Best Time to Drive from Modesto to Santa Clara

Right now (5:17 pm PDT): about 146 minutes via I-580 East and I-680 South and I-880 South, usually 131 at this time.

Only 32% 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 81-mile drive from Modesto to Santa Clara (via I-580 East and I-680 South and I-880 South) usually takes as little as 93 minutes and up to 176 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 (158 minutes).

About 39 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 42 miles surface streets (45 to 112 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Modesto 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 Modesto to Santa Clara?

On weekdays, leave after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 93 minutes then, versus up to 176 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Modesto to Santa Clara?

The 81-mile drive usually takes 93 to 176 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 104 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Modesto to Santa Clara?

Leaving around 6:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 176 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-580 East in Bay Area (19 miles) · I-680 South in Bay Area (10 miles) · I-880 South in Bay Area (9 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Santa Clara to Modesto (return trip) · Modesto to San Jose · Modesto to Hayward · Modesto to Sunnyvale · Modesto to Concord · Modesto to San Leandro · Modesto to Redwood City

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