Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from San Luis Obispo to Santa Maria
Right now (6:50 pm PDT): about 31 minutes via US-101 South, usually 31 at this time.
Only 62% 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 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 37 | 39 | 34 | 30 | 31 | 31 |
| Tue | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 37 | 38 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 31 |
| Wed | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 37 | 38 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 31 |
| Thu | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 40 | 41 | 34 | 31 | 31 | 30 |
| Fri | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 34 | 43 | 40 | 34 | 31 | 31 | 30 |
| Sat | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 |
| Sun | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 32-mile drive from San Luis Obispo to Santa Maria (via US-101 South) usually takes as little as 30 minutes and up to 43 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 3 pm or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 31 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2:30 pm on Sundays (32 minutes).
About 27 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (6 to 7 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central San Luis Obispo to central Santa Maria 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 Luis Obispo to Santa Maria?
On weekdays, leave before 3 pm or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 30 minutes then, versus up to 43 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from San Luis Obispo to Santa Maria?
The 32-mile drive usually takes 30 to 43 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 31 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from San Luis Obispo to Santa Maria?
Leaving around 4:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 43 minutes.
More drives
Santa Maria to San Luis Obispo (return trip) · San Luis Obispo to Santa Monica