Best Time to Drive from Redwood City to San Jose
Right now (10:19 pm PDT): about 22 minutes via US-101 South.
Only 79% 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.
Typical drive time by departure time
| Leave | 5am | 6am | 7am | 8am | 9am | 10am | 11am | 12pm | 1pm | 2pm | 3pm | 4pm | 5pm | 6pm | 7pm | 8pm | 9pm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 22 | 22 | 24 | 30 | 33 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 32 | 36 | 41 | 31 | 25 | 24 | 23 |
| Tue | 22 | 22 | 24 | 33 | 39 | 32 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 38 | 46 | 53 | 42 | 28 | 24 | 23 |
| Wed | 22 | 22 | 24 | 33 | 39 | 31 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 38 | 46 | 55 | 42 | 28 | 24 | 22 |
| Thu | 22 | 22 | 24 | 34 | 37 | 30 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 39 | 45 | 57 | 42 | 30 | 25 | 23 |
| Fri | 22 | 22 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 28 | 35 | 39 | 38 | 32 | 26 | 24 | 23 |
| Sat | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 23 |
| Sun | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 24-mile drive from Redwood City to San Jose (via US-101 South) usually takes as little as 22 minutes and up to 57 minutes, when leaving around 5 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 26 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 6:30 pm on Saturdays (26 minutes).
About 22 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 2 miles surface streets (3 to 6 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Redwood City to downtown San Jose 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 San Jose?
On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 22 minutes then, versus up to 57 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Redwood City to San Jose?
The 24-mile drive usually takes 22 to 57 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 26 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Redwood City to San Jose?
Leaving around 5 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 57 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 South in Bay Area (20 miles) · SR-87 South in Bay Area (2 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
San Jose to Redwood City (return trip) · 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 Salinas · Redwood City to Concord · Redwood City to Santa Clara · Redwood City to Vallejo