Best Time to Drive from Daly City to Santa Cruz

Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 69 minutes via I-280 South and SR-17 South, usually 68 at this time.

Only 22% 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 70-mile drive from Daly City to Santa Cruz (via I-280 South and SR-17 South) usually takes as little as 63 minutes and up to 102 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 8 am or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 70 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (72 minutes).

About 65 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (5 to 8 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Daly City 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 Daly City to Santa Cruz?

On weekdays, leave before 8 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 63 minutes then, versus up to 102 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Daly City to Santa Cruz?

The 70-mile drive usually takes 63 to 102 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 70 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Daly City to Santa Cruz?

Leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 102 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-280 South in Bay Area (38 miles) · SR-17 South in Bay Area (20 miles) · SR-85 South in Bay Area (8 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

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