Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Salinas to Sunnyvale
Right now (9:35 pm PST): about 63 minutes via US-101 North, usually 63 at this time.
Only 25% 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 | 65 | 84 | 90 | 84 | 73 | 70 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 65 | 65 | 64 | 64 |
| Tue | 64 | 89 | 100 | 95 | 79 | 71 | 68 | 67 | 67 | 68 | 68 | 72 | 71 | 66 | 64 | 64 | 63 |
| Wed | 64 | 89 | 97 | 90 | 78 | 71 | 68 | 68 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 73 | 72 | 66 | 64 | 64 | 63 |
| Thu | 64 | 85 | 96 | 92 | 78 | 71 | 68 | 67 | 68 | 70 | 69 | 73 | 72 | 67 | 65 | 64 | 64 |
| Fri | 64 | 75 | 79 | 74 | 69 | 69 | 69 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 69 | 72 | 69 | 65 | 64 | 63 |
| Sat | 63 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 68 | 69 | 69 | 69 | 70 | 70 | 71 | 71 | 68 | 66 | 64 |
| Sun | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 68 | 70 | 74 | 74 | 75 | 74 | 76 | 72 | 71 | 67 | 63 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 70-mile drive from Salinas to Sunnyvale (via US-101 North) usually takes as little as 63 minutes and up to 100 minutes, when leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 5:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 68 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 5 pm on Sundays (76 minutes).
About 66 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (5 to 11 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Salinas to central Sunnyvale 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 Sunnyvale?
On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 5:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 63 minutes then, versus up to 100 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Salinas to Sunnyvale?
The 70-mile drive usually takes 63 to 100 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 68 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Salinas to Sunnyvale?
Leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 100 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 North in Bay Area (45 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Sunnyvale to Salinas (return trip) · Salinas to San Jose · Salinas to Fremont · 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 · Salinas to Santa Cruz