Commuting to Beverly

[mjrocks98.livejournal.com]

I'm considering a new job in Beverly. Does anyone do this commute regularly & how bad is it? I just can't get a gage of how much traffic does the opposite commute north. I would be working a pretty typical 9-5 so rush hour commute times.

I currently commute to Wellesley everyday so I'm used to tons of traffic on 128 (even with an opposite commute that way it can still be pretty bad).

Thanks for any insights!!!

Comments

[ron_newman]

Would it work for you to take a commuter train from Porter Square to North Station and then another out to Beverly?

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

I did this commute for 3 years. It isn't terrible usually, but when it's bad, it's bad! Traffic gets gummed up at the 93/95 interchange both ways, but rarely are you in a dead stop. With no traffic, it's about a 25 minute drive. With traffic, it can be 30-50 minutes.

I didn't think it was awful, though.

Commuter rail is a good option if the times work for you. also, a commuter rail pass is actually pretty expensive, so might not work out to be cost effective, especially if you can carpool with someon.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

I got my employer to pay for mine. A lot of employers have pass purchase programs because it gets them a tax break so it might be worth asking about.

Also, when gas was above $3.50 a gallon, the price of the pass compared pretty favorably to the price of gas to get from Somerville to Woburn, and that's to say nothing of the upkeep on the car or the low mileage insurance discount you could get by not driving to work...

Also, you can work/read/relax on the very long train ride. Definitely no so with a car in traffic.

[mjrocks98.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info. I figured the 93/ 95 interchange would be where it gets bad.

Unfortunately the commuter rail won't work, none of the stations are close enough to where I would be working. Bummer - I'd love to just sit on a train to work.

[geekpixie.livejournal.com]

Also be aware of what time you go. If getting to work at 8ish and leaving right before 4 are acceptable, it can make this semi-reverse commute much easier! (I did the woburn area for 2 years and if I followed that rule, not bad)

[kpht.livejournal.com]

Really? Beverly has 5 stations! Hee. Also, a lot of buses and shuttles.

If you're going to drive... I'd take Rt 1, honestly. Avoids the 93/9 interchange. Maybe not home, to save on toll money.

[ron_newman]

confused ... where does I-93 intersect Route 9?

[kpht.livejournal.com]

95. i blame my keyboard.

[vintaged-lust.livejournal.com]

To bypass traffic if it ever gets bad you can take rt3 28 to 95 which will let you out right before the 95/128 split.

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

oh, in my experience, route 1 could be just as bad, and has lots of slow traffic turning in/out getting into shops down near the Boston end. That being said, one great thing about that commute is that there are a ton of side routes/roads you can take to by-pass traffic. If you take the time to learn them, you'll easily be able to jump off if traffic looks bad.

My husband used to work for a company in ipswich, and they had a vanpool that left from davis. it was wi-fi enabled, and one person was in charge of watching traffic during the drive (on line) and giving directions for side routes if the main ones looked bad.... (as an aside)

[mjrocks98.livejournal.com]

THAT is freaking awesome!!!

[noradeirdre.livejournal.com]

My husband did this commute for years (before we moved to Salem) and it was definitely doable- sometimes it would get a little backed up, but it wasn't consistently horrible.