Origin
Wareham Center, MA
Night in Wareham Center on Saturday
Local time
10:49 PM
EDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Wareham Center, MA to New Bedford, MA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
23m
Distance
17.1 mi
27 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 21m
★
6 AM
0h 23m
8 AM
0h 27m
10 AM
0h 25m
12 PM
0h 24m
3 PM
0h 25m
5 PM
0h 27m
8 PM
0h 22m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Wareham Center, MA
Wikimedia Commons
New Bedford, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are planning a quick trip from Wareham Center to New Bedford, you are looking at a short, straightforward 17.1-mile journey. Expect to spend about 23 minutes behind the wheel, making this an ideal day trip that requires no overnight stay. You will primarily navigate via the Cranberry Highway, the John F. Kennedy Highway, and I-195 to bridge the gap between these two Northeast locations. With an estimated fuel cost of only $3, this is an incredibly economical route to manage. Since the drive is so brief, you have plenty of flexibility to plan your day around your destination rather than the time spent on the road.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 195 | 13.9 mi | 16m |
| John F. Kennedy Highway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Cranberry Highway | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Main Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Sixth Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Tremont Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Market Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| US 6 | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 195
— 13.9 mi, about 16m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Wareham Center, MA and New Bedford, MA.
1
Start on this road
74 ft
·
6 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto Main Street
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
·
Main Street
3
Keep slight right at fork onto Tremont Road
391 ft
·
7 sec
·
Tremont Road
4
Keep slight left at fork onto Tremont Road
426 ft
·
8 sec
·
Tremont Road
5
Turn straight onto MA 28
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Cranberry Highway
6
Turn sharp left
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
Toward I 195 West: New Bedford
7
Merge onto I 195
14 mi
·
16 min
·
I 195
8
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
50 sec
Exit 26
Toward MA 18 South: Downtown New Bedford
9
Merge onto MA 18
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
John F. Kennedy Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
Toward US 6: Dartmouth, Fairhaven
Use the slight right lane.
11
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
Toward US 6 West: Dartmouth
Use the slight right lane.
12
Turn straight onto US 6
186 ft
·
8 sec
·
US 6
13
Turn left onto Sixth Street
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
·
Sixth Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
14
Turn left onto Market Street
237 ft
·
15 sec
·
Market Street
15
Turn left onto Pleasant Street
172 ft
·
3 sec
·
Pleasant Street
16
Arrive at destination
Pleasant Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 16.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Tremont Road
Keep slight right at fork onto Tremont Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
5
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Tremont Road
Keep slight left at fork onto Tremont Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
6
1.1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Turn sharp left toward I 195 West: New Bedford
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
Toward I 195 West: New Bedford
7
16.5 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Take the exit toward US 6: Dartmouth, Fairhaven
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward US 6: Dartmouth, Fairhaven
8
16.6 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Keep slight right at fork toward US 6 West: Dartmouth
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward US 6 West: Dartmouth
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.74 one way
$5.47 round trip
$4.07/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.43 | $2.98 | $5.97 |
| premium | $4.82 | $3.25 | $6.49 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.78 | $7.55 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.1 | 0 | $1.80 | $0.82 |
| Efficient EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.50 | $0.68 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.8 | 0 | $2.39 | $1.09 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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.
Destination
New Bedford, MA
Night in New Bedford on Saturday
Local time
10:49 PM
EDT
Current temp
75°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
23 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
23m 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 17.1-mile transit is a highway-focused drive, with 81% of your travel occurring on major thoroughfares. You will quickly find yourself on I-195, which accounts for the longest uninterrupted stretch of 13.9 miles. Because the vast majority of the trip is spent on interstates and highways, you should prepare for a consistent, high-speed pace rather than a slow, winding local commute. While the route is efficient and practical, it lacks the technical challenges of backroads, offering a predictable experience for drivers who prefer keeping their momentum steady from start to finish.
81% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 13.9 mi on I 195.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 195 and John F. Kennedy Highway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near Tremont Road.
Driving Effort
9/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 17.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 23m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (Tremont Road): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 0.3 miles (Tremont Road): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 1.1 miles: Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach.
About the Cities
Arriving in New Bedford, MA
Full guide →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.
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 23m. Total distance: 17.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
23m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (81%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 13.9 miles on I 195. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 New Bedford, 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 0.3 miles (Tremont Road): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 0.3 miles (Tremont Road): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 1.1 miles: Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach.
Yes — New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park. 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 New Bedford, 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.
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