Best Time to Drive from Santa Clara to San Rafael

Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 68 minutes via I-280 North, usually 68 at this time.

Only 10% 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 67-mile drive from Santa Clara to San Rafael (via I-280 North) usually takes as little as 64 minutes and up to 112 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 68 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Saturdays (70 minutes).

About 58 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 9 miles surface streets (13 to 30 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 San Rafael 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 San Rafael?

On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 64 minutes then, versus up to 112 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Santa Clara to San Rafael?

The 67-mile drive usually takes 64 to 112 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 68 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Santa Clara to San Rafael?

Leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 112 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-280 North in Bay Area (44 miles) · US-101 North in Bay Area (10 miles) · SR-1 North in Bay Area (4 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

San Rafael 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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