Best Time to Drive from Foster City to Salinas

Right now (6:20 pm PDT): about 121 minutes via US-101 South, usually 94 at this time.

Typical drive time by departure time

Minutes from Foster City to Salinas 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	78	80	83	91	94	88	87	88	90	100	114	119	112	92	82	80	78
Tue	78	80	83	95	101	92	88	87	88	99	122	130	121	106	87	80	78
Wed	78	80	83	95	98	91	87	87	89	98	124	130	125	105	87	81	78
Thu	78	80	82	95	97	90	86	86	90	104	131	135	126	104	90	82	79
Fri	78	80	82	86	87	86	87	92	99	116	128	127	113	96	87	80	78
Sat	78	78	78	80	82	87	91	92	94	93	92	88	85	84	82	81	78
Sun	78	78	78	78	79	81	84	86	86	86	84	84	84	82	81	81	78

About this drive

On weekdays the 87-mile drive from Foster City to Salinas (via US-101 South) usually takes as little as 78 minutes and up to 135 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 92 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (95 minutes).

About 83 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (5 to 9 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Foster City to central Salinas 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 Foster City to Salinas?

On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 78 minutes then, versus up to 135 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Foster City to Salinas?

The 87-mile drive usually takes 78 to 135 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 92 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Foster City to Salinas?

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

Freeways on this drive

US-101 South in Bay Area (66 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Salinas to Foster City (return trip) · Foster City to San Jose · Foster City to San Francisco · Foster City to Oakland · Foster City to Stockton · Foster City to Fremont · Foster City to Santa Rosa · Foster City to Hayward · Foster City to Sunnyvale

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	78	80	83	91	94	88	87	88	90	100	114	119	112	92	82	80	78
Tue	78	80	83	95	101	92	88	87	88	99	122	130	121	106	87	80	78
Wed	78	80	83	95	98	91	87	87	89	98	124	130	125	105	87	81	78
Thu	78	80	82	95	97	90	86	86	90	104	131	135	126	104	90	82	79
Fri	78	80	82	86	87	86	87	92	99	116	128	127	113	96	87	80	78
Sat	78	78	78	80	82	87	91	92	94	93	92	88	85	84	82	81	78
Sun	78	78	78	78	79	81	84	86	86	86	84	84	84	82	81	81	78

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	78	80	83	91	94	88	87	88	90	100	114	119	112	92	82	80	78
Tue	78	80	83	95	101	92	88	87	88	99	122	130	121	106	87	80	78
Wed	78	80	83	95	98	91	87	87	89	98	124	130	125	105	87	81	78
Thu	78	80	82	95	97	90	86	86	90	104	131	135	126	104	90	82	79
Fri	78	80	82	86	87	86	87	92	99	116	128	127	113	96	87	80	78
Sat	78	78	78	80	82	87	91	92	94	93	92	88	85	84	82	81	78
Sun	78	78	78	78	79	81	84	86	86	86	84	84	84	82	81	81	78

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	78	80	83	91	94	88	87	88	90	100	114	119	112	92	82	80	78
Tue	78	80	83	95	101	92	88	87	88	99	122	130	121	106	87	80	78
Wed	78	80	83	95	98	91	87	87	89	98	124	130	125	105	87	81	78
Thu	78	80	82	95	97	90	86	86	90	104	131	135	126	104	90	82	79
Fri	78	80	82	86	87	86	87	92	99	116	128	127	113	96	87	80	78
Sat	78	78	78	80	82	87	91	92	94	93	92	88	85	84	82	81	78
Sun	78	78	78	78	79	81	84	86	86	86	84	84	84	82	81	81	78