Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Gilroy to Salinas
Right now (8:52 pm PDT): about 26 minutes via US-101 South, usually 27 at this time.
Only 71% 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
| Leave | 5am | 6am | 7am | 8am | 9am | 10am | 11am | 12pm | 1pm | 2pm | 3pm | 4pm | 5pm | 6pm | 7pm | 8pm | 9pm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 26 |
| Tue | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Wed | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 32 | 34 | 33 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Thu | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 35 | 35 | 31 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
| Fri | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 33 | 33 | 36 | 38 | 34 | 29 | 27 | 26 |
| Sat | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Sun | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 28-mile drive from Gilroy to Salinas (via US-101 South) usually takes as little as 26 minutes and up to 38 minutes, when leaving around 5 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 12 pm or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 29 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2:30 pm on Saturdays (33 minutes).
About 24 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 Gilroy 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 Gilroy to Salinas?
On weekdays, leave before 12 pm or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 26 minutes then, versus up to 38 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Gilroy to Salinas?
The 28-mile drive usually takes 26 to 38 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 29 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Gilroy to Salinas?
Leaving around 5 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 38 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 South in Bay Area (7 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Salinas to Gilroy (return trip) · Gilroy to San Jose · Gilroy to Oakland · Gilroy to Fremont · Gilroy to Hayward · Gilroy to Sunnyvale