Best Time to Drive from Watsonville to Hayward

Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 77 minutes via I-880 North and SR-17 North and SR-1 North, usually 84 at this time.

Only 45% 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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 73-mile drive from Watsonville to Hayward (via I-880 North and SR-17 North and SR-1 North) usually takes as little as 67 minutes and up to 110 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 80 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (87 minutes).

About 65 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 8 miles surface streets (10 to 15 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Watsonville 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 Watsonville to Hayward?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 67 minutes then, versus up to 110 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Watsonville to Hayward?

The 73-mile drive usually takes 67 to 110 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 80 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Watsonville to Hayward?

Leaving around 4:30 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 110 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-880 North in Bay Area (27 miles) · SR-17 North in Bay Area (22 miles) · SR-1 North in Bay Area (15 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Hayward to Watsonville (return trip) · Watsonville to San Jose · Watsonville to Oakland · Watsonville to Fremont · Watsonville to Salinas · Watsonville to Sunnyvale · Watsonville to Santa Clara · Watsonville to Daly City · Watsonville to San Mateo · Watsonville to San Leandro · Watsonville to Livermore · Watsonville to Redwood City

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