Is it possible?

There are several options for getting to Maine without going through Boston itself. One of which is Route 6 to Route 3 to 95. Short of using the through Boston route, this is the quickest way up north. You can also travel Route 6 (Mid-Cape highway) to Route 25 which becomes Route 495, which will intersect with Route 95 in northern Massachusetts. This is a more relaxing ride, though a bit longer.

I agree with massteacher's suggestions, but I must add that Route 3 doesn't intersect Route 95; from Route 3, you must take Route 93 South, which means keeping left at the infamous "Braintree Split." Yes, this is counter-intuitive, to take 93-South to get to 95-North -- but if you look at a map you'll see that Route 93 bends around, like the letter "J", so that in the western tip the "southbound" side is actually going north. Welcome to Massachusetts roads! Then it disappears, blending right into Route 95-N with no further exit. This chunk of highway is also still known locally as Route 128, though it lost is official designation years ago (except for a small remnant on the North Shore, which is not what you want).

Oops! I forgot that section of the route. Anonymous is correct. Route 128 is tricky and changes its name. Sorry for the omission.

Thanks so much. Sounds like a challenge.

It's not as bad as it sounds on paper, but frankly I wouldn't go to the trouble to avoid going through downtown -- you don't have to get off the highway, but traffic will be heavy if you're pasing through at rush hour. Unless there's some sort of accident or breakdown, it's much faster to just go thru the city.

And if there's an accident on breakdown on your avoid-the-city route, then it will be worse than going thru the city! Set your radio to 1030 AM, WBZ the all-news station gives traffic reports on "the 3's", that might help you choose between the two.