Best Time to Drive from San Jose to Modesto

Right now (5:17 pm PDT): about 135 minutes via I-580 West and I-880 North and I-680 North, usually 153 at this time.

Only 34% 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 80-mile drive from San Jose to Modesto (via I-580 West and I-880 North and I-680 North) usually takes as little as 93 minutes and up to 210 minutes, when leaving around 6:30 am on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 103 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 5 pm on Sundays (185 minutes).

About 41 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 39 miles surface streets (48 to 118 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 Modesto 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 Modesto?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 93 minutes then, versus up to 210 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from San Jose to Modesto?

The 80-mile drive usually takes 93 to 210 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 103 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from San Jose to Modesto?

Leaving around 6:30 am on Fridays is usually slowest, about 210 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-580 West in Bay Area (20 miles) · I-880 North in Bay Area (12 miles) · I-680 North in Bay Area (10 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Modesto 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

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