Providence to Worcester Commute (Woonsocket, North Providence: living, shops, bus)

[kv.ny]

Hello everyone. I may be getting a job in Worcester, but really want to live in Providence. Does anyone make that work commute? Is it reasonable? MapQuest says it's about 40 miles and takes 50 minutes. That makes for a long ride to and from work everyday...

Is there any kind of daily commuter bus or rail?
Thanks!

[Jenkins86]

I make that commute now and again. It is not bad at all - the traffic is light to moderate on 146 until you hit route 290. I never get on 290 and just navigate city streets from there to get to my work. To shorten your commute I recommend living near 146 in Providence. For example, check housing in the north end of Providence or even North Providence itself, both of which are close to the 146 on ramp.

[nate14ri]

not a bad commute for most part but fyi 146 is pothole central and may do a number on your car.

[Jenkins86]

Amen to that. 146 is a prime example of Rhody ranking near last in percentage of revenue it spends on road repair. A friend was visiting and asked why there were so many car garages/mechanic shops around and it dawned on me - because the roads are so bad!

[kv.ny]

thank you everyone, for the input! much appreciated. fortunately for me, i'm used to crappy roads!

[RunawayJim]

You'd be doing a reverse commute, as most of the people are coming from Worcester into Providence. My boss used to live north of Worcester and made the commute into Providence everyday, but he would leave extra early to be at work by 7:30-8. This prevented him from hitting most of the traffic. But traffic going the opposite direction is not as bad.

Unfortunately, there is currently no commuter rail. I am not sure about a bus. There might be something you can take from Woonsocket to Worcester. I know you can take RIPTA from Providence to Woonsocket, but I'm not sure how frequent it is. I am pretty sure the state, along with MA, is studying the possibility of a commuter rail between Worcester and Providence though.

I make the drive from Providence to Worcester occasionally for day long conferences and it's not horrible (the next one is next week, I'll let you know what the drive is like).

[kv.ny]

thank you for the info. much appreciated! i also have an interview in west boylston. looks like it's about an hour ride (from providence), which is a little less appealing. i've been wanting to live in providence, but am starting to think more about worcester. i've just heard so many bad things about worcester... i'm not sure what to do.

[RunawayJim]

Originally Posted by kv.ny

thank you for the info. much appreciated! i also have an interview in west boylston. looks like it's about an hour ride (from providence), which is a little less appealing. i've been wanting to live in providence, but am starting to think more about worcester. i've just heard so many bad things about worcester... i'm not sure what to do.

Good luck whatever you decide. Worcester is definitely not as nice as Providence, though it is getting slowly better.

[kv.ny]

anyone ever do a work commute from providence to newton, mass?

[RunawayJim]

That would be worse than Providence to Worcester, though I have driven up to Medford during the morning rush hour and it wasn't horrible (I took the same route you would to get to Newton). There's some traffic by the 95/93 interchange and usually some more around the Mass Pike, but it's generally not horrible because you're far enough outside of Boston. Coming back will see traffic in the same places and also some getting into Providence.

I actually just did the Providence to Worcester trip yesterday morning, leaving Providence around 7:35. I was in Worcester by 8:20. I don't know if traffic would be worse later in the rush hour or not, but it was smooth sailing there and back (left Worcester around 2:45, back in Providence by 3:30). The trip to Newton would take at least an hour, though probably not much more.