Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Menlo Park to San Jose
Right now (6:17 pm PDT): about 27 minutes via US-101 South, usually 26 at this time.
Only 65% 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 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 27 | 32 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 31 | 36 | 40 | 31 | 24 | 22 | 21 |
| Tue | 21 | 22 | 23 | 28 | 35 | 30 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 27 | 37 | 46 | 57 | 43 | 28 | 23 | 21 |
| Wed | 22 | 21 | 23 | 28 | 34 | 29 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 39 | 47 | 60 | 44 | 29 | 23 | 21 |
| Thu | 21 | 21 | 23 | 27 | 32 | 30 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 38 | 45 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 24 | 23 |
| Fri | 21 | 21 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 28 | 36 | 41 | 41 | 32 | 25 | 23 | 21 |
| Sat | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 22 |
| Sun | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 20-mile drive from Menlo Park to San Jose (via US-101 South) usually takes as little as 21 minutes and up to 60 minutes, when leaving around 5 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 25 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4 pm on Saturdays (27 minutes).
About 15 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (8 to 21 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Menlo Park to downtown San Jose 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 Menlo Park to San Jose?
On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 21 minutes then, versus up to 60 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Menlo Park to San Jose?
The 20-mile drive usually takes 21 to 60 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 25 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Menlo Park to San Jose?
Leaving around 5 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 60 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 South in Bay Area (13 miles) · SR-87 South in Bay Area (2 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow