Best Time to Drive from Berkeley to Foster City

Right now (5:06 pm PST): about 53 minutes via US-101 South and I-80 West, usually 56 at this time.

Only 75% 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

Minutes from Berkeley to Foster City by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	31	36	45	57	54	43	41	39	38	39	45	42	44	40	34	33	32
Tue	31	36	49	62	58	49	43	39	37	38	46	48	51	47	36	33	32
Wed	31	35	48	58	56	46	46	41	38	39	45	51	56	50	36	32	31
Thu	30	35	47	59	57	49	45	41	40	42	53	56	66	54	38	33	31
Fri	31	34	41	44	45	39	39	39	43	45	54	50	54	50	41	35	32
Sat	31	31	31	32	33	35	43	50	51	50	52	50	51	50	43	37	34
Sun	31	31	31	31	32	33	39	44	48	51	51	49	49	48	43	40	33

About this drive

On weekdays the 33-mile drive from Berkeley to Foster City (via US-101 South and I-80 West) usually takes as little as 30 minutes and up to 66 minutes, when leaving around 5 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 40 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3:30 pm on Saturdays (52 minutes).

About 30 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (4 to 12 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Berkeley to central Foster City 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 Foster City?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 30 minutes then, versus up to 66 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Berkeley to Foster City?

The 33-mile drive usually takes 30 to 66 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 40 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Berkeley to Foster City?

Leaving around 5 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 66 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 South in Bay Area (16 miles) · I-80 West in Bay Area (13 miles) · SR-92 East in Bay Area (1.5 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Foster City 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

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	31	36	45	57	54	43	41	39	38	39	45	42	44	40	34	33	32
Tue	31	36	49	62	58	49	43	39	37	38	46	48	51	47	36	33	32
Wed	31	35	48	58	56	46	46	41	38	39	45	51	56	50	36	32	31
Thu	30	35	47	59	57	49	45	41	40	42	53	56	66	54	38	33	31
Fri	31	34	41	44	45	39	39	39	43	45	54	50	54	50	41	35	32
Sat	31	31	31	32	33	35	43	50	51	50	52	50	51	50	43	37	34
Sun	31	31	31	31	32	33	39	44	48	51	51	49	49	48	43	40	33

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	31	36	45	57	54	43	41	39	38	39	45	42	44	40	34	33	32
Tue	31	36	49	62	58	49	43	39	37	38	46	48	51	47	36	33	32
Wed	31	35	48	58	56	46	46	41	38	39	45	51	56	50	36	32	31
Thu	30	35	47	59	57	49	45	41	40	42	53	56	66	54	38	33	31
Fri	31	34	41	44	45	39	39	39	43	45	54	50	54	50	41	35	32
Sat	31	31	31	32	33	35	43	50	51	50	52	50	51	50	43	37	34
Sun	31	31	31	31	32	33	39	44	48	51	51	49	49	48	43	40	33

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	31	36	45	57	54	43	41	39	38	39	45	42	44	40	34	33	32
Tue	31	36	49	62	58	49	43	39	37	38	46	48	51	47	36	33	32
Wed	31	35	48	58	56	46	46	41	38	39	45	51	56	50	36	32	31
Thu	30	35	47	59	57	49	45	41	40	42	53	56	66	54	38	33	31
Fri	31	34	41	44	45	39	39	39	43	45	54	50	54	50	41	35	32
Sat	31	31	31	32	33	35	43	50	51	50	52	50	51	50	43	37	34
Sun	31	31	31	31	32	33	39	44	48	51	51	49	49	48	43	40	33