Commute from Wolfeboro to Concord
 

A friend of mine is going to be working in Concord this fall and is wondering about commuting from Wolfeboro to Concord. She LOVES Wolfeboro and will be able to work from home as needed (winter weather).

Has anyone done this commute before or care to comment on the wisdom of making that choice?

Thanks in advance.

Road
 

I have been doing it for years. Now I go to Concord Hospital(west side) frequently.
It depends on which side on Concord you are going to. East side about 50
minute. Downtown 1 hour. Hospital 70 minutes.
The only bad road is Barnstaid in the winter with frost heaves.

Living in Wolfeboro, I used to work in Concord two days per week. It can be a beautiful ride, depending on the route selected. There are many route options, the scenic ones are centered on Rt. 140 as a basis. I had a convertible back then enhancing the experience.
Summers are short, however.

The roads are a bit more congested during major holiday weekends (like the Friday before July 4, Memorial Day weekend, Labor Day weekend, etc.) but otherwise, it's not that bad. The biggest slow-downs are in down-town W'boro and again around the Chichester/Concord lines. After that it's pretty much smooth sailing.

Commute from Wolfeboro to Concord
 

The trip from downtown Wolfeboro past the high school can be slow if the busses are involved, and the trip from the Alton Circle to Chichester can be slow because of the Barnstead section. Other than that, no real problem, however, I would always count on there being a problem somewhere on the commute and plan my travel time accordingly. Your friend will be much happier in a coffee shop in downtown Concord, early for work, than stuck in a traffic jam somewhere trying to get to work.

Argie's Wife was right about the slowdown around the Chichester/Concord line. For a short distance through the lights in Chichester on Rt. 4, there are two lanes that merge back into one that can cause a bit of a bottleneck. There is also a fair amount of traffic in the afternoon as well. The Epsom traffic circle usually goes pretty smoothly.

Depending on where your friend is working in Concord, it may be easier to go Rt. 4 / Rt. 106 / Regional Drive / Old Turnpike Road / Manchester St. if she works in the south end.

I-393 can be hair-raising at times due to the number of irresponsible idiots on the road. For many, following at a safe distance is a foreign concept, along with signalling or adjusting speed in cases of inclement weather. As long as she drives defensively, she should be fine.

Frost heaves aside, the niceness drive to Concord is Rt140 out of Alton to Rt 129 thru Loudon over to Rt93 in Boscowen area

Oh, there's a great shortcut off Route 140 you need to know about...

When you're on Rt 140, and you cross Route 107 in Gilmanton, go for about a mile (maybe a little less than that) - and take a LEFT onto Allen Mills Road. This will take you onto Route 106 in Loudon (and you'd take another LEFT onto Rt 106 to continue on to Concord). This will shave about 6 miles off your trip.

I do not recommend Route 140 in the winter - frost heaves are BAD - and I don't recommend Allen Mills Rd in bad weather - it's narrow and hilly and always plowed.

I do Wolfeboro to Concord Every Day
 

When I take 140, I turn left at GIW onto Stage Road, which takes me to 107 about 1/4 mile from 129.

I usually go 28-Chichester Main Street-9-393.

My land speed record is 37 minutes (2am, medical emergency, fast car). The worst ever snowstorm time was 2 hours 43 minutes. Average day in, day out tome to North Main St-393 intersection is 50 minutes.

Cate, pretty simple...
 

...you live in NJ and drive in the traffic down there. Leaving Concord on 393/9/4/202, the traffic moves along just fine and is nowhere near the volume of traffic seen in suburban NJ, NY, Ct, etc..

If you decide you want to do the "Chichester cut off" and take a left on Main St at the lights by the Hess gas station, you will have a back up at the other end where it comes out on rte 28. A few minutes stop and go the last 1/4 mile or so getting to rte 28.

If you go down to the Epsom circle to pick up rte 28, expect a similar back up coming up to the circle.

In the winter, as has been mentioned, rte 28's narrower section in Barnstead and Alton can get a little (ok considerably) bumpy with frost heaves.

An hour commute often times is pretty normal in suburbia, so this may not be that bad a commute, IMHO. (did it from Alton for a year.)

It's no ordinary "Commute"...
 

Every commute up here is measured in "minutes"—not miles. ;) But every "minute" during summer is a delight. :)

I've taken the suggested routes on my occasional stops at NHIS—and to Concord several times last summer. I happened to go to Concord yesterday, and enjoyed one of those rare "commutes" that is actually scenic. The cutoff through Chichester might save a minute when the school isn't in session, as it's a lo-o-o-o-ng School Zone. :eek2:

In yesterday's morning drizzle, I was entertained by the sight of a motorcyclist speeding northbound on Rt. 28. Although New Hampshire doesn't require helmets, eye protection is required. This driver had neither windshield, glasses or goggles—and against the raindrops, was peering between his fingers! :laugh:

Sounds like he had the eye protection thing in order:D

From my house in Wolfeboro to the mall in Concord is 50 minutes. There is NO comparison between a 50 minute commute in NJ and one in this area of NH.

rte 28 is generally a delight. Worst volume is maybe around 7:30am when all the state employees are heading in to clock in at 8am. It's not uncommon for traffic on Main St. Chichester to be backed up past the fire station all the way down to the hairpin curve.

The drive is less pleasurable since the DOT put in the #%$^ lights in Pittsfield.