Origin
Marlborough, MA
Morning in Marlborough on Tuesday
Local time
6:56 AM
EDT
Current temp
60°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Marlborough, MA to Lowell, MA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
36m
Distance
29.3 mi
47 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 34m
★
6 AM
0h 37m
8 AM
0h 43m
10 AM
0h 39m
12 PM
0h 39m
3 PM
0h 39m
5 PM
0h 43m
8 PM
0h 35m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Marlborough, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Lowell, MA
Phil Evenden
Trip Overview
This straightforward 29.3-mile drive from Marlborough, MA to Lowell, MA takes about 36 minutes and is easily manageable as a single-day trip. You'll primarily navigate local roads, with no highway driving involved, making it a more connected experience with the towns you pass through. With an estimated fuel cost of just $5, this route is very budget-friendly. The entire journey is contained within Massachusetts, offering a convenient exploration of the Northeast region. Given its short duration and local road nature, this drive offers flexibility for departure times and minimal need for extensive planning.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Star Memorial Highway | 24.6 mi | 28m |
| Chelmsford Street | 2.6 mi | 4m |
| Main Street | 0.7 mi | <1m |
| Lakeside Avenue | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| Hale Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Cambridge Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Windsor Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Blue Star Memorial Highway
— 24.6 mi, about 28m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Marlborough, MA and Lowell, MA.
1
Start on this road
146 ft
·
15 sec
·
this road
2
At end of road, turn left onto Windsor Street
184 ft
·
8 sec
·
Windsor Street
3
Turn left onto Main Street
0.7 mi
·
56 sec
·
Main Street
4
Continue on US 20
0.6 mi
·
43 sec
·
Lakeside Avenue
5
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
Toward I 495 North: Lowell
6
Merge onto I 495
25 mi
·
28 min
·
Blue Star Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
Exit 88
Toward MA 110: Chelmsford, Lowell
8
Turn right onto MA 110
2.6 mi
·
4 min
·
Chelmsford Street
9
Turn right onto Cambridge Street
314 ft
·
14 sec
·
Cambridge Street
10
Turn left onto Hale Street
486 ft
·
13 sec
·
Hale Street
11
Arrive at destination
Hale Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 29.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Windsor Street
At end of road, turn left onto Windsor Street
Navigation decision point
4
1.4 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the exit toward I 495 North: Lowell
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward I 495 North: Lowell
5
1.8 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
I 495 / Blue Star Memorial Highway
Merge onto I 495 / Blue Star Memorial Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
26.3 mi into trip
|
~31m in
Take the exit toward MA 110: Chelmsford, Lowell
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 88
Toward MA 110: Chelmsford, Lowell
4
29.2 mi into trip
|
~36m in
|
Cambridge Street
Turn right onto Cambridge Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.69 one way
$9.38 round trip
$4.07/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.43 | $5.11 | $10.23 |
| premium | $4.82 | $5.56 | $11.13 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.47 | $12.94 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.8 | 0 | $3.08 | $1.41 |
| Efficient EV | 7.3 | 0 | $2.56 | $1.17 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.7 | 0 | $4.10 | $1.88 |
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
Lowell, MA
Morning in Lowell on Tuesday
Local time
6:56 AM
EDT
Current temp
61°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
1 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
36m 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?
Expect a 'turn-heavy local drive' for this entire 29.3-mile stretch. With 0% highway share, you'll be on surface streets for the duration, including sections of Blue Star Memorial Highway, Chelmsford Street, and Main Street. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 24.6 miles on Blue Star Memorial Highway, offering a sustained period of navigation before you hit more local turns. This type of driving means you'll be more immersed in the local landscape and traffic patterns, requiring constant attention to navigation.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 24.6 mi on Blue Star Memorial Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Windsor Street.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 36m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Windsor Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 1.8 miles (I 495 / Blue Star Memorial Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Marlborough, MA
Full guide →Marlborough, sometimes seen as "Marlboro" is a city in Massachusetts with a population of 42,000 (2020).
Arriving in Lowell, MA
Full guide →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.
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 36m. Total distance: 29.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
36m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 24.6 miles on Blue Star Memorial Highway. 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: near the start (Windsor Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 1.8 miles (I 495 / Blue Star Memorial Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Lowell National Historical Park, Minute Man National Historical Park and Boston 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 Lowell, 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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