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This has been a very helpful forum as my family thinks of moving from Mass to NH to get more house for our money and be closer to the outdoor activities we love.
We are narrowing down our list of towns to consider and I'm really keen on Bedford. It's also the town farthest north we're thinking about and my partner is worried about the commute to his office in Billerica.
Google Maps says 52 minutes....but we know how misleading that can be, especially in rush hour! Does anyone regularly commute between the Manchester/Bedford area and Billerica? Is it doable in under an hour? Are there organized car/vanpools? Do you have to leave at 6 am to make it reasonable?
Traffic really varies depending on the time of year. Exit 8 (Nashua) to Exit 26 (Bedford MA) has been running 30 minutes lately @ 7am. In September (right after school started) it was AWFUL for about a month- then tapered down to just under an hour...and now down to 30 (where it will probably stay for the summer).
I've found that there are two peak traffic times. One for people heading to Boston, early, and one for people heading to work along route 3 in MA- later. Go before/between/after- and it's not too bad.
In short- it really depends WHERE in Bedford; but I would say on average google maps sounds pretty accurate. There will be some miserable periods of long commutes...then just when you get too fed up- people will get back into their schedule and it will lighten up to reasonable.
I live in north Nashua and commuted to Billerica for 7 years (even during the widening project). It's pretty brutal getting through the Chelmsford stretch. It took me 50 minutes to 1 hour to go from exit 8 in Nashua to south Billerica. Rush hour was from 6am-9am. I once had a 4+ hour commute home in a snow storm. A fender bender or tire changer could push the commute to 1.5-2hrs.
Now I work off 495 and am so glad to exit rt3 just as traffic starts to back up from Chelmsford.
In September (right after school started) it was AWFUL for about a month- then tapered down to just under an hour...and now down to 30 (where it will probably stay for the summer).
This is true. It takes a few weeks for things to sort-out after school starts. That is the worst time.
It depends on the time of day, really. If you're out the door BEFORE 6 am, I would say between an hour & fifteen to 1.5 hours. That is WITHOUT traffic... The later in the morning that you leave, that time can almost double (LOTS of construction still going on 93, both in MA & NH) I suppose you could bypass the construction by taking Rte 3 to 95/128 to the Mass Pike, but no, THAT'S not fun at any time of day. Stick to 93, but leave EARLY is all I can say...
Quote:
Originally Posted by NH Home
How long would a commute from Bedford, NH to Dorchester, MA be?
I left at 6:15 and was still driving after two hours on Tuesday..........Yikes! Is that the usual? How do people do it? Then the drive home could even be longer.....
I left at 6:15 and was still driving after two hours on Tuesday..........Yikes! Is that the usual? How do people do it? Then the drive home could even be longer.....
Isn't that the American Dream?
I can't imagine commuting like that. But LOTS of people do it. Seems like a HUGE quality of life barrier to me.
It all depends on time of day. As mentioned, if you avoid peak periods, Bedford to Billerica is less than an hour each way.
I used to make that drive about once a week, now that all our New England employees live in NH or Maine, I convinced the company to move the office north, to Nashua. Rent is half as much, commute is half as long (from Bedford) and we all got a 'raise' by no longer paying Massachusetts income tax.
Quote:
Originally Posted by riddei63
I can't imagine commuting like that. But LOTS of people do it. Seems like a HUGE quality of life barrier to me.
The trick is to find a job where you can telecommute at least part of the time. A multi-hour commute isn't half as bad when you only drive it a couple of times a week.
How long would a commute from Bedford, NH to Dorchester, MA be?
Too long. You need to look at housing in MA.
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