Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from South Boston to Arlington
Right now (10:18 pm EDT): about 27 minutes via I-93 North.
Only 9% 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 | 18 | 22 | 33 | 39 | 35 | 27 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 34 | 35 | 38 | 37 | 31 | 22 | 20 | 21 |
| Tue | 18 | 22 | 38 | 44 | 45 | 40 | 29 | 26 | 24 | 34 | 40 | 46 | 47 | 45 | 26 | 21 | 21 |
| Wed | 18 | 21 | 34 | 43 | 45 | 37 | 29 | 26 | 25 | 36 | 40 | 45 | 50 | 43 | 28 | 22 | 22 |
| Thu | 18 | 21 | 35 | 44 | 44 | 36 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 40 | 49 | 52 | 55 | 48 | 29 | 23 | 22 |
| Fri | 18 | 20 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 32 | 38 | 46 | 51 | 52 | 46 | 34 | 28 | 25 | 20 |
| Sat | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 26 | 31 | 33 | 36 | 35 | 35 | 33 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 25 | 21 |
| Sun | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 30 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 22 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 11-mile drive from South Boston to Arlington (via I-93 North) usually takes as little as 18 minutes and up to 55 minutes, when leaving around 5 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 30 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1 pm on Saturdays (36 minutes).
About 5 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (13 to 38 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central South Boston 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 South Boston to Arlington?
On weekdays, leave before 6 am. The drive usually takes about 18 minutes then, versus up to 55 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from South Boston to Arlington?
The 11-mile drive usually takes 18 to 55 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 30 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from South Boston to Arlington?
Leaving around 5 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 55 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-93 North in Boston (5 miles)
Boston traffic right now · Boston traffic tomorrow
More drives
Arlington to South Boston (return trip) · South Boston to Providence · South Boston to Fall River · South Boston to Nashua · South Boston to New Bedford · South Boston to Haverhill · South Boston to Malden · South Boston to Medford · South Boston to Taunton · South Boston to Weymouth · South Boston to Revere · South Boston to Peabody