Sue_xx_yy

I'm not wild about big freeways. But they are a fact of life. Is the 'Big Dig' tunnel useful, or a scary nightmare (I have heard of the maintenance problems.) I have to get through Boston somehow, ideally quickly but above all, with minimum stress, and my GPS may not understand, 'minimum stress'. Advice much appreciated, thanks.

tchoiniere

Where are you starting from and where do you have to get to?

Sue_xx_yy

thanks tchoiniere

I'm coming from camden maine, I might stop off in quincy to see a friend if it's not too hard, and thence cape cod.

cw

It's not really scary and it's actually not that long. Try to time your drive to avoid morning and evening rush hours, though it does stay busy mostly all day. You won't have to look for exits there so it should not be stressful.

That's the best way to go for your trip.

Ackislander

Yes, it will be quite easy for you coming from the north since the confusing exits are all on the northbound side and you are happily going south. You know you don't want to go to Logan Airport, Government Center, or I 90 (the MassPike), so you just follow the signs for Cape Cod.

You will need good directions from your friend for Quincy, however, because there are five exits I can think of and maybe one or two more!

Sue_xx_yy

Sorry, tried to reply before, but function wasn't working.

Eventually I do have to go north, so what's this about confusing exits?

I am wondering about taking the 'long way around' to avoid going right through Boston. Let me try and explain; I rarely have to drive a highway with more than 2 lanes either side. So yes, I'm a wuss. The last time I did this, I actually preferred rush hour because traffic moved slower!

Luv2travel15

Why do u want to go thru Boston if you are heading to Cape Cod and want to stop in Quincy? I would guess u might be heading south on Maine Tnpk, then 95 south onto Rte 128. You can easily exit on 128 for Quincy, go south on Rte 3 for Cape Cod. There are other routes as well, don't want to confuse u. Why don't u give us your actual itinerary from Camden, where do you want to go in Quincy, and your destination on Cape Cod (what town, etc.). We can better advise u of which routes, etc. I wouldn't recommend traveling thru Boston unless u are planning to visit there.

Ackislander

You are wrong and your advice is terrible, luv2travel15.

There are no exits from 128 to Quincy. The exits are all on 93 and 3. The exits are, from the north, 3A/Hancock Street to North Quincy and Wollaston, Granite Avenue for Squantum Street to North Quincy and Wollaston, East Milton for Wollaston and Quincy Center, Furnace Brook for West Quincy and Quincy Center, all off 93, and Burgin Parkway for South Quincy and Quincy Center. It exits from Route 3 just after the Braintree split.

She would have FAR more traffic on 128 going the long way around than taking 93 through the city.

Going north on your way home, Sue, the only tricky part is when you come out of the tunnel and have to choose between Nashua and Maine. The exit to Maine is a left exit even though Maine is on your right. Don't let my description of all the possible Quincy exits confuse you just need to know the one your friend tells you to take.

Sue_xx_yy

Thanks all for your suggestions. I have pulled up google maps, for the direct camden to cape cod route, it has i-95, merging to route 1, a wild looking loop to get onto i-93/southeast expressway, near Braintree I get onto something romantically named, 'Pilgrim's highway' - that's a laugh, no pilgrim in their right mind would do this --- and then eventually something called 'Grand army of the republic highway.' Great, not only do I have to deal with traffic, I have to take on an army. Sigh.

But notwithstanding my whining, Ackislander, I do thank you for explaining the exits.

cw

Sue, Ackislander is absolutely correct. Taking the long route around Boston on 95/128 will stick you in even more traffic, 4 lanes wide at high speed.

Don't worry about the "wild looking loop." You'll cross the Mystic River Bridge (toll, I think 3.50?) and the you'll follow the signs for 93 South. It is a loop but not a loop with lots of traffic coming in and out. It's more like a big exit ramp.

What day of the week are you making this drive?

easytraveler

Good luck, sue!

I have to drive around Greater Boston area later this year. If I see a lone woman battling an entire army, I'll know it's you.

gail

First, calm down a bit. You can do this. "Quickly" - is not different than any other city on the planet and is therefore related to time of day/day of week. Avoid rush hour and, on this route, times when people are fleeing or returning to the city from vacations in Maine or on the Cape.

GPS routing - as long as your GPS was built/updated in past few years, it should be very helpful - more so than MapQuest, etc - since the visuals on the screen make more sense than the words on a printout. Why? Because in Boston we like to give the same road or the same exit several names - and then often an additional name by which everyone from Boston refers to the road, but not the official or legal name of the road. It is this that makes Boston driving a challenge.

You will be coming out of Maine on I95. What I would do if you are concerned about getting lost is to - at the Massachusetts border - take Route 495 South to Route I93 south. You will then stay on this road all the way to Quincy. No massive loops, decisions to make - nothing. A bit longer in mileage but possibly not in time, limits decision making and virtually impossible to make a mistake prior to quincy - when you will need to figure out which exit, where in Quincy.

If you decide not to stop in quincy, do the same. Around Quincy, there will be a giant fork off of Rte 93 to Rte 3. Take Rte 3 - following the humongous signs to Cape Cod.

Askislander and cw also offer good routing - to follow Rte 95 to Rte 1 will get you more traffic and a bit more dicision making. You might be more comfortable taking the route I suggest.

DonTopaz

If you really wanted to minimize the traffic, you could alternatively take Rte 495 (the Great Circle Route), all the way from the Mass/NH border to Cape Cod. This would add about 40 miles to the trip, but you would avoid the most highly congested areas. (Note, however, that 495 does have plenty of traffic especially at rush hours and summer holiday weekends.) That route goes nowhere near Quincy, however.

Sue_xx_yy

Thanks all for your help. My plans are in flux, but it is good to have the feedback.

Thanks to the GPS, getting lost is less likely than before; as for the rest, well, I can hardly claim to be under any more stress than Paul Revere, who had to worry about a particularly menacing kind of 'traffic.' I think the key is just to leave lots of room in the schedule, and allow for contingencies.

Gail, thanks for the warning re 95 to route 1. I may, for various reasons, wind up on that route. But you and Don Topaz have provided some alternatives.

I am tickled by the road names. "Grand Army of the Republic" - I shall expect to look across and see someone in a tri-cornered hat, hunched behind the wheel of the vehicle....