Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Mountain View to San Mateo
Right now (10:18 am PDT): about 24 minutes via US-101 North, usually 24 at this time.
Only 51% 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 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 27 | 23 | 22 | 22 |
| Tue | 21 | 21 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 30 | 34 | 39 | 37 | 28 | 23 | 22 |
| Wed | 21 | 21 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 30 | 33 | 39 | 36 | 27 | 23 | 23 |
| Thu | 21 | 21 | 24 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 31 | 34 | 39 | 37 | 27 | 23 | 23 |
| Fri | 21 | 21 | 23 | 27 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 23 | 22 | 21 |
| Sat | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 |
| Sun | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 21-mile drive from Mountain View to San Mateo (via US-101 North) usually takes as little as 21 minutes and up to 40 minutes, when leaving around 5:30 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 24 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Saturdays (25 minutes).
About 18 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (5 to 12 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Mountain View (Castro Street) to central San Mateo (South El Camino Real) 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 Mountain View to San Mateo?
On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 21 minutes then, versus up to 40 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Mountain View to San Mateo?
The 21-mile drive usually takes 21 to 40 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 24 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Mountain View to San Mateo?
Leaving around 5:30 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 40 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 North in Bay Area (16 miles) · SR-85 North in Bay Area (1.4 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
San Mateo to Mountain View (return trip) · Mountain View to San Francisco · Mountain View to Oakland · Mountain View to San Jose · Mountain View to Berkeley · Mountain View to Fremont · Mountain View to Walnut Creek · Mountain View to Hayward · Mountain View to Pleasanton · Mountain View to Richmond · Mountain View to SFO · Mountain View to OAK