Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 2, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
3h 2m
Distance
131.6 mi
212 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$22
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
New Bedford, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Montague, MA
Italo Melo
New Bedford to Montague is 131.6 miles and takes about 3 hours 2 minutes via MA 2 and I-195/I-190, with a fuel budget near $22 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Massachusetts, moving from the Southeast region up towards the Pioneer Valley. The majority of the drive is on highways, making it a fairly straightforward trip for a single day. Plan for about 63% of your travel to be on limited-access roads. It's a practical route for getting between these two points efficiently.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
A short stop every 2 to 3 hours is enough for this drive.
Midpoint
65.8 miles from New Bedford, MA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 1h 22m into the drive .
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MA 2 | 31 mi | 44m |
| I 195 | 28.1 mi | 35m |
| I 190 | 8.4 mi | 9m |
| Providence Pike | 7.7 mi | 8m |
| Eddie Dowling Highway | 7.5 mi | 8m |
| Worcester Providence Road | 7 mi | 9m |
| North Smithfield Expressway | 5.7 mi | 6m |
| Redemption Rock Trail | 4.8 mi | 7m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 170 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~3,478 veh/hr typical · worst 4,151
Quietest
2 AM
~179 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
19.4×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 105 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between New Bedford, MA and Montague, MA.
Start on Pleasant Street
Continue on Purchase Street
Turn left onto Linden Street
Turn right onto County Street
Turn left onto Cedar Grove Street
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 195
Keep slight left at fork onto I 195
Keep slight right at fork onto US 6
Keep slight left at fork onto US 6
Keep slight left at fork onto I 95
Keep slight right at fork
Continue on RI 146
Continue on RI 146
Keep slight left at fork onto RI 146
Continue on RI 146
Continue on MA 146
Continue on MA 146
Continue on MA 146
Continue on MA 146
Continue on MA 146
Continue on MA 146
Continue on MA 122A; MA 146
Take the exit
Merge onto I 290
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Continue on I 190
Take the exit
Turn left onto MA 140
Continue on MA 140
Enter roundabout onto MA 31; MA 140
Continue on MA 31; MA 140
Continue on MA 140
Continue on MA 140
Continue on MA 2A; MA 140
Take the ramp onto MA 140
Continue on MA 2
Turn slight left onto Prospect Street
At end of road, turn left onto MA 63
Continue on MA 63
Turn right onto MA 63
Turn left onto MA 63
Turn right onto Swamp Road
Turn left onto Turners Falls Road
Continue on Main Street
Arrive at destination
Given this is a 3-hour drive, leaving in the morning is your best bet to allow for flexibility. You'll want to budget around $22 for fuel, and there's only one recommended stop for this route, so you can decide on the fly whether to pause. The longest stretch without a major road change is 31 miles on MA 2, so keep an eye on your fuel level before you hit that segment. Since it's a single-day trip, you have the advantage of not needing to book overnight accommodations, allowing you to adjust your departure time if needed.
Morning Departure
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Evening Departure
A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 29 miles or 37m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 65.8 miles or 1h 22m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 2h 24m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Montague, MA than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving New Bedford, MA so your first major turns are already loaded.
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from New Bedford, MA
This is one driving day of about 131.6 miles and 3h 2m.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
66 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
A short stop after about 29 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 65.8 miles from New Bedford, MA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
5 decision points cluster between mile 12.6 and 71.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Keep slight left at fork onto I 195
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight right at fork onto US 6 toward I 95 North, US 6 West: Boston Massachusetts
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork onto US 6 toward I 95 North, US 6 West: Boston Massachusetts
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork toward RI 146 North: State Offices
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork toward I 190 North: Sterling, Leominster
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$21.95 one way
$43.90 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $24.17 | $48.34 |
| premium | $5.06 | $26.20 | $52.40 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $29.01 | $58.02 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.15
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$22
Tolls
$0
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$47–$72
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 46 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $14 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 39.5 | 0 | $13.82 | $6.32 |
| Efficient EV | 32.9 | 0 | $11.52 | $5.26 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 52.6 | 0 | $18.42 | $8.42 |
Gas CO2
46 kg
EV CO2
15 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
Late night in New Bedford on Wednesday
Local time
2:40 AM
EDT
Current temp
60°F
Rain Showers Likely then Mostly Cloudy
Destination
Late night in Montague on Wednesday
Local time
2:40 AM
EDT
Current temp
59°F
Rain Showers Likely then Patchy Fog
75°F
Worcester, MA
66 mi in
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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.
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
National Historical Park
"The town itself is perhaps the dearest place to live in, in all New England..nowhere in all America will you find more patrician-like houses, parks and gardens more opulent, than in New Bedford…all t...
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The Blackstone River powered America's entry into the Age of Industry. The success of Samuel Slater's cotton spinning mill in Pawtucket, RI touched off a chain reaction that changed how people worked...
National Scenic Trail
From the Sound to the summits: the New England Trail covers 235 miles from Long Island Sound across long ridges to scenic mountain summits in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The trail offers panoramic...
National Historical Park
At Minute Man National Historical Park the opening battle of the Revolution is brought to life as visitors explore the battlefields and structures associated with April 19, 1775, and witness the Ameri...
National Historical Park
Lowell’s water-powered textile mills catapulted the nation – including immigrant families and early female factory workers – into an uncertain new industrial era. Nearly 200 years later, the changes t...
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
You'll be on highways for about 63% of this 131.6-mile drive. The longest continuous stretch on a single highway is 31 miles on MA 2. Expect a more rural feel once you transition off the interstate systems, with MA 2 offering a mix of divided highway and surface road driving. The abundance of highway miles means you'll encounter frequent exit ramps and potentially faster speeds for much of the trip.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on MA 2 and I 195. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 12.6 miles in near I 195.
High effort - long or complex enough to need steady focus all day
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a demanding drive. With 24 significant decision points across 131.6 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 12.6 miles (I 195): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 29.9 miles (US 6): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 30 miles (US 6): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Gently rolling terrain
Total Climb
1,324 ft
Total Descent
1,151 ft
Highest Point
1,147 ft
~94 mi in
Elevation Range
1,101 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between New Bedford, MA and Montague, MA, road signs point toward Marlboro, Leominster and Princeton.
Marlboro
Leominster
Princeton
Founded 1640
New Bedford is in Massachusetts on the southern coast. New Bedford's excellent harbor made it a natural fishing and whaling center. It was the world's premier whaling port in the 19th century, and, for a time, "the richest city in the world" and "the city that lit the world" because of whale oil production. New Bedford neighbor Acushnet is the birthplace of the Titleist golf ball.
Top landmarks
Founded 1715
Montague is a town in Franklin County, in the Pioneer Valley region of Massachusetts. This article also covers the villages of Millers Falls and Turners Falls.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 3h 2m. Total distance: 131.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
3h 2m drive, comfortable solo distance.
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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