Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Santa Cruz to Hayward
Right now (5:51 pm PDT): about 77 minutes via I-880 North and SR-17 North, usually 63 at this time.
Only 72% 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 | 53 | 56 | 62 | 65 | 63 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 64 | 69 | 76 | 77 | 79 | 68 | 57 | 54 | 52 |
| Tue | 52 | 57 | 65 | 69 | 65 | 61 | 60 | 60 | 62 | 68 | 81 | 89 | 91 | 80 | 67 | 55 | 53 |
| Wed | 52 | 57 | 64 | 69 | 66 | 62 | 61 | 61 | 64 | 71 | 84 | 90 | 91 | 81 | 68 | 55 | 53 |
| Thu | 52 | 58 | 64 | 69 | 66 | 61 | 60 | 60 | 63 | 71 | 85 | 91 | 92 | 80 | 68 | 55 | 53 |
| Fri | 52 | 56 | 58 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 62 | 63 | 66 | 76 | 83 | 84 | 80 | 73 | 64 | 56 | 52 |
| Sat | 53 | 53 | 53 | 53 | 54 | 56 | 60 | 61 | 61 | 65 | 66 | 69 | 72 | 67 | 63 | 61 | 54 |
| Sun | 53 | 53 | 53 | 53 | 53 | 55 | 57 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 64 | 63 | 60 | 59 | 54 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 57-mile drive from Santa Cruz to Hayward (via I-880 North and SR-17 North) usually takes as little as 52 minutes and up to 93 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 64 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 5 pm on Saturdays (72 minutes).
About 50 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 7 miles surface streets (8 to 14 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Santa Cruz to central Hayward 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 Cruz to Hayward?
On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 52 minutes then, versus up to 93 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Santa Cruz to Hayward?
The 57-mile drive usually takes 52 to 93 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 64 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Santa Cruz to Hayward?
Leaving around 4:30 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 93 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-880 North in Bay Area (27 miles) · SR-17 North in Bay Area (22 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Hayward to Santa Cruz (return trip) · Santa Cruz to San Jose · Santa Cruz to San Francisco · Santa Cruz to Oakland · Santa Cruz to Fremont · Santa Cruz to Salinas · Santa Cruz to Sunnyvale