Best Time to Drive from Santa Clara to Modesto

Right now (5:17 pm PDT): about 144 minutes via I-580 West and I-880 North and I-680 North, usually 160 at this time.

Only 35% 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 82-mile drive from Santa Clara to Modesto (via I-580 West and I-880 North and I-680 North) usually takes as little as 95 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 104 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 5 pm on Sundays (186 minutes).

About 42 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 40 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 central Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara to Modesto?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 95 minutes then, versus up to 210 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Santa Clara to Modesto?

The 82-mile drive usually takes 95 to 210 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 104 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Santa Clara 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 (13 miles) · I-680 North in Bay Area (10 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Modesto to Santa Clara (return trip) · Santa Clara to San Francisco · Santa Clara to Oakland · Santa Clara to Palo Alto · Santa Clara to Berkeley · Santa Clara to Fremont · Santa Clara to Walnut Creek · Santa Clara to San Mateo · Santa Clara to Hayward · Santa Clara to Pleasanton · Santa Clara to Richmond · Santa Clara to SFO

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