Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Sunnyvale to Salinas
Right now (5:33 pm PDT): about 96 minutes via US-101 South, usually 67 at this time.
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 | 64 | 65 | 67 | 69 | 70 | 70 | 71 | 71 | 73 | 82 | 96 | 100 | 95 | 77 | 67 | 64 | 63 |
| Tue | 64 | 65 | 67 | 68 | 71 | 71 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 78 | 103 | 110 | 106 | 95 | 72 | 66 | 64 |
| Wed | 64 | 65 | 67 | 69 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 72 | 78 | 103 | 110 | 111 | 95 | 73 | 66 | 64 |
| Thu | 63 | 65 | 67 | 70 | 71 | 70 | 69 | 68 | 71 | 81 | 111 | 116 | 109 | 95 | 75 | 67 | 64 |
| Fri | 64 | 65 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 69 | 70 | 73 | 81 | 95 | 110 | 108 | 99 | 81 | 71 | 66 | 63 |
| Sat | 63 | 63 | 63 | 65 | 67 | 70 | 75 | 76 | 76 | 77 | 76 | 72 | 69 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 64 |
| Sun | 63 | 63 | 63 | 64 | 64 | 66 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 71 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 66 | 65 | 66 | 64 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 70-mile drive from Sunnyvale to Salinas (via US-101 South) usually takes as little as 63 minutes and up to 116 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 8:30 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 74 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (79 minutes).
About 65 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (6 to 18 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Sunnyvale to central Salinas 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 Sunnyvale to Salinas?
On weekdays, leave before 8:30 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 63 minutes then, versus up to 116 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Sunnyvale to Salinas?
The 70-mile drive usually takes 63 to 116 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 74 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Sunnyvale to Salinas?
Leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 116 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 South in Bay Area (48 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
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