Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 5, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 28m
Distance
63 mi
101 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$11
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
West Chatham, MA
David Kanigan
The drive from New Bedford, MA to West Chatham, MA covers 63 miles and takes about 1h 28m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Mid Cape Highway, I 195, MA 25 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 26.1 miles on Mid Cape Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $10.51 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Mid Cape Highway | 26.1 mi | 35m |
| I 195 | 14.3 mi | 17m |
| MA 25 | 9.6 mi | 11m |
| Sandwich Road Connector | 3.2 mi | 5m |
| Queen Anne Road | 3 mi | 5m |
| Main Street | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Meetinghouse Road | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| MA 28 | 0.8 mi | 1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 40 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~1,883 veh/hr typical · worst 2,234
Quietest
2 AM
~51 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
36.9×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 104 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between New Bedford, MA and West Chatham, MA.
Start on Pleasant Street
Turn right onto Hillman Street
Take the ramp
Merge onto MA 18
Take the exit
Merge onto I 195
Keep slight right at fork
Merge onto MA 25
Continue on MA 28
Enter roundabout onto Sandwich Road Connector
Continue on Sandwich Road Connector
Turn right onto Mid-Cape Connector
Take the exit
Merge onto US 6
Take the exit
Keep slight right at fork
Turn straight onto MA 124
Turn left onto Queen Anne Road
Enter roundabout onto Queen Anne Road
Continue on Queen Anne Road
Continue on Old Queen Anne Road
Turn right onto MA 137
At end of road, turn left onto MA 28
Enter roundabout onto MA 28
Continue on MA 28
Enter roundabout onto Barn Hill Road
Continue on Barn Hill Road
Arrive at destination
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
32 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 14 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 31.5 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 0.5 and 56.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Take the ramp toward MA 18 North
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
Take the exit toward I 195 East: Cape Cod
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight right at fork toward MA 25 East: Cape Cod
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Take the exit toward MA 124: Harwich, Brewster
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork toward MA 124 South: Harwich, Harwich Port
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$10.51 one way
$21.02 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $11.57 | $23.14 |
| premium | $5.06 | $12.54 | $25.09 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $13.89 | $27.77 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$11
Estimated CO2 emission: 22 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $7 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 18.9 | 0 | $6.62 | $3.02 |
| Efficient EV | 15.8 | 0 | $5.51 | $2.52 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 25.2 | 0 | $8.82 | $4.03 |
Gas CO2
22 kg
EV CO2
7 kg (68% 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 Saturday
Local time
1:19 AM
EDT
Current temp
82°F
Mostly Cloudy then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Destination
Late night in West Chatham on Saturday
Local time
1:19 AM
EDT
Current temp
76°F
Mostly Cloudy
42°F
Sandwich, MA
32 mi in
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.
63 mi in 1h 28m — 39% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: Mid Cape Highway.
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 0.5 miles in.
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 63 miles you will encounter 20 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 0.5 miles: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 1.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 16 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
249 ft
Total Descent
260 ft
Highest Point
188 ft
~31.5 mi in
Elevation Range
171 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between New Bedford, MA and West Chatham, MA, road signs point toward Brewster and Harwich Port.
Brewster
Harwich Port
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
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 28m. Total distance: 63 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 28m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (39%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface 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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