 34; IA 163
Toward US 218, IA 27 North: Iowa City, Fairfield
7

Merge onto US 34; US 218; IA 27; IA 163

1.8 mi · 2 min · Avenue of the Saints
8

Keep slight left at fork onto US 218; IA 27

44 mi · 51 min · Avenue of the Saints
9

Take the exit

0.7 mi · 1 min
Toward Airport
10

Continue on Oak Crest Hill Road Southeast

0.9 mi · 1 min · Oak Crest Hill Road Southeast
11

Continue on Old Highway 218 South

0.6 mi · 1 min · Old Highway 218 South
12

Continue on South Riverside Drive

0.7 mi · 1 min · South Riverside Drive
13

Turn right onto US 6

0.4 mi · 1 min · Highway 6 East
14

Turn left onto South Gilbert Street

1.1 mi · 2 min · South Gilbert Street
15

Arrive at destination

South Gilbert Street

Trip Plan

Morning Departure

Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.

Evening Departure

Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.

You can normally do this drive in one day.
You may only need one short stretch break if traffic stays light.
The halfway point lands around 37.5 miles from West Burlington, IA, or about 46m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 46 miles.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

Departure

Before you leave

Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.

First stop

Around 75.1 miles or 1h 34m in

Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.

Halfway reset

Around 37.5 miles or 46m in

This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.

Final approach

Final hour starts around 1h 16m

Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Iowa City, IA than in the middle of the route.

Before You Leave

+

Open the route before leaving West Burlington, IA so your first major turns are already loaded.

+

Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.

+

Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.

Day 1

Settle into the route from West Burlington, IA

This is one driving day of about 75.1 miles and 1h 34m.

Your first comfortable stop window is around 80 miles from West Burlington, IA.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
You may only need one short stretch stop if conditions stay smooth.
The longest stretch is on Avenue of the Saints for about 46 miles.

Where to Stop

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

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 37.5 mi from West Burlington, IA · 46m into the drive

city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Rock Island, IL

38 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

Cedar Rapids, IA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 75.1 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Rock Island, IL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 37.5 miles from West Burlington, IA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Iowa City, IA

The final approach into Iowa City, IA usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.

Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Iowa City, IA.

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

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$11.74 one way

$23.48 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 26 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $12.89 $25.78
premium $4.89 $14.45 $28.90
diesel $5.61 $16.58 $33.16

No toll roads detected on this route.

Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)

Fuel

$12

Meals

$25–$50

Total

$37–$62

Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.

Estimated CO2 emission: 26.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $8 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 22.5 0 $7.89 $3.60
Efficient EV 18.8 0 $6.57 $3.00
EV Truck/SUV 30 0 $10.51 $4.81

Gas CO2

26 kg

EV CO2

9 kg (65% 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 data refreshed 1 day ago

Origin

West Burlington, IA

Late night in West Burlington on Wednesday

Local time

5:43 AM

CDT

Current temp

79°F

Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

S 15 mph 18% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 13 at 11:22AM CDT until April 18 at 1:00PM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 13 at 11:22AM CDT until April 18 at 1:00PM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Destination

Iowa City, IA

Late night in Iowa City on Wednesday

Local time

5:43 AM

CDT

Current temp

73°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Seasonal Notes

Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.

Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.

Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.

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

6 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

1h 34m 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 West Burlington, IA to Iowa City, IA covers 75.1 miles and takes about 1h 34m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Avenue of the Saints, US 34, West Mount Pleasant Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 37.5 miles from West Burlington, IA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $11.74 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 75.1 miles you will encounter 10 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: near the start (Broadway Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (West Mount Pleasant Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.6 miles: Navigation decision point.
Between West Burlington, IA and Iowa City, IA, road signs point toward Fairfield and Airport.

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