Best Time to Drive from Brentwood to Santa Cruz

Right now (12:51 am PST): about 93 minutes via SR-17 South and I-880 South.

Only 45% 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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 85-mile drive from Brentwood to Santa Cruz (via SR-17 South and I-880 South) usually takes as little as 93 minutes and up to 160 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 102 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (101 minutes).

About 53 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 32 miles surface streets (46 to 106 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Brentwood to central Santa Cruz 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 Brentwood to Santa Cruz?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 93 minutes then, versus up to 160 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Brentwood to Santa Cruz?

The 85-mile drive usually takes 93 to 160 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 102 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Brentwood to Santa Cruz?

Leaving around 4 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 160 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

SR-17 South in Bay Area (23 miles) · I-880 South in Bay Area (14 miles) · I-680 South in Bay Area (10 miles) · I-580 East in Bay Area (6 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Santa Cruz to Brentwood (return trip) · Brentwood to San Jose · Brentwood to San Francisco · Brentwood to Sacramento · Brentwood to Oakland · Brentwood to Upper West Side · Brentwood to Santa Rosa · Brentwood to Hayward · Brentwood to Sunnyvale · Brentwood to Paterson · Brentwood to Roseville · Brentwood to Sunset Park

Open the live traffic map →