New Bedford to Saugus is 67.7 miles and takes about 1 hour 29 minutes via Amvets Highway and I-93, with a fuel budget near $11 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Massachusetts, connecting two points in the Northeast region. The drive is mostly highway, offering a relatively quick connection between these two locations. It's a straightforward option if you need to get from the South Coast area to the northern suburbs of Boston efficiently. Plan for about an hour and a half of pure driving time, plus any stops.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
Amvets Highway
23.3 mi
26m
Alfred Bessette Memorial Highway
15.8 mi
18m
I 93
11.5 mi
15m
US 1
8.7 mi
11m
John F. Fitzgerald Expressway
3.2 mi
5m
Purchase Street
1.8 mi
3m
Mount Pleasant Street
0.9 mi
1m
Main Street
0.7 mi
1m
Longest stretch:
Amvets Highway
— 23.3 mi, about 26m
Traffic on I-93
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 314 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
2 PM
~5,380 veh/hr typical
· worst 6,865
Quietest
2 AM
~556 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
9.7×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a6anoon6p11p
Averaged across 104 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 New Bedford, MA and Saugus, MA.
1
Start on Pleasant Street
0.3 mi·32 sec·Pleasant Street
2
Continue on Purchase Street
1.8 mi·3 min·Purchase Street
3
Continue on Nauset Street
0.3 mi·45 sec·Nauset Street
4
At end of road, turn right onto Hathaway Road
302 ft·6 sec·Hathaway Road
5
Continue on Mount Pleasant Street
0.9 mi·1 min·Mount Pleasant Street
6
Turn right onto Kings Highway
0.2 mi·38 sec·Kings Highway
7
Take the ramp
0.2 mi·32 sec
Toward MA 140 North: Taunton, Boston
8
Merge onto MA 140
16 mi·18 min·Alfred Bessette Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.2 mi·54 sec
Exit 20AToward MA 24 North: Boston
10
Merge onto MA 24
23 mi·26 min·Amvets Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight right at fork
0.5 mi·1 min
Exit 41AToward I 93 North, US 1 North: BostonUse the slight left / slight right lanes.
12
Merge onto I 93; US 1
12 mi·15 min·I 93; US 1
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Continue on I 93; US 1; MA 3
3.2 mi·5 min·John F. Fitzgerald Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Keep slight left at fork onto US 1
8.7 mi·11 min·US 1
Exit 19Toward US 1 North: Tobin Bridge, RevereUse the slight left / straight lanes.
15
Take the exit
0.1 mi·15 sec
Toward Main Street, Saugus
16
Turn straight onto Main Street
0.7 mi·1 min·Main Street
17
Turn sharp left onto Central Street
227 ft·19 sec·Central Street
18
Turn left onto Main Street
75 ft·1 sec·Main Street
19
Arrive at destination
2 ft·Main Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
The midpoint is around 33.9 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.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 11
5 decision points cluster between mile 2.3 and 58.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
2.3 mi into trip|~4m in|Hathaway Road
At end of road, turn right onto Hathaway Road
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
6
3.5 mi into trip|~6m in
Take the ramp toward MA 140 North: Taunton, Boston
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward MA 140 North: Taunton, Boston
5
3.8 mi into trip|~7m in|MA 140 / Alfred Bessette Memorial Highway
Merge onto MA 140 / Alfred Bessette Memorial Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
43 mi into trip|~53m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 93 North, US 1 North: Boston
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Exit 41A
Toward I 93 North, US 1 North: Boston
9
58.2 mi into trip|~1h 15m in|US 1
Keep slight left at fork onto US 1 toward US 1 North: Tobin Bridge, Revere
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / straight lanes.
Exit 19
Toward US 1 North: Tobin Bridge, Revere
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$11.83 one way
$23.66 round trip
$4.44/gal25.4 MPG avg24 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.90
$13.07
$26.14
premium
$5.31
$14.16
$28.31
diesel
$6.18
$16.47
$32.94
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$12
Estimated CO2 emission: 23.7 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-10-12.
Driving Electric?
About $7 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
20.3
0
$7.11
$3.25
Efficient EV
16.9
0
$5.92
$2.71
EV Truck/SUV
27.1
0
$9.48
$4.33
Gas CO2
24 kg
EV CO2
8 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.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Forecast as of Oct 16, 2026
Origin
New Bedford, MA
Evening
in New Bedford on Sunday
Local time
8:21 PM
EDT
Current temp
70°F
Slight Chance Rain Showers
SW 17 mph21% chanceLive forecast
Special Weather Statement
Special Weather Statement issued October 16 at 5:54PM EDT by NWS Albany NY
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued October 16 at 5:52PM EDT until October 16 at 6:45PM EDT by NWS Boston/Norton MA
Destination
Saugus, MA
Evening
in Saugus on Sunday
Local time
8:21 PM
EDT
Current temp
67°F
Chance Rain Showers
SW 13 mph28% chanceLive forecast
Special Weather Statement
Special Weather Statement issued October 16 at 5:54PM EDT by NWS Albany NY
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued October 16 at 5:52PM EDT until October 16 at 6:45PM EDT by NWS Boston/Norton MA
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
3 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
1h 29m on the road
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.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
About 35% of this 67.7-mile route is on highways, meaning you'll experience a mix of driving conditions. You'll have a stretch of 23.3 miles on Amvets Highway before transitioning to other roads. Expect the highway portion to involve merging and passing other vehicles, particularly as you approach and utilize I-93. The remaining drive will be on surface roads, likely with more intersections and varying speed limits.
35% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 23.3 mi on Amvets 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 2.3 miles in near Hathaway Road.
Driving Effort8/10
Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 67.7 miles you will encounter 11 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 2.3 miles (Hathaway Road): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 3.5 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.8 miles (MA 140 / Alfred Bessette Memorial Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
148 ft9 ft
Total Climb
258 ft
Total Descent
294 ft
Highest Point
148 ft
~43.6 mi in
Elevation Range
139 ft
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between New Bedford, MA and Saugus, MA, road signs point toward Boston and Revere.
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
•New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park — national Historical Park of the United States
•Central New Bedford Historic District — historic district in Massachusetts, United States
Saugus is a town in Greater Boston, Massachusetts, just north of the city. Its population is approximately 29,000 (2020), but despite its small size it has a long history lasting almost 400 years. The name of the town has its origins in the Algonquin language, meaning "great" or "extended."
Top landmarks
•Lynn Fells Parkway — parkway in Greater Boston, Massachusetts
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 29m. Total distance: 67.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 29m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (35%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 23.3 miles on Amvets Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 3 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
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 Saugus, 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 2.3 miles (Hathaway Road): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 3.5 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.8 miles (MA 140 / Alfred Bessette Memorial Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, Adams 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 Saugus, MA before heading back.
