Best Time to Drive from Redwood City to Salinas

Right now (7:20 pm PST): about 91 minutes via US-101 South, usually 81 at this time.

Only 27% 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 82-mile drive from Redwood City to Salinas (via US-101 South) usually takes as little as 74 minutes and up to 125 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 8 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 86 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (87 minutes).

About 78 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (5 to 10 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Redwood City to central Salinas 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 Redwood City to Salinas?

On weekdays, leave before 8 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 74 minutes then, versus up to 125 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Redwood City to Salinas?

The 82-mile drive usually takes 74 to 125 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 86 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Redwood City to Salinas?

Leaving around 4 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 125 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 South in Bay Area (61 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Salinas to Redwood City (return trip) · Redwood City to San Jose · Redwood City to San Francisco · Redwood City to Oakland · Redwood City to Stockton · Redwood City to Fremont · Redwood City to Modesto · Redwood City to Hayward · Redwood City to Sunnyvale · Redwood City to Concord · Redwood City to Santa Clara · Redwood City to Vallejo

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