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Trip from Chelsea, MA to Waltham, MA

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

25m

Distance

12.6 mi

20 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 6 min
4 AM
0h 24m ★
6 AM
0h 26m
8 AM
0h 30m
10 AM
0h 27m
12 PM
0h 27m
3 PM
0h 28m
5 PM
0h 30m
8 PM
0h 24m ★

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
Download GPX
Downtown Chelsea, MA, MA

Chelsea, MA

Italo Melo

Downtown Waltham, MA, MA

Waltham, MA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

If you are planning a quick trip from Chelsea to Waltham, you are looking at a short 12.6-mile commute across the Northeast. Expect to spend about 25 minutes behind the wheel, making this an ideal day trip that requires no overnight stay. With a fuel budget of just $2, it is an incredibly economical route to navigate. The journey stays entirely within Massachusetts, keeping you in familiar territory throughout the drive. Since there are no required stops, you can easily complete this transit in one go without needing to plan for breaks. It is a straightforward, practical connection for anyone needing to move between these two areas efficiently.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Pleasant Street 1.9 mi 3m
Second Street 1.4 mi 2m
Waverley Oaks Road 1.3 mi 2m
Lake Street 1.2 mi 2m
Mystic Valley Parkway 0.8 mi 1m
Powder House Boulevard 0.8 mi 1m
Broadway 0.7 mi 1m
Harvard Street 0.6 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Pleasant Street — 1.9 mi, about 3m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Chelsea, MA and Waltham, MA.

1

Start on Shawmut Street

0.1 mi · 32 sec · Shawmut Street
2

Turn right onto Central Avenue

523 ft · 20 sec · Central Avenue
3

Turn right onto Hawthorn Street

173 ft · 4 sec · Hawthorn Street
4

Turn sharp left onto Pearl Street

0.1 mi · 34 sec · Pearl Street
5

Turn right onto Congress Avenue

323 ft · 16 sec · Congress Avenue
6

Turn left onto Broadway

0.1 mi · 14 sec · Broadway
7

Turn right onto Second Street

1.4 mi · 2 min · Second Street
8

At end of road, turn left onto MA 99

0.3 mi · 22 sec · Broadway
9

Enter roundabout onto Krystyl K. Poirier Memorial Roadway

227 ft · 4 sec · Krystyl K. Poirier Memorial Roadway
Toward MA 16 West: Medford, Somerville
10

Continue on Krystyl K. Poirier Memorial Roadway

0.4 mi · 35 sec · Krystyl K. Poirier Memorial Roadway
Toward MA 16 West: Medford, Somerville
11

Enter roundabout

179 ft · 5 sec
12

Continue

0.1 mi · 15 sec
13

Merge onto MA 16

0.6 mi · 57 sec · Revere Beach Parkway
14

Continue on MA 16

0.8 mi · 1 min · Mystic Valley Parkway
Use the straight lane.
15

Continue on Mystic Valley Parkway Connector

0.3 mi · 32 sec · Mystic Valley Parkway Connector
16

Continue on Harvard Street

0.6 mi · 1 min · Harvard Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
17

Continue on Warner Street

0.2 mi · 20 sec · Warner Street
18

Enter roundabout onto Powder House Boulevard

127 ft · 2 sec · Powder House Boulevard
19

Continue on Powder House Boulevard

0.8 mi · 1 min · Powder House Boulevard
20

Turn left onto North Street

0.1 mi · 20 sec · North Street
21

At end of road, turn right onto Broadway

0.4 mi · 47 sec · Broadway
22

Turn left onto Cleveland Street

0.3 mi · 1 min · Cleveland Street
23

At end of road, turn right onto US 3; MA 2A

222 ft · 12 sec · Massachusetts Avenue
24

Turn left onto Lake Street

1.2 mi · 2 min · Lake Street
Use the straight lane.
25

Turn left onto MA 60

1.9 mi · 3 min · Pleasant Street
26

Turn straight onto MA 60

0.3 mi · 36 sec · Trapelo Road
27

Turn left onto MA 60

1.3 mi · 2 min · Waverley Oaks Road
Use the left lane.
28

Continue on MA 60

0.4 mi · 40 sec · Linden Street
29

Turn right onto US 20

0.5 mi · 55 sec · Main Street
Use the right lane.
30

Arrive at destination

US 20

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 19

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 10.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | Central Avenue

Turn right onto Central Avenue

Navigation decision point

5
0.3 mi into trip | ~0m in | Pearl Street

Turn sharp left onto Pearl Street

Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach

7
2.2 mi into trip | ~5m in | Krystyl K. Poirier Memorial Roadway

Enter roundabout onto Krystyl K. Poirier Memorial Roadway toward MA 16 West: Medford, Somerville

Roundabout - know your exit number before entering. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward MA 16 West: Medford, Somerville
6
5.3 mi into trip | ~11m in | Powder House Boulevard

Enter roundabout onto Powder House Boulevard

Roundabout - know your exit number before entering

6
10.4 mi into trip | ~21m in | MA 60 / Waverley Oaks Road

Turn left onto MA 60 / Waverley Oaks Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.02 one way

$4.03 round trip

$4.07/gal 25.4 MPG avg 4 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.43 $2.20 $4.40
premium $4.82 $2.39 $4.79
diesel $5.61 $2.78 $5.56

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 4.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 3.8 0 $1.32 $0.60
Efficient EV 3.2 0 $1.10 $0.50
EV Truck/SUV 5 0 $1.76 $0.81

Gas CO2

4 kg

EV CO2

1 kg (75% 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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Chelsea, MA

Late night in Chelsea on Sunday

Local time

12:22 AM

EDT

Current temp

40°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Waltham, MA

Late night in Waltham on Sunday

Local time

12:22 AM

EDT

Current temp

63°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

23 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

25m 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?

Prepare for a turn-heavy local drive that demands your full attention rather than a mindless highway cruise. You will spend only 13% of your time on highways, meaning the majority of your trip consists of navigating local roads like Pleasant Street, Second Street, and Waverley Oaks Road. The longest uninterrupted stretch you will encounter is a brief 1.9-mile segment on Pleasant Street. Because of the frequent turns, the pace remains measured and technical throughout the 12.6-mile distance. Expect a driving experience defined by steady, local maneuvering rather than high-speed interstate travel.

Only 13% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
30 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 1.9 mi on Pleasant Street.

How Hard Is This Drive?

5/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 19 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Central Avenue.

Driving Effort 5/10

Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 12.6 miles you will encounter 19 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: at 0.1 miles (Central Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (Pearl Street): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 2.2 miles (Krystyl K. Poirier Memorial Roadway): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Chelsea, MA to Waltham, MA, road signs begin pointing toward Somerville along the way.

Somerville

2.2 mi in | ~5m | via Krystyl K. Poirier Memorial Roadway

About the Cities

Starting in Chelsea, MA

Full guide →

Everett is a city in Massachusetts with a population of 49,000 (2020). Chelsea is a city with a population of 41,000 (2020).

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 25m. Total distance: 12.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

25m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (13%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 1.9 miles on Pleasant Street. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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 0.1 miles (Central Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (Pearl Street): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 2.2 miles (Krystyl K. Poirier Memorial Roadway): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes — Boston National Historical Park, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area and Minute Man National Historical Park (6 total within detour distance). See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Waltham, 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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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