Commuting from Durham NH to Burlington MA.... (Boston, Hudson: house, job market)

[thisiswater]

Have fallen in love with a house in NH. Has anyone done this commute for years? Many thanks!

[gf2020]

That's not a realistic commute. This winter should be sufficient evidence of that.

[GeoffD]

I lived in Portsmouth for a decade. The drive is fine until I-95 becomes Route 128. You then have 14 miles of unpredictable traffic jam on 128. Unless you can flex your work day to be driving on 128 before 7am or after 9:30 am, you will have a lot of days with 1 hour delays. If you could flex to arrive at the office before 7am and be out the door before 3pm to drive home, it's possible but you're still spending 2+ hours in a car every day.

Commuting on the Southeast Expressway is worse but 128 from the I-95 split to the Burlington Mall is probably the 2nd worst commute in metro-Boston and there is no rail alternative. If you want to live in that part of New Hampshire, start your job search. Your quality of life with 3+ hours in a car every day and all that stress on 128 would be awful.

[AtkinsonDan]

Originally Posted by thisiswater

Have fallen in love with a house in NH. Has anyone done this commute for years? Many thanks!

I was working in Burlington at the time I relocated to Atkinson. The commute was tough but almost unbearable on Thursday and Friday afternoons; trying to get home when travelers from NY and CT were clogging up I-93 and I-495 northbound.

The mornings weren't terrible if I left the house before 7 AM. If I had to do it again I would seek out a semi-flexible work schedule to leave earlier on Thursdays and Fridays by working longer on the other days of the week.

Durham to/from Atkinson would be another commute in and of itself. I would focus on the Portsmouth and Portland, Maine job markets if your heart is set on the place in Durham.

[sunshinelove0000]

Awful commute. I'd opt for living somewhere off of route 3. Merrimack, Bedford, Hudson.. You'd have a much easier commute