Best Time to Drive from Lowell to Cambridge

Right now (12:34 am EDT): about 34 minutes via I-93 South.

Typical drive time by departure time

Minutes from Lowell to Cambridge by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	28	36	51	55	44	36	31	33	32	31	34	35	37	36	30	29	31
Tue	28	39	65	75	62	43	33	31	30	31	34	35	43	40	31	29	30
Wed	28	36	61	71	60	41	34	32	31	31	36	40	44	40	31	30	31
Thu	28	36	57	66	55	38	33	31	31	33	38	39	46	44	32	30	31
Fri	28	31	38	38	34	32	32	32	33	37	41	43	42	38	33	30	30
Sat	28	28	28	28	29	31	32	34	36	36	35	36	34	35	32	30	30
Sun	28	27	27	28	28	30	31	33	36	35	35	34	33	33	32	30	30

About this drive

On weekdays the 30-mile drive from Lowell to Cambridge (via I-93 South) usually takes as little as 28 minutes and up to 75 minutes, when leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 32 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3:30 pm on Saturdays (37 minutes).

About 29 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.3 miles surface streets (2 to 4 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Lowell (Hale Street) to central Cambridge (Ellery Street) 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 Cambridge?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 28 minutes then, versus up to 75 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Lowell to Cambridge?

The 30-mile drive usually takes 28 to 75 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 32 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Lowell to Cambridge?

Leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 75 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-93 South in Boston (25 miles) · I-495 North in Boston (4 miles)

Boston traffic right now · Boston traffic tomorrow

More drives

Cambridge to Lowell (return trip) · Lowell to Boston · 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 · Lowell to Peabody

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	28	36	51	55	44	36	31	33	32	31	34	35	37	36	30	29	31
Tue	28	39	65	75	62	43	33	31	30	31	34	35	43	40	31	29	30
Wed	28	36	61	71	60	41	34	32	31	31	36	40	44	40	31	30	31
Thu	28	36	57	66	55	38	33	31	31	33	38	39	46	44	32	30	31
Fri	28	31	38	38	34	32	32	32	33	37	41	43	42	38	33	30	30
Sat	28	28	28	28	29	31	32	34	36	36	35	36	34	35	32	30	30
Sun	28	27	27	28	28	30	31	33	36	35	35	34	33	33	32	30	30

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	28	36	51	55	44	36	31	33	32	31	34	35	37	36	30	29	31
Tue	28	39	65	75	62	43	33	31	30	31	34	35	43	40	31	29	30
Wed	28	36	61	71	60	41	34	32	31	31	36	40	44	40	31	30	31
Thu	28	36	57	66	55	38	33	31	31	33	38	39	46	44	32	30	31
Fri	28	31	38	38	34	32	32	32	33	37	41	43	42	38	33	30	30
Sat	28	28	28	28	29	31	32	34	36	36	35	36	34	35	32	30	30
Sun	28	27	27	28	28	30	31	33	36	35	35	34	33	33	32	30	30

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	28	36	51	55	44	36	31	33	32	31	34	35	37	36	30	29	31
Tue	28	39	65	75	62	43	33	31	30	31	34	35	43	40	31	29	30
Wed	28	36	61	71	60	41	34	32	31	31	36	40	44	40	31	30	31
Thu	28	36	57	66	55	38	33	31	31	33	38	39	46	44	32	30	31
Fri	28	31	38	38	34	32	32	32	33	37	41	43	42	38	33	30	30
Sat	28	28	28	28	29	31	32	34	36	36	35	36	34	35	32	30	30
Sun	28	27	27	28	28	30	31	33	36	35	35	34	33	33	32	30	30