Best Time to Drive from Alameda to Berkeley
Right now (5:48 pm PDT): about 28 minutes via I-880 North and I-80 East, usually 25 at this time.
Only 23% 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 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 24 | 26 | 29 | 25 | 17 | 16 | 16 |
| Tue | 16 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 26 | 28 | 32 | 28 | 18 | 17 | 16 |
| Wed | 16 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 25 | 29 | 33 | 28 | 19 | 16 | 16 |
| Thu | 16 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 25 | 29 | 34 | 30 | 19 | 17 | 16 |
| Fri | 16 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 31 | 33 | 34 | 28 | 21 | 18 | 16 |
| Sat | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 16 |
| Sun | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 16 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 11-mile drive from Alameda to Berkeley (via I-880 North and I-80 East) usually takes as little as 16 minutes and up to 34 minutes, when leaving around 5 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 19 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3:30 pm on Saturdays (27 minutes).
About 7 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (10 to 18 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Alameda to central Berkeley 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 Alameda to Berkeley?
On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 16 minutes then, versus up to 34 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Alameda to Berkeley?
The 11-mile drive usually takes 16 to 34 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 19 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Alameda to Berkeley?
Leaving around 5 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 34 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-880 North in Bay Area (5 miles) · I-80 East in Bay Area (1.9 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow