Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Hayward to Palo Alto
Right now (4:18 pm PDT): about 41 minutes via I-880 South and SR-84 South, usually 39 at this time.
Only 48% 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 | 25 | 28 | 39 | 45 | 37 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 34 | 37 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 29 | 26 | 25 |
| Tue | 25 | 29 | 45 | 57 | 48 | 36 | 33 | 30 | 30 | 34 | 36 | 39 | 41 | 37 | 32 | 28 | 26 |
| Wed | 24 | 28 | 45 | 52 | 43 | 35 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 35 | 37 | 43 | 40 | 37 | 32 | 28 | 26 |
| Thu | 25 | 29 | 46 | 54 | 45 | 38 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 33 | 35 | 40 | 41 | 37 | 33 | 29 | 26 |
| Fri | 25 | 28 | 34 | 35 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 33 | 35 | 37 | 40 | 39 | 35 | 33 | 29 | 25 |
| Sat | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 35 | 35 | 30 | 27 | 26 |
| Sun | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 26 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 21-mile drive from Hayward to Palo Alto (via I-880 South and SR-84 South) usually takes as little as 24 minutes and up to 57 minutes, when leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 31 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 5:30 pm on Saturdays (36 minutes).
About 15 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 6 miles surface streets (11 to 25 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Hayward (Mission Boulevard) to central Palo Alto (Middlefield Road) 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 Hayward to Palo Alto?
On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 24 minutes then, versus up to 57 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Hayward to Palo Alto?
The 21-mile drive usually takes 24 to 57 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 31 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Hayward to Palo Alto?
Leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 57 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-880 South in Bay Area (7 miles) · SR-84 South in Bay Area (6 miles) · US-101 South in Bay Area (2 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Palo Alto to Hayward (return trip) · Hayward to San Francisco · Hayward to Oakland · Hayward to San Jose · Hayward to Berkeley · Hayward to Fremont · Hayward to Mountain View · Hayward to Pleasanton · Hayward to Santa Clara · Hayward to Richmond · Hayward to SFO · Hayward to SJC