Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Concord to Santa Cruz
Right now (8:52 pm PDT): about 75 minutes via I-680 South and SR-17 South, usually 75 at this time.
Only 74% 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 | 75 | 86 | 102 | 107 | 96 | 84 | 82 | 81 | 82 | 81 | 83 | 83 | 87 | 80 | 76 | 76 | 75 |
| Tue | 74 | 84 | 111 | 120 | 110 | 90 | 83 | 80 | 80 | 81 | 83 | 90 | 94 | 85 | 77 | 76 | 75 |
| Wed | 75 | 83 | 106 | 115 | 105 | 89 | 82 | 81 | 80 | 81 | 84 | 90 | 95 | 84 | 77 | 76 | 75 |
| Thu | 74 | 83 | 107 | 118 | 110 | 90 | 82 | 80 | 80 | 82 | 84 | 91 | 95 | 84 | 77 | 76 | 75 |
| Fri | 74 | 79 | 85 | 89 | 84 | 81 | 81 | 80 | 81 | 84 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 82 | 77 | 76 | 75 |
| Sat | 75 | 75 | 76 | 76 | 78 | 81 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 83 | 81 | 81 | 82 | 81 | 77 | 76 | 75 |
| Sun | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 77 | 79 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 79 | 79 | 79 | 80 | 78 | 77 | 75 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 82-mile drive from Concord to Santa Cruz (via I-680 South and SR-17 South) usually takes as little as 74 minutes and up to 120 minutes, when leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 81 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Saturdays (83 minutes).
About 75 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 7 miles surface streets (9 to 19 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Concord 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 Concord to Santa Cruz?
On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 74 minutes then, versus up to 120 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Concord to Santa Cruz?
The 82-mile drive usually takes 74 to 120 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 81 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Concord to Santa Cruz?
Leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 120 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-680 South in Bay Area (38 miles) · SR-17 South in Bay Area (23 miles) · I-880 South in Bay Area (14 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Santa Cruz to Concord (return trip) · Concord to San Jose · Concord to San Francisco · Concord to Sacramento · Concord to Oakland · Concord to Stockton · Concord to Fremont · Concord to Santa Rosa · Concord to Elk Grove · Concord to Modesto · Concord to Hayward · Concord to Sunnyvale