Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 5, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 4m
Distance
38.6 mi
62 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
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
Shirley, MA
Renata Meneses
The drive from Boston, MA to Shirley, MA covers 38.6 miles and takes about 1h 4m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Concord Turnpike, Captain Isaac Davis Highway, Massachusetts Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 8 miles on Concord Turnpike. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.44 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Concord Turnpike | 8 mi | 12m |
| Captain Isaac Davis Highway | 6.5 mi | 8m |
| Massachusetts Avenue | 6.2 mi | 9m |
| Cambridge Turnpike | 3.3 mi | 5m |
| Concord Highway | 2.9 mi | 3m |
| I 93 | 1.3 mi | 1m |
| Mystic Avenue | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Hospital Road | 1.1 mi | 2m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 136 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 Shirley, 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
Keep slight left at fork
Turn straight onto MA 38
Turn left onto Harvard Street
Continue on Warner Street
Enter roundabout onto Powder House Boulevard
Continue on Powder House Boulevard
At end of road, turn left onto MA 16
Turn right onto MA 2
Continue on MA 2
Continue on MA 2
Continue on MA 2; MA 2A
Continue on MA 2; MA 2A
Enter roundabout onto MA 2; MA 111
Continue on MA 2; MA 111
Continue on MA 2; MA 111
Continue on MA 2
Continue on MA 2
Take the exit
Turn straight onto Jackson Road
Turn left onto Hospital Road
Keep slight left at fork onto Hospital Road
At end of road, turn left onto Front Street
Turn left onto Washington Street
Turn right onto Chapel Street
Arrive at destination
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
19 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.
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 0 and 6.4 — 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
Take the exit toward MA 28, MA 38: Somerville, Medford
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork toward MA 28 South, MA 38 North: Somerville, Medford
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
At end of road, turn left onto MA 16 / Alewife Brook Parkway
Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$6.44 one way
$12.88 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $7.09 | $14.18 |
| premium | $5.06 | $7.69 | $15.37 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $8.51 | $17.02 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.83
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Tolls
$1
Total
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 13.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11.6 | 0 | $4.05 | $1.85 |
| Efficient EV | 9.7 | 0 | $3.38 | $1.54 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 15.4 | 0 | $5.40 | $2.47 |
Gas CO2
14 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (64% 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
Night in Boston on Friday
Local time
9:22 PM
EDT
Current temp
65°F
Slight Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Cloudy
Destination
Night in Shirley on Friday
Local time
9:22 PM
EDT
Current temp
59°F
Mostly Cloudy
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.
38.6 mi in 1h 4m — 37% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: Concord Turnpike.
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 early in the drive near Beacon Street.
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 38.6 miles you will encounter 22 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
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 3.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
491 ft
Total Descent
258 ft
Highest Point
359 ft
~30.3 mi in
Elevation Range
334 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Boston, MA and Shirley, MA, road signs point toward Medford and Devens.
Medford
Devens
“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 1720
Shirley is a city in Merrimack Valley with a population of 7,000 (2020). The town was named for former Governor William Shirley, and was settled in 1720 and incorporated in 1775. Ayer is a town with a population of 8,000 (2020). Littleton is a town in Massachusetts with a population of 10,000 (2020).
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 4m. Total distance: 38.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 4m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (37%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface 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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