Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from San Jose to Palo Alto
Right now (12:33 pm PDT): about 21 minutes via US-101 North and SR-87 North, usually 21 at this time.
Only 50% 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 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 18 |
| Tue | 18 | 19 | 23 | 34 | 38 | 28 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 23 | 19 | 18 |
| Wed | 18 | 19 | 23 | 33 | 35 | 27 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 22 | 19 | 18 |
| Thu | 18 | 19 | 23 | 32 | 34 | 27 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 26 | 29 | 27 | 23 | 19 | 19 |
| Fri | 18 | 19 | 21 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 18 |
| Sat | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 |
| Sun | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 18 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 18-mile drive from San Jose to Palo Alto (via US-101 North and SR-87 North) usually takes as little as 18 minutes and up to 39 minutes, when leaving around 8:30 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 20 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4 pm on Saturdays (21 minutes).
About 15 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (5 to 14 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from downtown San Jose (East Santa Clara Street) to central Palo Alto (Middlefield Road) 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 Palo Alto?
On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 18 minutes then, versus up to 39 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from San Jose to Palo Alto?
The 18-mile drive usually takes 18 to 39 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 20 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from San Jose to Palo Alto?
Leaving around 8:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 39 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 North in Bay Area (12 miles) · SR-87 North in Bay Area (3 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Palo Alto to San Jose (return trip) · San Jose to San Francisco · San Jose to Oakland · 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 · San Jose to SFO