Origin
Cambridge, MA
Evening in Cambridge on Friday
Local time
5:17 PM
EDT
Current temp
61°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Cambridge, MA to Norwood, MA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
35m
Distance
17.2 mi
28 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 33m
★
6 AM
0h 36m
8 AM
0h 42m
10 AM
0h 38m
12 PM
0h 37m
3 PM
0h 38m
5 PM
0h 42m
8 PM
0h 34m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Cambridge, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Norwood, MA
Yaroslav Shuraev
Trip Overview
The drive from Cambridge, MA to Norwood, MA covers 17.2 miles and takes about 35m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Providence Highway, Veterans of Foreign Wars Parkway, Beacon Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 3.6 miles on Providence Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.87 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Providence Highway | 3.6 mi | 6m |
| Veterans of Foreign Wars Parkway | 2.8 mi | 4m |
| Beacon Street | 2.4 mi | 4m |
| Boston-Providence Turnpike | 1 mi | 1m |
| Memorial Drive | 1 mi | 2m |
| Lee Street | 1 mi | 1m |
| Chestnut Hill Avenue | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Grove Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Providence Highway
— 3.6 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Cambridge, MA and Norwood, MA.
1
Start on Leonard Avenue
267 ft
·
13 sec
·
Leonard Avenue
2
Turn right onto Cambridge Street
0.1 mi
·
31 sec
·
Cambridge Street
3
Turn left onto Ellery Street
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Ellery Street
4
Turn right onto Harvard Street
0.2 mi
·
59 sec
·
Harvard Street
5
Turn left onto Bow Street
475 ft
·
20 sec
·
Bow Street
6
Continue on DeWolfe Street
0.2 mi
·
41 sec
·
DeWolfe Street
Use the straight lane.
7
At end of road, turn left onto US 3; MA 2
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Memorial Drive
Use the left lane.
8
Keep slight right at fork onto MA 2
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
MA 2
Toward MA 2 East: Boston University Bridge
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on MA 2
0.3 mi
·
48 sec
·
Mountfort Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
10
Turn right onto Saint Mary's Street
0.2 mi
·
40 sec
·
Saint Mary's Street
Use the right lane.
11
At end of road, turn right onto Beacon Street
2.4 mi
·
4 min
·
Beacon Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
12
Turn sharp left onto Chestnut Hill Avenue
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Chestnut Hill Avenue
13
Turn left onto MA 9
478 ft
·
22 sec
·
Boylston Street
Use the left lane.
14
Turn right onto Lee Street
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Lee Street
Use the right lane.
15
Continue on Clyde Street
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
·
Clyde Street
16
Turn right onto Newton Street
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
·
Newton Street
17
Continue on Grove Street
0.4 mi
·
39 sec
·
Grove Street
18
Enter roundabout onto Grove Street
281 ft
·
4 sec
·
Grove Street
19
Continue on Grove Street
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
·
Grove Street
20
Continue on Independence Drive
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Independence Drive
21
Turn right onto Veterans of Foreign Wars Parkway
2.8 mi
·
4 min
·
Veterans of Foreign Wars Parkway
22
Continue on Providence Highway
3.6 mi
·
6 min
·
Providence Highway
Use the straight lane.
23
Continue on US 1
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Boston-Providence Turnpike
24
Turn slight right onto Pleasant Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Pleasant Street
25
Turn right onto Railroad Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Railroad Avenue
26
Turn left onto Central Street
0.1 mi
·
27 sec
·
Central Street
27
Arrive at destination
Central Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 165 decision points cluster between mile 1 and 6.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
1 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
US 3; MA 2 / Memorial Drive
At end of road, turn left onto US 3; MA 2 / Memorial Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
1.9 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
MA 2
Keep slight right at fork onto MA 2 toward MA 2 East: Boston University Bridge
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward MA 2 East: Boston University Bridge
6
2.6 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
Saint Mary's Street
Turn right onto Saint Mary's Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
7
2.8 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
Beacon Street
At end of road, turn right onto Beacon Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
6.1 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
Lee Street
Turn right onto Lee Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.87 one way
$5.74 round trip
$4.24/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $3.16 | $6.32 |
| premium | $5.06 | $3.42 | $6.85 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $3.79 | $7.58 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.07
Boston-Providence Turnpike
(1 mi)
$0.07
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Tolls
$0
Total
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6 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 | 5.2 | 0 | $1.81 | $0.83 |
| Efficient EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.51 | $0.69 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.41 | $1.10 |
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.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Norwood, MA
Evening in Norwood on Friday
Local time
5:17 PM
EDT
Current temp
64°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
3 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
35m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
17.2 mi in 35m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Only 25% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
27 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 3.6 mi on Providence Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
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 around 1 miles in near US 3; MA 2 / Memorial Drive.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 16 decision points packed into just 17.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 35m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1 miles (US 3; MA 2 / Memorial Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.9 miles (MA 2): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.6 miles (Saint Mary's Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
154 ft
9 ft
Total Climb
223 ft
Total Descent
115 ft
Highest Point
154 ft
~6.1 mi in
Elevation Range
145 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Cambridge, MA
Full guide →Founded 1630
Cambridge is a city in Massachusetts, across the Charles River from Boston. It is renowned as the home of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), both widely considered to be among the best universities in the world. The city's population was 118,000 in 2020; the fourth largest in the state.
Top landmarks
- • Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology — museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- • Harvard Art Museums — art museums at Harvard University
- • Museum of Comparative Zoology — natural history museum at Harvard University
Arriving in Norwood, MA
Full guide →Founded 1678
Norwood is a town of 32,000 (2020) in Massachusetts. Westwood has a population of 16,000 (2020).
Top landmarks
- • Norwood Memorial Municipal Building — building in Massachusetts, United States
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 35m. Total distance: 17.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
35m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 3.6 miles on Providence Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.07 in tolls one way, starting with Boston-Providence Turnpike. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Norwood, MA before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 1 miles (US 3; MA 2 / Memorial Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.9 miles (MA 2): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.6 miles (Saint Mary's Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Norwood, MA before heading back.
How this page is built
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, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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