Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Atascadero to Santa Maria
Right now (12:51 am PST): about 44 minutes via US-101 South.
Only 71% of this drive is measured by working traffic sensors right now. The rest is estimated from nearby sensors, typical speeds and street traffic, so times can be off. Why so few sensors work.
Typical drive time by departure time
| Leave | 5am | 6am | 7am | 8am | 9am | 10am | 11am | 12pm | 1pm | 2pm | 3pm | 4pm | 5pm | 6pm | 7pm | 8pm | 9pm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 44 | 44 | 44 | 45 | 45 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 48 | 52 | 53 | 47 | 44 | 45 | 45 |
| Tue | 44 | 44 | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 | 46 | 46 | 48 | 52 | 52 | 45 | 44 | 45 | 45 |
| Wed | 44 | 44 | 44 | 46 | 45 | 45 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 47 | 51 | 51 | 46 | 45 | 45 | 45 |
| Thu | 44 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 45 | 45 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 48 | 55 | 56 | 47 | 45 | 45 | 44 |
| Fri | 44 | 44 | 44 | 45 | 45 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 47 | 47 | 51 | 58 | 53 | 47 | 45 | 45 | 44 |
| Sat | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 47 | 46 | 45 | 45 | 45 | 44 | 44 |
| Sun | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 45 | 45 | 46 | 46 | 47 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 45 | 44 | 44 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 48-mile drive from Atascadero to Santa Maria (via US-101 South) usually takes as little as 44 minutes and up to 58 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 3 pm or after 6 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 46 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Sundays (47 minutes).
About 43 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (about 6 minutes), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Atascadero to central Santa Maria along the route on the map. Starting or ending elsewhere in a big city can add or save several minutes.
Simulated from typical freeway speeds at each point of the drive for the time you would reach it, from every 5-minute reading we have recorded. We don't have sensors on surface streets yet, so the time on them is estimated from how congested the freeways around each end of the drive are at that time, in both directions: streets jam when the freeways do.
Questions
What is the best time to drive from Atascadero to Santa Maria?
On weekdays, leave before 3 pm or after 6 pm. The drive usually takes about 44 minutes then, versus up to 58 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Atascadero to Santa Maria?
The 48-mile drive usually takes 44 to 58 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 46 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Atascadero to Santa Maria?
Leaving around 4 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 58 minutes.