Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from SJC to Palo Alto
Right now (4:03 am PDT): about 17 minutes via US-101 North, usually 17 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 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 18 | 17 | 17 |
| Tue | 16 | 17 | 21 | 31 | 36 | 28 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 26 | 28 | 25 | 22 | 18 | 17 |
| Wed | 16 | 17 | 21 | 30 | 33 | 26 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 21 | 18 | 17 |
| Thu | 16 | 17 | 21 | 30 | 32 | 26 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 26 | 22 | 18 | 17 |
| Fri | 16 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 17 |
| Sat | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 |
| Sun | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 16-mile drive from SJC to Palo Alto (via US-101 North) usually takes as little as 16 minutes and up to 36 minutes, when leaving around 9 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 19 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (20 minutes).
About 13 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (5 to 14 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from San José Mineta International Airport (SJC) to central Palo Alto (Middlefield Road) 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 SJC to Palo Alto?
On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 16 minutes then, versus up to 36 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from SJC to Palo Alto?
The 16-mile drive usually takes 16 to 36 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 19 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from SJC to Palo Alto?
Leaving around 9 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 36 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 North in Bay Area (12 miles) · SR-87 North in Bay Area (1.2 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Palo Alto to SJC (return trip) · SJC to SFO · SJC to OAK · SJC to San Francisco · SJC to Oakland · SJC to Berkeley · SJC to Fremont · SJC to Walnut Creek · SJC to San Mateo · SJC to Hayward · SJC to Mountain View · SJC to Pleasanton