Best Time to Drive from Providence to Lowell

Right now (11:20 pm EST): about 74 minutes via I-495 North and I-95 North.

Only 77% 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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 77-mile drive from Providence to Lowell (via I-495 North and I-95 North) usually takes as little as 71 minutes and up to 98 minutes, when leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 6 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 76 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Saturdays (75 minutes).

About 74 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (3 to 4 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Providence 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 Providence to Lowell?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 6 pm. The drive usually takes about 71 minutes then, versus up to 98 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 77-mile drive usually takes 71 to 98 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 76 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Providence to Lowell?

Leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 98 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-495 North in Boston (56 miles) · I-95 North in Boston (11 miles)

Boston traffic right now · Boston traffic tomorrow

More drives

Lowell to Providence (return trip) · Providence to Boston · Providence to South Boston · Providence to New Bedford · Providence to Brockton · Providence to Fall River · Providence to Quincy · Providence to Lynn · Providence to Newton · Providence to Nashua · Providence to Lawrence · Providence to Framingham

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