Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
31m
Distance
18.1 mi
29 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Boston, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Bedford, MA
Phil Evenden
The drive from Boston, MA to Bedford, MA covers 18.1 miles and takes about 31m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Yankee Division Highway, I 93, Cambridge Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 2.9 miles on Yankee Division Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.02 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Yankee Division Highway | 2.9 mi | 3m |
| I 93 | 2.8 mi | 3m |
| Cambridge Road | 2 mi | 2m |
| Cambridge Street | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| Winthrop Street | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| The Great Road | 1.3 mi | 3m |
| Mystic Valley Parkway | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Bacon Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 152 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
5 PM
~5,523 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~475 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
11.6×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 89 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Boston, MA and Bedford, MA.
Start on Tremont Street
Turn right onto Beacon Street
Turn right onto Somerset Street
Turn left onto Ashburton Place
Keep slight right at fork onto Ashburton Place
Turn straight onto Bowdoin Street
Turn right onto Cambridge Street
Turn left onto Sudbury Street
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 93
Take the exit
Continue on MA 16
Turn right onto MA 38
Enter roundabout onto Winthrop Street
Continue on Winthrop Street
Continue on MA 38
Enter roundabout onto Bacon Street
Continue on Bacon Street
Turn left onto Church Street
Turn right onto US 3
Continue on US 3
Continue on US 3
Take the exit onto US 3
Merge onto I 95; US 3; MA 128
Take the exit
Turn straight onto MA 4; MA 225
Continue on MA 4; MA 225
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 15.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn right onto Beacon Street
Lane positioning matters here
Turn right onto Cambridge Street
Lane positioning matters here
Turn left onto Sudbury Street
Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward MA 16 West: Mystic Valley Parkway, Arlington
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Take the exit toward MA 4 North, MA 225 West: Bedford
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$3.02 one way
$6.04 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $3.32 | $6.65 |
| premium | $5.06 | $3.60 | $7.21 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $3.99 | $7.98 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.4 | 0 | $1.90 | $0.87 |
| Efficient EV | 4.5 | 0 | $1.58 | $0.72 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.2 | 0 | $2.53 | $1.16 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
Late night in Boston on Friday
Local time
3:42 AM
EDT
Current temp
61°F
Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Cloudy
Destination
Late night in Bedford on Friday
Local time
3:42 AM
EDT
Current temp
58°F
Chance Rain Showers
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.
18.1 mi in 31m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Beacon Street.
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 17 decision points packed into just 18.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 31m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Beacon Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.4 miles (Cambridge Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.4 miles (Sudbury Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
212 ft
Total Descent
125 ft
Highest Point
201 ft
~12.9 mi in
Elevation Range
188 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Boston, MA and Bedford, MA, road signs point toward Arlington and Lowell.
Arlington
Lowell
“The Hub” · Founded 1630
A city of history and tradition, Boston offers a proud legacy of culture, education, and numerous sporting championships. The "shining city on a hill"s independent spirit has been displayed to the world ever since colonists were angry over a British tax on their beloved tea and dumped shiploads of it into the harbor in protest. In the early 1600s, the peninsula in Massachusetts that would become known as Boston was controlled by Native Americans until John Smith (English soldier, explorer, colonial governor, Admiral of New England, and author) named the area New England to attract European settlers. Boston was founded in 1630 by John Winthrop, making it one of the oldest cities in the U.S. No other American city has made more of an effort to preserve its history, and you'll find buildings that pre-date the republic dotted throughout the region.
Top landmarks
Founded 1640
Bedford is a town in Massachusetts with a population of 14,000 (2020). Carlisle is a town with a population of 5,000 (2020). A low population density gives the town a rural feel, and it's known for outdoor activities including hiking and biking.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 31m. Total distance: 18.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
31m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
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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