Best Time to Drive from Modesto to San Jose

Right now (3:34 am PST): about 94 minutes via I-680 South and I-580 East.

Only 38% 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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 84-mile drive from Modesto to San Jose (via I-680 South and I-580 East) usually takes as little as 93 minutes and up to 168 minutes, when leaving around 6:30 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 104 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 6 pm on Sundays (138 minutes).

About 43 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 40 miles surface streets (40 to 99 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Modesto 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 Modesto to San Jose?

On weekdays, leave after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 93 minutes then, versus up to 168 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Modesto to San Jose?

The 84-mile drive usually takes 93 to 168 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 104 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Modesto to San Jose?

Leaving around 6:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 168 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-680 South in Bay Area (23 miles) · I-580 East in Bay Area (19 miles) · I-280 North in Bay Area (1.5 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

San Jose to Modesto (return trip) · Modesto to Hayward · Modesto to Sunnyvale · Modesto to Concord · Modesto to Santa Clara · Modesto to San Leandro · Modesto to Redwood City · Modesto to Pleasanton · Modesto to Alameda · Modesto to Milpitas · Modesto to San Ramon · Modesto to Walnut Creek

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