Best Time to Drive from Berkeley to Alameda
Right now (5:48 pm PDT): about 27 minutes via I-80 West and I-880 South, usually 23 at this time.
Only 43% 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 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 28 | 30 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 23 | 19 | 18 | 18 |
| Tue | 17 | 19 | 24 | 36 | 33 | 27 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 27 | 20 | 18 | 18 |
| Wed | 17 | 18 | 24 | 29 | 31 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 26 | 30 | 32 | 28 | 20 | 18 | 18 |
| Thu | 17 | 18 | 23 | 33 | 33 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 34 | 34 | 35 | 30 | 21 | 18 | 18 |
| Fri | 17 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 27 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 23 | 20 | 18 |
| Sat | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 28 | 24 | 19 |
| Sun | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 24 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 26 | 19 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 11-mile drive from Berkeley to Alameda (via I-80 West and I-880 South) usually takes as little as 17 minutes and up to 36 minutes, when leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 24 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 5:30 pm on Saturdays (33 minutes).
About 6 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (12 to 26 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Berkeley to central Alameda 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 Berkeley to Alameda?
On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 17 minutes then, versus up to 36 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Berkeley to Alameda?
The 11-mile drive usually takes 17 to 36 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 24 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Berkeley to Alameda?
Leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 36 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-80 West in Bay Area (3 miles) · I-880 South in Bay Area (3 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Alameda to Berkeley (return trip) · Berkeley to San Francisco · Berkeley to San Jose · Berkeley to Palo Alto · Berkeley to Fremont · Berkeley to Walnut Creek · Berkeley to San Mateo · Berkeley to Mountain View · Berkeley to Pleasanton · Berkeley to Santa Clara · Berkeley to SFO · Berkeley to OAK