Origin
Lowell, MA
Evening in Lowell on Friday
Local time
5:15 PM
EDT
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Lowell, MA to Needham, 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
38m
Distance
28.6 mi
46 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 36m
★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 46m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 41m
3 PM
0h 42m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 37m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Lowell, MA
Phil Evenden
Needham, MA
Мария Кашина
Trip Overview
The drive from Lowell, MA to Needham, MA covers 28.6 miles and takes about 38m 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, US 3, Lowell Connector for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 13.5 miles on Yankee Division Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.77 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Yankee Division Highway | 13.5 mi | 18m |
| US 3 | 9.1 mi | 10m |
| Lowell Connector | 2.1 mi | 2m |
| Highland Avenue | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Chelmsford Street | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| May Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Plain Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Hale Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Yankee Division Highway
— 13.5 mi, about 18m
Traffic on I-95
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 407 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
2 PM
~5,945 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~231 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
25.7×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 105 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Lowell, MA and Needham, MA.
1
Start on Hale Street
486 ft
·
14 sec
·
Hale Street
2
Turn right onto Cambridge Street
314 ft
·
16 sec
·
Cambridge Street
3
Turn left onto MA 110
0.6 mi
·
56 sec
·
Chelmsford Street
4
Turn left onto Plain Street
0.1 mi
·
11 sec
·
Plain Street
5
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
6
Merge onto Lowell Connector
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Lowell Connector
7
Continue on Lowell Connector
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Lowell Connector
Exit 1A
Toward US 3 South: Boston
8
Merge onto US 3
9.1 mi
·
10 min
·
US 3
9
Keep slight right at fork
0.7 mi
·
54 sec
Exit 72B
Toward I 95 South: Providence Rhode Island
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Merge onto I 95; MA 128
13 mi
·
18 min
·
Yankee Division Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
Exit 35C-B-A
Toward Highland Avenue, Newton Highlands, Needham, Kendrick Street
Use the slight right lane.
12
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
Exit 35C
Toward Highland Avenue, Needham
Use the slight right lane.
13
Turn straight onto Highland Avenue
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Highland Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
14
Turn left onto May Street
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
·
May Street
15
Turn left onto Warren Street
200 ft
·
8 sec
·
Warren Street
16
Arrive at destination
Warren Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 12.3 and 28.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
12.3 mi into trip
|
~15m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 95 South: Providence Rhode Island
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 72B
Toward I 95 South: Providence Rhode Island
5
13 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
I 95; MA 128 / Yankee Division Highway
Merge onto I 95; MA 128 / Yankee Division Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
26.5 mi into trip
|
~34m in
Take the exit toward Highland Avenue, Newton Highlands, Needham, Kendrick Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 35C-B-A
Toward Highland Avenue, Newton Highlands, Needh...
9
26.7 mi into trip
|
~35m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Highland Avenue, Needham
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 35C
Toward Highland Avenue, Needham
5
28.6 mi into trip
|
~38m in
|
Warren Street
Turn left onto Warren Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.77 one way
$9.54 round trip
$4.24/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $5.25 | $10.51 |
| premium | $5.06 | $5.69 | $11.39 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $6.30 | $12.61 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.6 | 0 | $3.00 | $1.37 |
| Efficient EV | 7.2 | 0 | $2.50 | $1.14 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.4 | 0 | $4.00 | $1.83 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
Needham, MA
Evening in Needham on Friday
Local time
5:15 PM
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
4 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
38m 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?
28.6 mi in 38m — 32% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: Yankee Division Highway.
32% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 13.5 mi on Yankee Division Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
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 12.3 miles in.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 28.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 38m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 12.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 13 miles (I 95; MA 128 / Yankee Division Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 26.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
231 ft
78 ft
Total Climb
336 ft
Total Descent
284 ft
Highest Point
231 ft
~8.2 mi in
Elevation Range
153 ft
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
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 Lowell, MA to Needham, MA, road signs begin pointing toward Newton Highlands along the way.
Newton Highlands
26.5 mi in
|
~34m
About the Cities
Starting in Lowell, MA
Full guide →Founded 1653
Lowell is a city in Massachusetts about 40 minutes northwest of Boston. With over 115,000 residents (2020), it's the fifth largest city in Massachusetts, and has an important historical background. It was the first planned industrial city in the United States.
Top landmarks
- • Middlesex Canal — canal in Massachusetts, United States of America
- • Lowell National Historical Park — U.S. national park located in Massachusetts
- • St. Patrick's Church — church building in Massachusetts, United States of America
Arriving in Needham, MA
Full guide →Founded 1680
Needham is a town in Massachusetts, near Boston with a population of 32,000 (2020). Home to Olin College, it features a number of upscale and ethnic restaurants have turned it into a rather unlikely culinary destination.
Top landmarks
- • Echo Bridge — bridge 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 38m. Total distance: 28.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
38m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (32%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 13.5 miles on Yankee Division Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 Needham, 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 12.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 13 miles (I 95; MA 128 / Yankee Division Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 26.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Needham, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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