Origin
South Boston, MA
Afternoon in South Boston on Sunday
Local time
1:28 PM
EDT
Current temp
63°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from South Boston, MA to Worcester, MA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h
Distance
44.9 mi
72 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 55m
★
6 AM
1h 0m
8 AM
1h 10m
10 AM
1h 3m
12 PM
1h 2m
3 PM
1h 4m
5 PM
1h 9m
8 PM
0h 57m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
South Boston, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Worcester, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
South Boston, MA to Worcester, MA is 44.9 miles and takes about 1 hour via Massachusetts Turnpike, with a fuel budget near $7 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This straightforward trip stays within Massachusetts, moving from the Northeast region to another part of the Northeast. It's a quick drive that's easy to fit into a single day, ideal for a short hop between two urban centers. You'll spend most of your time on a major highway, making it a functional rather than scenic journey.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Turnpike | 37.6 mi | 45m |
| Grafton Street | 3.6 mi | 4m |
| Grafton Road | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Foster Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| West Sixth Street | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| West Fourth Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Orton-Marotta Way | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Main Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Massachusetts Turnpike
— 37.6 mi, about 45m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between South Boston, MA and Worcester, MA.
1
Start on Dorchester Street
280 ft
·
17 sec
·
Dorchester Street
2
Turn left onto West Sixth Street
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
West Sixth Street
3
Continue on Orton-Marotta Way
0.2 mi
·
43 sec
·
Orton-Marotta Way
4
At end of road, turn right onto B Street
293 ft
·
15 sec
·
B Street
5
Turn left onto West Fifth Street
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
West Fifth Street
6
Turn right onto Dorchester Avenue
427 ft
·
18 sec
·
Dorchester Avenue
7
Turn left onto West Fourth Street
0.3 mi
·
50 sec
·
West Fourth Street
Use the left lane.
8
Turn right onto Frontage Road
160 ft
·
3 sec
·
Frontage Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
9
Take the ramp
0.8 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 90 West: Mass Pike, Worcester
10
Merge onto I 90
38 mi
·
45 min
·
Massachusetts Turnpike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Exit 96
Toward MA 122: Millbury, Worcester
12
Keep slight left at fork
173 ft
·
10 sec
13
Turn left onto MA 122
0.4 mi
·
53 sec
·
Grafton Road
14
Continue on MA 122
2.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Grafton Street
15
Enter roundabout onto MA 122
123 ft
·
1 sec
·
Grafton Street
16
Continue on MA 122
0.5 mi
·
39 sec
·
Grafton Street
17
Continue on MA 122
0.3 mi
·
31 sec
·
Grafton Street
18
Enter roundabout onto Front Street
277 ft
·
4 sec
·
Front Street
19
Continue on Front Street
427 ft
·
11 sec
·
Front Street
20
Turn right onto Foster Street
0.4 mi
·
44 sec
·
Foster Street
21
Turn left onto Main Street
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
·
Main Street
22
Arrive at destination
Main Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
22 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.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 22.4 miles from South Boston, 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 155 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 39.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West Sixth Street
Turn left onto West Sixth Street
Navigation decision point
6
0.6 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
B Street
At end of road, turn right onto B Street
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
6
0.8 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
West Fourth Street
Turn left onto West Fourth Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
1.1 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
Frontage Road
Turn right onto Frontage Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
39.5 mi into trip
|
~51m in
Take the exit toward MA 122: Millbury, Worcester
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 96
Toward MA 122: Millbury, Worcester
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.19 one way
$14.37 round trip
$4.07/gal
25.4 MPG avg
16 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.43 | $7.84 | $15.67 |
| premium | $4.82 | $8.53 | $17.05 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $9.91 | $19.83 |
Estimated Tolls: $2.26
Massachusetts Turnpike
(37.6 mi)
$2.26
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Tolls
$2
Total
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 15.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 13.5 | 0 | $4.71 | $2.16 |
| Efficient EV | 11.2 | 0 | $3.93 | $1.80 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 18 | 0 | $6.29 | $2.87 |
Gas CO2
16 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (69% 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
Worcester, MA
Afternoon in Worcester on Sunday
Local time
1:28 PM
EDT
Current temp
64°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
1h 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?
This route is heavily focused on highway driving, with an 84% highway share. Expect to spend most of your time on the Massachusetts Turnpike, which accounts for the longest uninterrupted stretch of 37.6 miles. The profile is largely a highway-focused drive, meaning you'll experience consistent speeds and a more direct path. While there are brief transitions to local roads like Grafton Street and Grafton Road, the dominant character is that of efficient, high-speed travel.
84% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
22 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 37.6 mi on Massachusetts Turnpike.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Massachusetts Turnpike and Grafton Street. You will hit about 15 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near West Sixth Street.
Driving Effort
6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 44.9 miles you will encounter 15 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 0.1 miles (West Sixth Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (B Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.8 miles (West Fourth Street): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Worcester, MA
Full guide →Explore fine arts, history, and take in a show in Worcester, a medium sized city in Central Massachusetts about an hour's drive west of Boston. Worcester's seven hills and their valleys contain top notch museums, nine colleges and universities, beautiful parks, and food from all over the globe.
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 1h. Total distance: 44.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (84%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 37.6 miles on Massachusetts Turnpike. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $2.26 in tolls one way, starting with Massachusetts Turnpike. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
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 Worcester, 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 0.1 miles (West Sixth Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (B Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.8 miles (West Fourth Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Boston National Historical Park, Adams National Historical Park and Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (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 Worcester, 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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Worcester, MA
More trips to Worcester, MA
Explore more options from South Boston, MA or browse trips ending in Worcester, MA.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse MA road trips.