Origin
Waltham, MA
Morning in Waltham on Friday
Local time
11:59 AM
EDT
Current temp
63°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Waltham, MA to Burlington, MA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
20m
Distance
12.3 mi
20 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 19m
★
6 AM
0h 20m
8 AM
0h 24m
10 AM
0h 22m
12 PM
0h 21m
3 PM
0h 22m
5 PM
0h 24m
8 PM
0h 19m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Waltham, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Burlington, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Waltham, MA to Burlington, MA covers 12.3 miles and takes about 20m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Yankee Division Highway, Totten Pond Road, Cambridge Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 8.1 miles on Yankee Division Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.97 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 20m. Total distance: 12.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
20m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 20m drive with frequent turns across 12.3 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Yankee Division Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 8.1 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
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 early in the drive near Church Street.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 12.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 20m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Church Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 0.2 miles (Lexington Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 11 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Church Street
Turn left onto Church Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
Turn left
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Lexington Street
Turn right onto Lexington Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight lanes.
5
2.7 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
I 95; MA 128 / Yankee Division Highway
Merge onto I 95; MA 128 / Yankee Division Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
10.8 mi into trip
|
~16m in
Take the exit toward MA 3A North: Burlington
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Exit 51B
Toward MA 3A North: Burlington
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Yankee Division Highway | 8.1 mi | 11m |
| Totten Pond Road | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| Cambridge Street | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Lexington Street | 0.8 mi | 2m |
| Wyman Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Church Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Main Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Yankee Division Highway
— 8.1 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Waltham, MA and Burlington, MA.
1
Start on US 20
184 ft
·
8 sec
·
Main Street
2
Turn left onto Church Street
431 ft
·
13 sec
·
Church Street
Use the left lane.
3
Turn left
394 ft
·
16 sec
Use the left lane.
4
Turn right onto Lexington Street
0.8 mi
·
2 min
·
Lexington Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
5
Keep slight left at fork onto Totten Pond Road
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
Totten Pond Road
6
Turn right onto Wyman Street
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
·
Wyman Street
7
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
8
Merge onto I 95; MA 128
8.1 mi
·
11 min
·
Yankee Division Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
Exit 51B
Toward MA 3A North: Burlington
Use the straight / right lanes.
10
Merge onto US 3
428 ft
·
5 sec
·
Cambridge Street
11
Continue on MA 3A
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Cambridge Street
12
Turn right
33 ft
·
7 sec
13
Turn left
93 ft
·
6 sec
14
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.97 one way
$3.94 round trip
$4.07/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.43 | $2.15 | $4.29 |
| premium | $4.82 | $2.34 | $4.67 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.72 | $5.43 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.29 | $0.59 |
| Efficient EV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.08 | $0.49 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.72 | $0.79 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Burlington, MA
Morning in Burlington on Friday
Local time
11:59 AM
EDT
Current temp
41°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
22 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
20m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Waltham, MA to Burlington, MA covers 12.3 miles and takes about 20m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Yankee Division Highway, Totten Pond Road, Cambridge Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 6.2 miles from Waltham, MA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.97 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 12.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 20m.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Church Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 0.2 miles (Lexington Street): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Waltham, MA to Burlington, MA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Minute Man National Historical Park, Boston National Historical Park and Lowell National Historical Park. There are 6 parks within detour distance of this route.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh 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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