Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Santa Clara to Watsonville
Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 53 minutes via SR-17 South and SR-1 South, usually 54 at this time.
Only 51% 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 | 47 | 47 | 48 | 52 | 53 | 51 | 51 | 52 | 54 | 57 | 71 | 78 | 75 | 59 | 48 | 48 | 47 |
| Tue | 47 | 47 | 48 | 53 | 54 | 52 | 51 | 53 | 56 | 60 | 73 | 79 | 79 | 62 | 53 | 48 | 47 |
| Wed | 47 | 47 | 48 | 53 | 54 | 51 | 51 | 52 | 58 | 64 | 75 | 81 | 76 | 64 | 53 | 48 | 47 |
| Thu | 47 | 47 | 48 | 52 | 53 | 51 | 51 | 53 | 55 | 64 | 76 | 82 | 79 | 62 | 52 | 48 | 47 |
| Fri | 47 | 47 | 48 | 51 | 50 | 50 | 51 | 55 | 61 | 68 | 80 | 81 | 74 | 60 | 50 | 48 | 47 |
| Sat | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 48 | 50 | 53 | 55 | 55 | 56 | 55 | 54 | 52 | 49 | 48 | 48 | 47 |
| Sun | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 51 | 51 | 52 | 51 | 51 | 50 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 48 | 47 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 49-mile drive from Santa Clara to Watsonville (via SR-17 South and SR-1 South) usually takes as little as 46 minutes and up to 83 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 8 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 56 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Saturdays (56 minutes).
About 42 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 7 miles surface streets (9 to 21 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 Watsonville 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 Watsonville?
On weekdays, leave before 8 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 46 minutes then, versus up to 83 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Santa Clara to Watsonville?
The 49-mile drive usually takes 46 to 83 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 56 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Santa Clara to Watsonville?
Leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 83 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
SR-17 South in Bay Area (22 miles) · SR-1 South in Bay Area (16 miles) · I-880 South in Bay Area (4 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Watsonville 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