Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Lowell to Arlington
Right now (9:51 pm EDT): about 23 minutes via US-3 South, usually 24 at this time.
Only 49% 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 | 23 | 26 | 34 | 37 | 31 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 24 | 24 | 27 |
| Tue | 23 | 27 | 42 | 45 | 39 | 28 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 29 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 25 | 24 | 26 |
| Wed | 23 | 27 | 41 | 43 | 38 | 29 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 30 | 32 | 35 | 32 | 25 | 24 | 26 |
| Thu | 23 | 27 | 38 | 41 | 35 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 30 | 33 | 35 | 33 | 26 | 24 | 26 |
| Fri | 23 | 25 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 25 | 24 | 25 |
| Sat | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| Sun | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 21-mile drive from Lowell to Arlington (via US-3 South) usually takes as little as 23 minutes and up to 45 minutes, when leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 26 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3:30 pm on Saturdays (28 minutes).
About 14 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 7 miles surface streets (11 to 23 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Lowell to central Arlington 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 Lowell to Arlington?
On weekdays, leave before 6 am. The drive usually takes about 23 minutes then, versus up to 45 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Lowell to Arlington?
The 21-mile drive usually takes 23 to 45 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 26 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Lowell to Arlington?
Leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 45 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-3 South in Boston (14 miles)
Boston traffic right now · Boston traffic tomorrow
More drives
Arlington to Lowell (return trip) · Lowell to Boston · Lowell to Cambridge · Lowell to Quincy · Lowell to Newton · Lowell to Waltham · Lowell to Framingham · Lowell to Worcester · Lowell to Burlington MA · Lowell to Woburn · Lowell to Braintree · Lowell to Dedham