Best Time to Drive from Petaluma to Santa Rosa

Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 19 minutes via US-101 North, usually 18 at this time.

Only 21% 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 17-mile drive from Petaluma to Santa Rosa (via US-101 North) usually takes as little as 16 minutes and up to 30 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 18 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (18 minutes).

About 15 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 2 miles surface streets (3 to 4 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Petaluma to central Santa Rosa 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 Petaluma to Santa Rosa?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 16 minutes then, versus up to 30 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Petaluma to Santa Rosa?

The 17-mile drive usually takes 16 to 30 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 18 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Petaluma to Santa Rosa?

Leaving around 4 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 30 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 North in Bay Area (14 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Santa Rosa to Petaluma (return trip) · Petaluma to San Francisco · Petaluma to Sacramento · Petaluma to Oakland · Petaluma to Fremont · Petaluma to Elk Grove · Petaluma to Hayward · Petaluma to Sunnyvale · Petaluma to Concord · Petaluma to Berkeley · Petaluma to Antioch · Petaluma to Richmond

Open the live traffic map →