Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Menlo Park to Santa Clara
Right now (5:51 pm PST): about 46 minutes via US-101 South, usually 43 at this time.
Only 59% 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 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 28 | 35 | 28 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 33 | 37 | 41 | 32 | 25 | 23 | 22 |
| Tue | 22 | 22 | 24 | 30 | 40 | 35 | 28 | 25 | 25 | 29 | 37 | 46 | 54 | 43 | 31 | 24 | 22 |
| Wed | 22 | 22 | 24 | 29 | 37 | 33 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 29 | 39 | 46 | 56 | 44 | 31 | 24 | 22 |
| Thu | 22 | 22 | 24 | 29 | 36 | 33 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 29 | 39 | 46 | 57 | 44 | 34 | 26 | 22 |
| Fri | 22 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 30 | 37 | 42 | 41 | 33 | 26 | 24 | 23 |
| Sat | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 22 |
| Sun | 22 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 22 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 18-mile drive from Menlo Park to Santa Clara (via US-101 South) usually takes as little as 21 minutes and up to 59 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 26 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (26 minutes).
About 11 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 7 miles surface streets (12 to 29 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Menlo Park to central Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara?
On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 21 minutes then, versus up to 59 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Menlo Park to Santa Clara?
The 18-mile drive usually takes 21 to 59 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 26 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Menlo Park to Santa Clara?
Leaving around 4:30 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 59 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 South in Bay Area (11 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Santa Clara to Menlo Park (return trip) · Menlo Park to San Jose · Menlo Park to San Francisco · Menlo Park to Oakland · Menlo Park to Stockton · Menlo Park to Fremont · Menlo Park to Modesto · Menlo Park to Hayward · Menlo Park to Salinas · Menlo Park to Sunnyvale · Menlo Park to Concord