Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Jun 3, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
36m
Distance
20.7 mi
33 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Salem, MA
José Alcalá
Ballardvale, MA
Italo Melo
Salem, MA to Ballardvale, MA is 20.7 miles and takes about 36 minutes via Yankee Division Highway and I-93, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Northeast region, specifically Massachusetts, making it a straightforward local drive. Given its brief duration and minimal highway share, it's ideal for a quick commute or an extension of a local outing. You'll find the journey is more about navigating local streets than covering vast distances, so expect a relaxed pace.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Yankee Division Highway | 7.2 mi | 9m |
| Lowell Street | 3 mi | 6m |
| I 93 | 2.9 mi | 3m |
| Ballardvale Street | 2.1 mi | 3m |
| Salem Street | 1.3 mi | 3m |
| River Street | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Boston Street | 0.8 mi | 2m |
| Main Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 110 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~5,735 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~418 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
13.7×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 52 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Salem, MA and Ballardvale, MA.
Start on Gedney Street
Continue on Broad Street
Continue on Dalton Parkway
At end of road, turn right onto MA 107
Continue on MA 107
Turn left onto MA 107
Continue on Main Street
Continue on Lowell Street
Take the ramp
Merge onto MA 128
Take the exit
Enter roundabout onto MA 129
Continue on MA 129
Continue on MA 129
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 93
Take the exit
Keep slight right at fork
Turn straight onto MA 125
Turn left onto Ballardvale Street
Continue on River Street
Turn left onto Andover Street
Turn left onto Tewksbury Street
Turn left onto Marland Street
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.5 and 17.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
At end of road, turn right onto MA 107 / Highland Avenue
Navigation decision point
Turn left onto MA 107 / Boston Street
Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward MA 129: Wakefield Center, Wilmington
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Take the exit toward MA 125: Andover, North Andover
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork toward MA 125 North: Ballardvale Street, Andover, North Andover, Merrimack College
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$3.67 one way
$7.34 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.90 | $3.99 | $7.98 |
| premium | $5.29 | $4.31 | $8.62 |
| diesel | $5.35 | $4.36 | $8.72 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-06-01.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.2 | 0 | $2.17 | $0.99 |
| Efficient EV | 5.2 | 0 | $1.81 | $0.83 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.3 | 0 | $2.90 | $1.32 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Evening in Salem on Wednesday
Local time
7:01 PM
EDT
Current temp
57°F
Sunny
Destination
Evening in Ballardvale on Wednesday
Local time
7:01 PM
EDT
Current temp
62°F
Sunny
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.
This route offers a turn-heavy local drive profile, meaning you'll be making frequent adjustments rather than settling into a long highway cruise. Only about 15% of this 20.7-mile journey involves highway driving, primarily on I-93. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 7.2 miles along the Yankee Division Highway. As you progress, the drive transitions from local roads to this highway segment before returning to more local navigation towards your destination.
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 0.5 miles in near MA 107 / Highland Avenue.
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 16 decision points packed into just 20.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 36m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (MA 107 / Highland Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (MA 107 / Boston Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 10.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
216 ft
Total Descent
124 ft
Highest Point
157 ft
~4.4 mi in
Elevation Range
146 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Salem, MA and Ballardvale, MA, road signs point toward Wilmington, Concord New Hampshire, Andover and Merrimack College.
Wilmington
Concord New Hampshire
Andover
Merrimack College
Tagged by where each one fits in your drive — first break, midpoint, final stretch.
Cafe
Near the start, right off the route
Salem, MA
Cuisine: coffee_shop
Visit websiteCafe
Near the end, right off the route
Andover
Visit websiteCafe
Near the start, right off the route
Salem
Cuisine: european;coffee_shop
Visit websiteCafe
Near the start, right off the route
Salem, MA
Cuisine: coffee_shop
Hours: Mo-Fr 07:00-23:00; Sa 07:30-23:00; Su 07...
Visit websiteCafe
Around the midpoint, right off the route
Reading, MA
Cuisine: coffee_shop
Hours: Mo-Fr 05:00-18:00; Sa-Su 06:00-18:00
Visit websiteCafe
Near the start, right off the route
Salem, MA
Cuisine: coffee_shop;donut;pastry;sandwich;pizza;cake
Hours: 05:00-23:00
Visit websiteRestaurant
Near the start, right off the route
Salem, MA
Cuisine: american
Visit websiteRestaurant
Near the start, right off the route
Cuisine: indian
Visit websiteRestaurant
Near the end, right off the route
Andover
Cuisine: pizza
Visit websiteRestaurant
Near the start, right off the route
Salem
Cuisine: pizza
Hours: 11:00-23:00
Visit websiteRestaurant
Near the start, right off the route
Salem
Hours: Mo-Sa 10:00-20:00; Su 11:00-20:00
Visit websiteRestaurant
Near the start, right off the route
Salem, MA
Cuisine: mexican
Hours: Su-Tu 11:30-23:00; We-Sa 11:30-00:00
Visit websiteAttraction
Near the start, right off the route
Salem, MA
Attraction
Near the start, right off the route
Attraction
Early in the drive, short detour
Attraction
Early in the drive, short detour
Attraction
Early in the drive, short detour
Museum
Near the start, right off the route
Salem, MA
Visit websiteArtwork
Near the start, right off the route
Museum
Near the start, right off the route
MA
Artwork
Near the start, right off the route
Artwork
Near the start, right off the route
District
Near the start, right off the route
Guest_house
Near the start, right off the route
Salem, MA
Visit websiteHotel
Near the end, short detour
Motel
Early in the drive, short detour
Danvers, MA
Points of interest from OpenStreetMap contributors. Listings may not reflect current hours or availability.
Founded 1626
A charming New England seaside destination, Salem offers visitors the requisite bevy of enthralling elements: a world-class museum, compelling oceanfront and maritime history, quirky shops and tempting restaurants. They're all here and vying for your attention. However, one event in Salem's 400-year history looms above all else—the Salem witch trials. One of the most notorious cases of mass hysteria, the trials saw over 200 people charged with witchcraft, 25 of whom died as a direct result. Try as they might, the city was never able to memory hole the events of 1692. So eventually they changed tack, leaning into the lore of witches and magic. Today the "Witch City" plasters its civic institutions with witch silhouettes, they even built a baseball diamond atop Gallows Hill Park. The plan seems to have worked, tourists have responded and business is up.
Top landmarks
Andover is a town in Massachusetts with a population of 37,000 (2020). It is situated at the crossroads of I-495 and I-93 in the heart of the Merrimack Valley. North Andover is a small town on the banks of the Merrimack River. It has a population of about 31,000 (2020) and is 25 miles north of Boston.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 36m. Total distance: 20.7 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.
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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore more options from Salem, MA or browse trips ending in Ballardvale, MA.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse MA road trips.
