Best Time to Drive from Gilroy to Oakland

Right now (5:03 pm PDT): about 89 minutes via US-101 North and I-880 North, usually 88 at this time.

About this drive

On weekdays the 72-mile drive from Gilroy to Oakland (via US-101 North and I-880 North) usually takes as little as 63 minutes and up to 109 minutes, when leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 75 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3:30 pm on Saturdays (79 minutes).

About 70 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 2 miles surface streets (3 to 5 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Gilroy to downtown Oakland 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 Gilroy to Oakland?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 63 minutes then, versus up to 109 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Gilroy to Oakland?

The 72-mile drive usually takes 63 to 109 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 75 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Gilroy to Oakland?

Leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 109 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 North in Bay Area (35 miles) · I-880 North in Bay Area (34 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Oakland to Gilroy (return trip) · Gilroy to San Jose

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