Best Time to Drive from Santa Cruz to Redwood City

Right now (6:51 pm PDT): about 54 minutes via SR-17 North and SR-85 North and US-101 North, usually 50 at this time.

Only 74% 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

Minutes from Santa Cruz to Redwood City by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	46	48	57	64	56	52	51	50	50	51	54	56	54	50	48	47	47
Tue	46	48	62	75	66	58	51	50	50	52	55	57	56	53	50	48	48
Wed	46	48	63	73	67	56	52	51	50	52	56	57	56	53	50	48	48
Thu	46	48	63	73	65	56	52	50	50	52	57	58	56	54	50	48	47
Fri	46	48	53	56	52	52	52	52	51	53	55	56	55	53	50	49	47
Sat	47	47	47	47	47	49	50	50	50	51	52	55	56	56	53	54	48
Sun	47	47	47	47	47	49	50	52	51	53	53	54	54	53	51	51	48

About this drive

On weekdays the 49-mile drive from Santa Cruz to Redwood City (via SR-17 North and SR-85 North and US-101 North) usually takes as little as 46 minutes and up to 75 minutes, when leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 51 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 5:30 pm on Saturdays (57 minutes).

About 43 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 6 miles surface streets (9 to 15 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 Redwood City 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 Redwood City?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 46 minutes then, versus up to 75 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Santa Cruz to Redwood City?

The 49-mile drive usually takes 46 to 75 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 51 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Santa Cruz to Redwood City?

Leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 75 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

SR-17 North in Bay Area (18 miles) · SR-85 North in Bay Area (14 miles) · US-101 North in Bay Area (11 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Redwood City 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 Hayward · Santa Cruz to Salinas · Santa Cruz to Sunnyvale · Santa Cruz to Concord · Santa Cruz to Santa Clara · Santa Cruz to Berkeley · Santa Cruz to Richmond

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	46	48	57	64	56	52	51	50	50	51	54	56	54	50	48	47	47
Tue	46	48	62	75	66	58	51	50	50	52	55	57	56	53	50	48	48
Wed	46	48	63	73	67	56	52	51	50	52	56	57	56	53	50	48	48
Thu	46	48	63	73	65	56	52	50	50	52	57	58	56	54	50	48	47
Fri	46	48	53	56	52	52	52	52	51	53	55	56	55	53	50	49	47
Sat	47	47	47	47	47	49	50	50	50	51	52	55	56	56	53	54	48
Sun	47	47	47	47	47	49	50	52	51	53	53	54	54	53	51	51	48

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	46	48	57	64	56	52	51	50	50	51	54	56	54	50	48	47	47
Tue	46	48	62	75	66	58	51	50	50	52	55	57	56	53	50	48	48
Wed	46	48	63	73	67	56	52	51	50	52	56	57	56	53	50	48	48
Thu	46	48	63	73	65	56	52	50	50	52	57	58	56	54	50	48	47
Fri	46	48	53	56	52	52	52	52	51	53	55	56	55	53	50	49	47
Sat	47	47	47	47	47	49	50	50	50	51	52	55	56	56	53	54	48
Sun	47	47	47	47	47	49	50	52	51	53	53	54	54	53	51	51	48

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	46	48	57	64	56	52	51	50	50	51	54	56	54	50	48	47	47
Tue	46	48	62	75	66	58	51	50	50	52	55	57	56	53	50	48	48
Wed	46	48	63	73	67	56	52	51	50	52	56	57	56	53	50	48	48
Thu	46	48	63	73	65	56	52	50	50	52	57	58	56	54	50	48	47
Fri	46	48	53	56	52	52	52	52	51	53	55	56	55	53	50	49	47
Sat	47	47	47	47	47	49	50	50	50	51	52	55	56	56	53	54	48
Sun	47	47	47	47	47	49	50	52	51	53	53	54	54	53	51	51	48