Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Jul 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
55m
Distance
33.5 mi
54 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Acton, MA
Italo Melo
Quincy, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Acton to Quincy is 33.5 miles and takes about 55 minutes via I 93 and Concord Turnpike, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Massachusetts, moving from the Northeast region to another part of the Northeast. Expect a mix of highway driving and surface streets, making it a straightforward commute or short hop. Given the short distance and duration, it's an ideal route for a single-day trip, allowing for plenty of flexibility.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 93 | 8.3 mi | 12m |
| Concord Turnpike | 7.2 mi | 9m |
| Cambridge Turnpike Rte 2 | 3.5 mi | 5m |
| Concord Highway | 3.4 mi | 4m |
| Newport Avenue Extension | 2.3 mi | 5m |
| Mystic Avenue | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| Concord Road | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Elm Street | 1 mi | 1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 270 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
1 PM
~4,956 veh/hr typical · worst 5,854
Quietest
2 AM
~477 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
10.4×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 52 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Acton, MA and Quincy, MA.
Start on Concord Road
At end of road, turn right onto MA 2A; MA 119
Continue on MA 2A; MA 119
Enter roundabout onto MA 2; MA 2A
Continue on MA 2; MA 2A
Continue on MA 2; MA 2A
Continue on MA 2
Continue on MA 2
Continue on MA 2
Take the exit
Merge onto US 3; MA 16
Turn right onto Powder House Boulevard
Enter roundabout
Continue
Continue on Warner Street
Continue on Harvard Street
Turn right onto MA 38
Take the ramp
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto I 93
Take the exit onto MA 3A
Merge onto MA 3A
Take the exit onto MA 3A
Keep slight right at fork onto MA 3A
Turn slight right onto Newport Avenue Extension
Turn left onto Adams Street
Turn straight onto Hancock Street
Turn left onto Coddington Street
Turn left onto Faxon Avenue
Arrive at destination
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
17 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
A short stop after about 33.5 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 16.7 miles from Acton, MA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
5 decision points cluster between mile 16.8 and 30.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Take the exit toward MA 16 East, US 3 North: Medford, Woburn
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Turn right onto Powder House Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork toward I 93 South: Boston
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Take the exit onto MA 3A toward MA 3A South: Neponset, Quincy
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork onto MA 3A / Hancock Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$5.25 one way
$10.49 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.43 | $5.85 | $11.69 |
| premium | $4.79 | $6.32 | $12.63 |
| diesel | $4.80 | $6.33 | $12.65 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.75
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Tolls
$1
Total
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-07-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 10.1 | 0 | $3.52 | $1.61 |
| Efficient EV | 8.4 | 0 | $2.93 | $1.34 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.4 | 0 | $4.69 | $2.14 |
Gas CO2
12 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Morning in Acton on Tuesday
Local time
11:19 AM
EDT
Current temp
60°F
Partly Cloudy
Destination
Morning in Quincy on Tuesday
Local time
11:19 AM
EDT
Current temp
63°F
Partly Cloudy
82°F
Medford, MA
17 mi in
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
About 60% of this 33.5-mile route is on highways like I 93. You'll encounter an 8.3-mile stretch on I 93, which is the longest continuous section of highway. After the highway portions, the route transitions to Concord Turnpike and Cambridge Turnpike (Rte 2), which are surface roads with more local traffic and intersections. Be prepared for denser traffic and more frequent exits as you get closer to the Boston metropolitan area.
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 16.8 miles in.
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 18 decision points packed into just 33.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 55m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 16.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 17.9 miles (Powder House Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 21.1 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
241 ft
Total Descent
475 ft
Highest Point
311 ft
~16.4 mi in
Elevation Range
303 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Acton, MA and Quincy, MA, road signs point toward Woburn and Medford.
Woburn
Medford
Founded 1639
Acton is a town in Massachusetts with a population of 24,000 in the 2020 census. Boxborough is a town with a population of about 6,000 (2020). Maynard is a town with a population of 11,000 (2020). Stow is a town with a population of 7,000 (2020).
Top landmarks
Founded 1625
Quincy is in Massachusetts. Quincy was the birthplace of presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams. United States Declaration of Independence signer and first Massachusetts governor John Hancock was also born here. Quincy produced the first commercial railroad in the country in order to transport the granite from its quarries to Boston for use in many buildings there. Quincy's shipbuilding history started with sailing ships in the 1800s and continued with battleships at the Fore River Shipyard. Howard Johnson's and Dunkin Donuts restaurants were also started here.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 55m. Total distance: 33.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
55m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (60%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, USGS 3DEP for elevation, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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