Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Pawtucket to Lowell
Right now (10:35 pm EDT): about 69 minutes via I-495 North.
Only 72% 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 | 68 | 73 | 80 | 83 | 73 | 72 | 71 | 70 | 70 | 71 | 75 | 73 | 71 | 67 | 68 | 68 | 69 |
| Tue | 69 | 75 | 90 | 91 | 79 | 71 | 70 | 70 | 69 | 72 | 75 | 76 | 76 | 69 | 68 | 68 | 70 |
| Wed | 68 | 74 | 86 | 89 | 80 | 73 | 72 | 71 | 70 | 73 | 77 | 77 | 75 | 69 | 68 | 68 | 70 |
| Thu | 68 | 75 | 84 | 86 | 78 | 73 | 71 | 70 | 71 | 76 | 83 | 84 | 80 | 71 | 67 | 69 | 70 |
| Fri | 68 | 70 | 73 | 72 | 71 | 74 | 74 | 76 | 78 | 83 | 86 | 82 | 76 | 71 | 68 | 67 | 67 |
| Sat | 67 | 66 | 65 | 66 | 66 | 69 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 69 | 68 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 66 | 67 | 66 |
| Sun | 67 | 65 | 64 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 67 | 66 | 65 | 65 | 66 | 66 | 68 | 68 | 70 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 72-mile drive from Pawtucket to Lowell (via I-495 North) usually takes as little as 67 minutes and up to 93 minutes, when leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 5:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 72 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 10:30 am on Saturdays (71 minutes).
About 69 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (4 to 6 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Pawtucket to central Lowell 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 Pawtucket to Lowell?
On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 5:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 67 minutes then, versus up to 93 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Pawtucket to Lowell?
The 72-mile drive usually takes 67 to 93 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 72 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Pawtucket to Lowell?
Leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 93 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-495 North in Boston (56 miles) · I-95 North in Boston (13 miles)
Boston traffic right now · Boston traffic tomorrow