Best Time to Drive from Palo Alto to Santa Clara

Right now (3:03 pm PDT): about 28 minutes via US-101 South, usually 28 at this time.

Only 44% 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 14-mile drive from Palo Alto to Santa Clara (via US-101 South) usually takes as little as 16 minutes and up to 44 minutes, when leaving around 5 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 19 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 6:30 pm on Saturdays (19 minutes).

About 10 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (7 to 16 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 Santa Clara (Lincoln Street) 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 Santa Clara?

On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 16 minutes then, versus up to 44 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Palo Alto to Santa Clara?

The 14-mile drive usually takes 16 to 44 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 19 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Palo Alto to Santa Clara?

Leaving around 5 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 44 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 South in Bay Area (10 miles)

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More drives

Santa Clara 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 San Mateo · Palo Alto to Hayward · Palo Alto to Mountain View · Palo Alto to Pleasanton · Palo Alto to Richmond · Palo Alto to SFO

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