Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
29m
Distance
17.6 mi
28 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.
Lowell, MA
Phil Evenden
West Concord, MA
Mohan Nannapaneni
The drive from Lowell, MA to West Concord, MA covers 17.6 miles and takes about 29m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on I 495, Great Road, Powers Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 5 miles on I 495. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.94 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 495 | 5 mi | 5m |
| Great Road | 5 mi | 9m |
| Powers Road | 1.8 mi | 3m |
| Littleton Road | 1 mi | 1m |
| Lowell Connector | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Commonwealth Avenue | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Elm Street | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| Chelmsford Street | 0.6 mi | <1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 50 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
3 PM
~4,436 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~336 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
13.2×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 103 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Lowell, MA and West Concord, MA.
Start on Hale Street
Turn right onto Cambridge Street
Turn left onto MA 110
Turn left onto Plain Street
Take the ramp
Merge onto Lowell Connector
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto I 495
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Turn left onto Boston Road
Turn right onto MA 110
Turn left onto Powers Road
At end of road, turn left onto MA 2A; MA 119
Continue on MA 2A; MA 119
Enter roundabout onto Commonwealth Avenue
Continue on Commonwealth Avenue
Turn left
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 1.8 and 11.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Take the exit toward I 495 South, US 3 North: Worcester, Nashua New Hampshire
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 I 495 South: Worcester
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward Westford
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork toward Boston Road, Nashoba Valley Ski Area
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
At end of road, turn left onto MA 2A; MA 119 / Great Road
Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$2.94 one way
$5.87 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $3.23 | $6.46 |
| premium | $5.06 | $3.50 | $7.01 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $3.88 | $7.76 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.2 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 | 5.3 | 0 | $1.85 | $0.84 |
| Efficient EV | 4.4 | 0 | $1.54 | $0.70 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7 | 0 | $2.46 | $1.13 |
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
Morning in Lowell on Friday
Local time
10:49 AM
EDT
Current temp
59°F
Mostly Clear
Destination
Morning in West Concord on Friday
Local time
10:49 AM
EDT
Current temp
58°F
Clear
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.
17.6 mi in 29m 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 around 1.8 miles in.
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 16 decision points packed into just 17.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 29m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 7.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
186 ft
Total Descent
177 ft
Highest Point
266 ft
~7.5 mi in
Elevation Range
150 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Lowell, MA and West Concord, MA, road signs point toward Nashua New Hampshire, Westford and Nashoba Valley Ski Area.
Nashua New Hampshire
Westford
Nashoba Valley Ski Area
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
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 29m. Total distance: 17.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
29m 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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