Mission Impossible: get from Sunnyvale to the Google campus

I need to get from Sunnyvale (82/Lawrence Expy) to the Google Campus (Garcia Ave) in Mountain View. Never been there before.

I have been warned not to take 85 as it is supposedly totally gridlocked during rush hour.

What is the best strategy? Some of the possibilities:

LawrenceExpy to 101
82 to North Rengstorff
Central Expressway to North Rengstorff
Middlefield Road to North Rengstorff

Any advice as to the best route?

Best Answer

Firstly, the intersection of El Camino Real (82) and Lawrence is in Santa Clara, not Sunnyvale - but near enough.

There is no correct answer to this question.

I live very (very!) close to the intersection of El Camino (82) and Lawrence. I do part or all of the drive you're referring to frequently. The best route will depend on the day of the week and the time of day.

For someone that doesn't know the area, the best option will almost certainly be Lawrence to 101, and then 101 to Google. At most this will take 5-10 minutes longer than any other route, and the odds of you getting lost are significantly lower than on the other routes.

For someone that knows the area, and know what the traffic is like on the particular day, better options may include Lawrence/Central Expressway/85/101, Central Expressway/Rengstorff, 82/85/101 or even 82/Fremont/85/101.

Despite what you've been told, 85 is no worse than any other road. In fact, any back-up on 85 is caused by backup on 101 where the two merge.

I've driven every one of the routes above and more countless times - the one thing that this drive isn't is a Mission Impossibleas your subject implies...