Best Time to Drive from Palo Alto to San Mateo

Right now (4:18 pm PDT): about 25 minutes via US-101 North, usually 23 at this time.

Only 45% 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 15-mile drive from Palo Alto to San Mateo (via US-101 North) usually takes as little as 16 minutes and up to 28 minutes, when leaving around 5 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 18 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (19 minutes).

About 12 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (6 to 12 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Palo Alto (Middlefield Road) 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 Palo Alto to San Mateo?

On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 16 minutes then, versus up to 28 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Palo Alto to San Mateo?

The 15-mile drive usually takes 16 to 28 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 18 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Palo Alto to San Mateo?

Leaving around 5 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 28 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 North in Bay Area (11 miles)

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More drives

San Mateo to Palo Alto (return trip) · Palo Alto to San Francisco · Palo Alto to Oakland · Palo Alto to San Jose · Palo Alto to Berkeley · Palo Alto to Walnut Creek · Palo Alto to Hayward · Palo Alto to Mountain View · Palo Alto to Pleasanton · Palo Alto to Santa Clara · Palo Alto to Richmond · Palo Alto to SFO

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