Best Time to Drive from Richmond to Santa Cruz

Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 95 minutes via I-880 South and SR-17 South, usually 97 at this time.

Only 46% 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 Richmond to Santa Cruz (via I-880 South and SR-17 South) usually takes as little as 73 minutes and up to 136 minutes, when leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 90 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (98 minutes).

About 78 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (6 to 15 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Richmond to central Santa Cruz 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 Richmond to Santa Cruz?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 73 minutes then, versus up to 136 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Richmond to Santa Cruz?

The 82-mile drive usually takes 73 to 136 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 90 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Richmond to Santa Cruz?

Leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 136 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-880 South in Bay Area (46 miles) · SR-17 South in Bay Area (23 miles) · I-80 West in Bay Area (5 miles) · I-580 West in Bay Area (3 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Santa Cruz to Richmond (return trip) · Richmond to San Francisco · Richmond to Oakland · Richmond to San Jose · Richmond to Palo Alto · Richmond to Berkeley · Richmond to Fremont · Richmond to Walnut Creek · Richmond to San Mateo · Richmond to Hayward · Richmond to Mountain View · Richmond to Pleasanton

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