Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Monterey to San Jose
Right now (5:51 pm PDT): about 86 minutes via US-101 North and SR-1 North, usually 78 at this time.
Only 72% 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 | 70 | 91 | 90 | 85 | 79 | 76 | 75 | 75 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 87 | 85 | 75 | 69 | 69 | 68 |
| Tue | 69 | 96 | 94 | 87 | 81 | 76 | 74 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 76 | 85 | 86 | 75 | 69 | 68 | 68 |
| Wed | 69 | 95 | 92 | 86 | 81 | 77 | 75 | 74 | 73 | 74 | 76 | 87 | 85 | 77 | 69 | 68 | 68 |
| Thu | 69 | 93 | 92 | 85 | 81 | 75 | 73 | 74 | 74 | 73 | 76 | 87 | 86 | 78 | 70 | 68 | 68 |
| Fri | 68 | 80 | 84 | 79 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 74 | 75 | 74 | 77 | 86 | 85 | 75 | 69 | 69 | 68 |
| Sat | 67 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 70 | 73 | 75 | 77 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 77 | 78 | 77 | 74 | 72 | 68 |
| Sun | 68 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 70 | 73 | 76 | 80 | 79 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 78 | 75 | 71 | 67 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 72-mile drive from Monterey to San Jose (via US-101 North and SR-1 North) usually takes as little as 68 minutes and up to 98 minutes, when leaving around 6:30 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 74 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Sundays (81 minutes).
About 63 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 9 miles surface streets (11 to 24 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Monterey 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 Monterey to San Jose?
On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 68 minutes then, versus up to 98 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Monterey to San Jose?
The 72-mile drive usually takes 68 to 98 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 74 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Monterey to San Jose?
Leaving around 6:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 98 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 North in Bay Area (27 miles) · SR-85 North in Bay Area (7 miles) · SR-87 North in Bay Area (3 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow