Best Time to Drive from Santa Cruz to Tracy

Right now (5:50 pm PDT): about 110 minutes via SR-17 North and I-580 West and I-880 North, usually 98 at this time.

Only 59% 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 Tracy 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	80	142	140	114	94	90	89	88	88	89	100	106	109	98	83	82	81
Tue	80	140	140	128	100	90	88	87	87	93	101	109	115	103	90	82	80
Wed	80	142	145	139	101	91	88	88	88	93	102	112	114	105	93	84	80
Thu	80	140	140	125	96	90	87	87	89	95	107	111	116	105	93	87	80
Fri	81	146	118	97	96	89	89	91	95	106	104	103	98	90	86	84	80
Sat	80	81	81	81	81	82	84	86	85	89	90	92	100	93	90	87	82
Sun	80	80	80	80	81	83	84	86	87	88	92	134	145	98	88	86	81

About this drive

On weekdays the 82-mile drive from Santa Cruz to Tracy (via SR-17 North and I-580 West and I-880 North) usually takes as little as 80 minutes and up to 146 minutes, when leaving around 6 am on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 90 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 5 pm on Sundays (145 minutes).

About 65 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 17 miles surface streets (23 to 54 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 Tracy 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 Tracy?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 80 minutes then, versus up to 146 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Santa Cruz to Tracy?

The 82-mile drive usually takes 80 to 146 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 90 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Santa Cruz to Tracy?

Leaving around 6 am on Fridays is usually slowest, about 146 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

SR-17 North in Bay Area (22 miles) · I-580 West in Bay Area (18 miles) · I-880 North in Bay Area (14 miles) · I-680 North in Bay Area (10 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Tracy 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	80	142	140	114	94	90	89	88	88	89	100	106	109	98	83	82	81
Tue	80	140	140	128	100	90	88	87	87	93	101	109	115	103	90	82	80
Wed	80	142	145	139	101	91	88	88	88	93	102	112	114	105	93	84	80
Thu	80	140	140	125	96	90	87	87	89	95	107	111	116	105	93	87	80
Fri	81	146	118	97	96	89	89	91	95	106	104	103	98	90	86	84	80
Sat	80	81	81	81	81	82	84	86	85	89	90	92	100	93	90	87	82
Sun	80	80	80	80	81	83	84	86	87	88	92	134	145	98	88	86	81

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	80	142	140	114	94	90	89	88	88	89	100	106	109	98	83	82	81
Tue	80	140	140	128	100	90	88	87	87	93	101	109	115	103	90	82	80
Wed	80	142	145	139	101	91	88	88	88	93	102	112	114	105	93	84	80
Thu	80	140	140	125	96	90	87	87	89	95	107	111	116	105	93	87	80
Fri	81	146	118	97	96	89	89	91	95	106	104	103	98	90	86	84	80
Sat	80	81	81	81	81	82	84	86	85	89	90	92	100	93	90	87	82
Sun	80	80	80	80	81	83	84	86	87	88	92	134	145	98	88	86	81

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	80	142	140	114	94	90	89	88	88	89	100	106	109	98	83	82	81
Tue	80	140	140	128	100	90	88	87	87	93	101	109	115	103	90	82	80
Wed	80	142	145	139	101	91	88	88	88	93	102	112	114	105	93	84	80
Thu	80	140	140	125	96	90	87	87	89	95	107	111	116	105	93	87	80
Fri	81	146	118	97	96	89	89	91	95	106	104	103	98	90	86	84	80
Sat	80	81	81	81	81	82	84	86	85	89	90	92	100	93	90	87	82
Sun	80	80	80	80	81	83	84	86	87	88	92	134	145	98	88	86	81