Best Time to Drive from Daly City to Watsonville

Right now (3:21 pm PST): about 87 minutes via I-280 South and SR-17 South, usually 87 at this time.

Only 34% 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

Minutes from Daly City to Watsonville by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	79	80	83	88	92	86	86	86	90	100	117	114	99	85	82	81	80
Tue	79	80	84	93	95	88	87	90	93	101	121	129	113	96	84	81	80
Wed	79	80	82	91	95	86	90	94	103	118	131	135	117	96	85	81	79
Thu	79	79	83	91	92	86	85	88	94	106	127	133	110	93	85	81	79
Fri	79	80	82	84	85	85	88	94	99	110	122	117	98	89	84	82	80
Sat	79	79	79	81	82	84	87	91	90	89	88	87	84	82	81	81	79
Sun	80	79	80	80	81	83	85	85	85	85	83	83	82	82	82	81	79

About this drive

On weekdays the 86-mile drive from Daly City to Watsonville (via I-280 South and SR-17 South) usually takes as little as 79 minutes and up to 135 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 94 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (91 minutes).

About 81 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 6 miles surface streets (7 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 Watsonville 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 Watsonville?

On weekdays, leave before 8 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 79 minutes then, versus up to 135 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Daly City to Watsonville?

The 86-mile drive usually takes 79 to 135 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 94 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Daly City to Watsonville?

Leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 135 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-280 South in Bay Area (38 miles) · SR-17 South in Bay Area (19 miles) · SR-1 South in Bay Area (16 miles) · SR-85 South in Bay Area (8 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Watsonville to Daly City (return trip) · Daly City to San Jose · Daly City to San Francisco · Daly City to Oakland · Daly City to Stockton · Daly City to Fremont · Daly City to Santa Rosa · Daly City to Hayward · Daly City to Sunnyvale · Daly City to Concord · Daly City to Santa Clara · Daly City to Vallejo

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	79	80	83	88	92	86	86	86	90	100	117	114	99	85	82	81	80
Tue	79	80	84	93	95	88	87	90	93	101	121	129	113	96	84	81	80
Wed	79	80	82	91	95	86	90	94	103	118	131	135	117	96	85	81	79
Thu	79	79	83	91	92	86	85	88	94	106	127	133	110	93	85	81	79
Fri	79	80	82	84	85	85	88	94	99	110	122	117	98	89	84	82	80
Sat	79	79	79	81	82	84	87	91	90	89	88	87	84	82	81	81	79
Sun	80	79	80	80	81	83	85	85	85	85	83	83	82	82	82	81	79

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	79	80	83	88	92	86	86	86	90	100	117	114	99	85	82	81	80
Tue	79	80	84	93	95	88	87	90	93	101	121	129	113	96	84	81	80
Wed	79	80	82	91	95	86	90	94	103	118	131	135	117	96	85	81	79
Thu	79	79	83	91	92	86	85	88	94	106	127	133	110	93	85	81	79
Fri	79	80	82	84	85	85	88	94	99	110	122	117	98	89	84	82	80
Sat	79	79	79	81	82	84	87	91	90	89	88	87	84	82	81	81	79
Sun	80	79	80	80	81	83	85	85	85	85	83	83	82	82	82	81	79

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	79	80	83	88	92	86	86	86	90	100	117	114	99	85	82	81	80
Tue	79	80	84	93	95	88	87	90	93	101	121	129	113	96	84	81	80
Wed	79	80	82	91	95	86	90	94	103	118	131	135	117	96	85	81	79
Thu	79	79	83	91	92	86	85	88	94	106	127	133	110	93	85	81	79
Fri	79	80	82	84	85	85	88	94	99	110	122	117	98	89	84	82	80
Sat	79	79	79	81	82	84	87	91	90	89	88	87	84	82	81	81	79
Sun	80	79	80	80	81	83	85	85	85	85	83	83	82	82	82	81	79