Best Time to Drive from Oakland to Santa Cruz

Right now (7:35 pm PST): about 70 minutes via I-880 South and SR-17 South, usually 66 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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 70-mile drive from Oakland to Santa Cruz (via I-880 South and SR-17 South) usually takes as little as 62 minutes and up to 107 minutes, when leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 74 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Saturdays (76 minutes).

About 66 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (6 to 10 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from downtown Oakland to central Santa Cruz 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 Oakland to Santa Cruz?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 62 minutes then, versus up to 107 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Oakland to Santa Cruz?

The 70-mile drive usually takes 62 to 107 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 74 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Oakland to Santa Cruz?

Leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 107 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-880 South in Bay Area (43 miles) · SR-17 South in Bay Area (23 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Santa Cruz to Oakland (return trip) · Oakland to San Jose · Oakland to Palo Alto · Oakland to Fremont · Oakland to Walnut Creek · Oakland to San Mateo · Oakland to Hayward · Oakland to Mountain View · Oakland to Pleasanton · Oakland to Santa Clara · Oakland to Richmond · Oakland to Sacramento

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