Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from San Jose to Menlo Park
Right now (6:17 pm PDT): about 28 minutes via US-101 North and SR-87 North, usually 25 at this time.
Only 72% 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 | 21 | 22 | 25 | 33 | 34 | 27 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 26 | 30 | 30 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 21 |
| Tue | 21 | 22 | 26 | 37 | 45 | 34 | 28 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 32 | 36 | 29 | 25 | 22 | 21 |
| Wed | 21 | 22 | 26 | 37 | 41 | 32 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 28 | 33 | 35 | 32 | 26 | 23 | 21 |
| Thu | 21 | 22 | 26 | 37 | 40 | 32 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 32 | 35 | 32 | 28 | 23 | 24 |
| Fri | 21 | 22 | 24 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 28 | 33 | 32 | 27 | 24 | 23 | 21 |
| Sat | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 23 |
| Sun | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 20-mile drive from San Jose to Menlo Park (via US-101 North and SR-87 North) usually takes as little as 21 minutes and up to 45 minutes, when leaving around 9 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 24 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (26 minutes).
About 15 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (8 to 23 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from downtown San Jose to central Menlo Park 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 Jose to Menlo Park?
On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 21 minutes then, versus up to 45 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from San Jose to Menlo Park?
The 20-mile drive usually takes 21 to 45 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 24 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from San Jose to Menlo Park?
Leaving around 9 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 45 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 North in Bay Area (11 miles) · SR-87 North in Bay Area (4 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Menlo Park to San Jose (return trip) · San Jose to San Francisco · San Jose to Oakland · San Jose to Palo Alto · San Jose to Berkeley · San Jose to Fremont · San Jose to Walnut Creek · San Jose to San Mateo · San Jose to Hayward · San Jose to Mountain View · San Jose to Pleasanton · San Jose to Richmond