Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Salinas to Gilroy
Right now (8:52 pm PDT): about 27 minutes via US-101 North, usually 27 at this time.
Only 64% 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 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Tue | 26 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Wed | 26 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Thu | 26 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Fri | 26 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 34 | 33 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
| Sat | 26 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 27 |
| Sun | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 33 | 34 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 28-mile drive from Salinas to Gilroy (via US-101 North) usually takes as little as 26 minutes and up to 35 minutes, when leaving around 5:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 2 pm or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 28 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Sundays (34 minutes).
About 25 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (5 to 8 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Salinas to central Gilroy 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 Salinas to Gilroy?
On weekdays, leave before 2 pm or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 26 minutes then, versus up to 35 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Salinas to Gilroy?
The 28-mile drive usually takes 26 to 35 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 28 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Salinas to Gilroy?
Leaving around 5:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 35 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 North in Bay Area (4 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Gilroy to Salinas (return trip) · Salinas to San Jose · Salinas to Fremont · Salinas to Sunnyvale · Salinas to Santa Clara · Salinas to Livermore · Salinas to Redwood City · Salinas to Mountain View · Salinas to Pleasanton · Salinas to Milpitas · Salinas to Union City · Salinas to Palo Alto