Origin
Worcester, MA
Late night in Worcester on Sunday
Local time
1:59 AM
EDT
Current temp
64°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Worcester, MA to Arlington, MA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
59m
Distance
41.5 mi
67 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 55m
★
6 AM
0h 59m
8 AM
1h 9m
10 AM
1h 3m
12 PM
1h 2m
3 PM
1h 3m
5 PM
1h 8m
8 PM
0h 56m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Worcester, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Arlington, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Worcester to Arlington is 41.5 miles and takes about 59m via Massachusetts Turnpike, with a fuel budget near $7 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Massachusetts, connecting two points in the Northeast region. Expect a drive that is primarily on the highway, making it a straightforward journey. It's a short enough distance that you can easily complete it in a single day, offering flexibility for when you want to depart and how often you might want to stop.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Turnpike | 26.1 mi | 30m |
| Grafton Street | 3.6 mi | 4m |
| Pleasant Street | 2.7 mi | 5m |
| Waverley Oaks Road | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| Moody Street | 1.1 mi | 3m |
| Lexington Street | 1 mi | 1m |
| Commonwealth Avenue | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Main Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Massachusetts Turnpike
— 26.1 mi, about 30m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Worcester, MA and Arlington, MA.
1
Start on Main Street
293 ft
·
12 sec
·
Main Street
2
Turn right onto Front Street
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
·
Front Street
3
Enter roundabout onto Grafton Street
24 ft
·
0 sec
·
Grafton Street
4
Continue on Grafton Street
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
·
Grafton Street
5
Continue on MA 122
0.5 mi
·
41 sec
·
Grafton Street
6
Enter roundabout onto MA 122
39 ft
·
0 sec
·
Grafton Street
7
Continue on MA 122
2.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Grafton Street
8
Continue on MA 122
0.4 mi
·
59 sec
·
Grafton Road
9
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
56 sec
10
Keep slight left at fork
0.6 mi
·
1 min
11
Merge onto I 90
26 mi
·
30 min
·
Massachusetts Turnpike
12
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
Exit 123
Toward I 95: Portsmouth New Hampshire, Providence Rhode Island
Use the slight right lane.
13
Continue on this road
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
·
this road
14
Continue on this road
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
·
this road
15
Keep slight left at fork
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 95 North: Waltham, Portsmouth New Hampshire
16
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
20 sec
Exit 39A
Toward MA 30: Newton, Weston
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Keep slight right at fork
132 ft
·
4 sec
Toward MA 30 East: Newton
Use the left / right lanes.
18
Turn slight right onto MA 30
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Commonwealth Avenue
Use the left lane.
19
Turn left onto Lexington Street
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Lexington Street
Use the left lane.
20
Continue on Moody Street
1.1 mi
·
3 min
·
Moody Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
21
Turn right onto US 20
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Main Street
Use the straight lane.
22
Turn left onto MA 60
0.4 mi
·
33 sec
·
Linden Street
Use the left lane.
23
Keep slight right at fork onto MA 60
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Waverley Oaks Road
24
Turn right onto MA 60
0.3 mi
·
42 sec
·
Trapelo Road
Use the left lane.
25
Turn left onto MA 60
2.7 mi
·
5 min
·
Pleasant Street
Use the left lane.
26
Turn left onto Maple Street
447 ft
·
21 sec
·
Maple Street
27
Turn right
318 ft
·
23 sec
28
Arrive at destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
21 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 41.5 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 20.7 miles from Worcester, 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 195 decision points cluster between mile 31.6 and 33.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
31.6 mi into trip
|
~39m in
Take the exit toward I 95: Portsmouth New Hampshire, Providence Rhode Island
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 123
Toward I 95: Portsmouth New Hampshire, Providen...
6
32.4 mi into trip
|
~40m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 95 North: Waltham, Portsmouth New Hampshire
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 95 North: Waltham, Portsmouth New Hamp...
9
32.9 mi into trip
|
~41m in
Keep slight right at fork toward MA 30: Newton, Weston
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 39A
Toward MA 30: Newton, Weston
8
33 mi into trip
|
~42m in
Keep slight right at fork toward MA 30 East: Newton
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / right lanes.
Toward MA 30 East: Newton
6
33.9 mi into trip
|
~43m in
|
Lexington Street
Turn left onto Lexington Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.64 one way
$13.28 round trip
$4.07/gal
25.4 MPG avg
15 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.43 | $7.24 | $14.49 |
| premium | $4.82 | $7.88 | $15.76 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $9.16 | $18.33 |
Estimated Tolls: $1.57
Massachusetts Turnpike
(26.1 mi)
$1.57
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
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 14.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 12.5 | 0 | $4.36 | $1.99 |
| Efficient EV | 10.4 | 0 | $3.63 | $1.66 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 16.6 | 0 | $5.81 | $2.66 |
Gas CO2
15 kg
EV CO2
5 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
Arlington, MA
Late night in Arlington on Sunday
Local time
1:59 AM
EDT
Current temp
63°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 cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
59m 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 is a highway-focused drive, with 63% of the journey utilizing faster roads. You'll experience a significant stretch of 26.1 miles on the Massachusetts Turnpike, offering a consistent pace. While the majority of the route is on the highway, you'll also navigate through local streets like Grafton Street and Pleasant Street. This mix means you'll transition between higher-speed travel and more typical urban or suburban road conditions.
63% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
28 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 26.1 mi on Massachusetts Turnpike.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Massachusetts Turnpike and Grafton Street. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 31.6 miles in.
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 19 decision points packed into just 41.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 59m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 31.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 32.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 32.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Worcester, MA and Arlington, MA, road signs point toward Providence Rhode Island, Portsmouth New Hampshire and Weston.
Providence Rhode Island
31.6 mi in
|
~39m
Portsmouth New Hampshire
32.4 mi in
|
~40m
Weston
32.9 mi in
|
~41m
About the Cities
Starting 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 59m. Total distance: 41.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
59m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (63%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 26.1 miles on Massachusetts Turnpike. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $1.57 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 Arlington, 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 31.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 32.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 32.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Boston National Historical Park, Minute Man National Historical Park and Adams 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 Arlington, 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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