Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Redwood City to Watsonville
Right now (4:50 pm PST): about 65 minutes via SR-17 South and SR-1 South and SR-85 South, usually 63 at this time.
Only 71% 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 | 61 | 61 | 63 | 71 | 73 | 67 | 66 | 67 | 71 | 78 | 95 | 100 | 92 | 71 | 64 | 63 | 61 |
| Tue | 61 | 61 | 63 | 74 | 80 | 71 | 68 | 69 | 72 | 80 | 102 | 114 | 104 | 84 | 68 | 63 | 62 |
| Wed | 61 | 61 | 63 | 75 | 79 | 71 | 68 | 69 | 75 | 84 | 104 | 111 | 108 | 85 | 68 | 63 | 61 |
| Thu | 61 | 61 | 64 | 76 | 78 | 70 | 67 | 68 | 72 | 84 | 105 | 118 | 105 | 82 | 69 | 64 | 61 |
| Fri | 61 | 61 | 63 | 67 | 67 | 65 | 67 | 73 | 78 | 87 | 101 | 103 | 88 | 74 | 66 | 63 | 61 |
| Sat | 61 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 67 | 70 | 71 | 71 | 69 | 69 | 66 | 65 | 64 | 62 | 61 |
| Sun | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 65 | 66 | 66 | 65 | 65 | 64 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 61 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 66-mile drive from Redwood City to Watsonville (via SR-17 South and SR-1 South and SR-85 South) usually takes as little as 60 minutes and up to 118 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 73 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1 pm on Saturdays (71 minutes).
About 60 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 6 miles surface streets (8 to 12 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 Watsonville 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 Watsonville?
On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 60 minutes then, versus up to 118 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Redwood City to Watsonville?
The 66-mile drive usually takes 60 to 118 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 73 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Redwood City to Watsonville?
Leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 118 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
SR-17 South in Bay Area (19 miles) · SR-1 South in Bay Area (16 miles) · SR-85 South in Bay Area (13 miles) · US-101 South in Bay Area (11 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Watsonville 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 Salinas · Redwood City to Concord · Redwood City to Santa Clara