Best Time to Drive from Watsonville to San Mateo

Right now (12:20 am PDT): about 67 minutes via SR-17 North and US-101 North and SR-1 North.

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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 72-mile drive from Watsonville to San Mateo (via SR-17 North and US-101 North and SR-1 North) usually takes as little as 66 minutes and up to 108 minutes, when leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 73 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (78 minutes).

About 65 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 7 miles surface streets (9 to 12 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Watsonville to central San Mateo 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 San Mateo?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 66 minutes then, versus up to 108 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Watsonville to San Mateo?

The 72-mile drive usually takes 66 to 108 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 73 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Watsonville to San Mateo?

Leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 108 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

SR-17 North in Bay Area (18 miles) · US-101 North in Bay Area (17 miles) · SR-1 North in Bay Area (15 miles) · SR-85 North in Bay Area (14 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

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

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