Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Boston to Needham
Right now (9:18 pm EDT): about 24 minutes via I-90 West, usually 26 at this time.
Only 24% of this drive is measured by working traffic sensors right now. The rest is estimated from nearby sensors, typical speeds and street traffic, so times can be off. Why so few sensors work.
Typical drive time by departure time
| Leave | 5am | 6am | 7am | 8am | 9am | 10am | 11am | 12pm | 1pm | 2pm | 3pm | 4pm | 5pm | 6pm | 7pm | 8pm | 9pm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 22 | 22 | 27 | 32 | 30 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 28 | 32 | 38 | 37 | 31 | 24 | 23 | 23 |
| Tue | 22 | 23 | 29 | 37 | 36 | 31 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 29 | 38 | 54 | 51 | 39 | 26 | 23 | 24 |
| Wed | 22 | 22 | 28 | 37 | 35 | 31 | 27 | 24 | 24 | 30 | 39 | 52 | 49 | 42 | 29 | 24 | 24 |
| Thu | 22 | 22 | 28 | 36 | 33 | 29 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 31 | 49 | 62 | 58 | 47 | 28 | 24 | 24 |
| Fri | 22 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 36 | 54 | 63 | 44 | 34 | 26 | 24 | 23 |
| Sat | 24 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 |
| Sun | 24 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 18-mile drive from Boston to Needham (via I-90 West) usually takes as little as 22 minutes and up to 63 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 26 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3:30 pm on Saturdays (27 minutes).
About 13 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (8 to 23 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Boston to central Needham along the route on the map. Starting or ending elsewhere in a big city can add or save several minutes.
Simulated from typical freeway speeds at each point of the drive for the time you would reach it, from every 5-minute reading we have recorded. We don't have sensors on surface streets yet, so the time on them is estimated from how congested the freeways around each end of the drive are at that time, in both directions: streets jam when the freeways do.
Questions
What is the best time to drive from Boston to Needham?
On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 22 minutes then, versus up to 63 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Boston to Needham?
The 18-mile drive usually takes 22 to 63 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 26 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Boston to Needham?
Leaving around 4 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 63 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-90 West in Boston (13 miles)
Boston traffic right now · Boston traffic tomorrow
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