Best Time to Drive from Fremont to Watsonville

Right now (5:33 pm PDT): about 100 minutes via US-101 South and I-880 South, usually 74 at this time.

Only 69% 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 Fremont to Watsonville (via US-101 South and I-880 South) usually takes as little as 67 minutes and up to 102 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 78 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (83 minutes).

About 53 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 16 miles surface streets (20 to 25 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Fremont 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 Fremont to Watsonville?

On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 67 minutes then, versus up to 102 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Fremont to Watsonville?

The 70-mile drive usually takes 67 to 102 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 78 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Fremont to Watsonville?

Leaving around 3 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 102 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 South in Bay Area (40 miles) · I-880 South in Bay Area (13 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Watsonville to Fremont (return trip) · Fremont to San Francisco · Fremont to Oakland · Fremont to San Jose · Fremont to Palo Alto · Fremont to Berkeley · Fremont to Walnut Creek · Fremont to San Mateo · Fremont to Hayward · Fremont to Mountain View · Fremont to Santa Clara · Fremont to Richmond

Open the live traffic map →