Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from San Carlos to Santa Rosa
Right now (6:20 pm PDT): about 106 minutes via US-101 North and I-280 North, usually 84 at this time.
Only 60% 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 | 76 | 77 | 82 | 81 | 81 | 80 | 80 | 79 | 80 | 83 | 92 | 100 | 91 | 80 | 76 | 76 | 76 |
| Tue | 76 | 78 | 85 | 84 | 84 | 81 | 80 | 79 | 79 | 83 | 96 | 113 | 106 | 91 | 78 | 76 | 75 |
| Wed | 76 | 77 | 85 | 84 | 83 | 79 | 79 | 80 | 82 | 84 | 100 | 116 | 109 | 91 | 79 | 77 | 76 |
| Thu | 76 | 78 | 85 | 84 | 82 | 80 | 79 | 79 | 80 | 85 | 101 | 120 | 109 | 91 | 79 | 76 | 76 |
| Fri | 76 | 77 | 81 | 80 | 79 | 79 | 79 | 80 | 84 | 92 | 111 | 113 | 96 | 87 | 80 | 77 | 76 |
| Sat | 75 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 80 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 81 | 80 | 78 | 77 | 77 | 76 | 75 |
| Sun | 76 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 80 | 81 | 80 | 79 | 79 | 78 | 77 | 77 | 76 | 75 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 79-mile drive from San Carlos to Santa Rosa (via US-101 North and I-280 North) usually takes as little as 75 minutes and up to 120 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 81 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Saturdays (82 minutes).
About 69 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 10 miles surface streets (14 to 22 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central San Carlos to central Santa Rosa 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 San Carlos to Santa Rosa?
On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 75 minutes then, versus up to 120 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from San Carlos to Santa Rosa?
The 79-mile drive usually takes 75 to 120 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 81 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from San Carlos to Santa Rosa?
Leaving around 4:30 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 120 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 North in Bay Area (45 miles) · I-280 North in Bay Area (18 miles) · SR-1 North in Bay Area (4 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow