Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Berkeley to Richmond
Only 5% 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 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
| Tue | 12 | 13 | 17 | 23 | 22 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 14 | 12 | 12 |
| Wed | 12 | 12 | 17 | 21 | 21 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 15 | 12 | 12 |
| Thu | 12 | 12 | 16 | 22 | 22 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 15 | 12 | 12 |
| Fri | 12 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 12 |
| Sat | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 12 |
| Sun | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 8-mile drive from Berkeley to Richmond (via I-580 East and I-80 East) usually takes as little as 12 minutes and up to 28 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 15 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 5:30 pm on Saturdays (21 minutes).
About 4 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (8 to 22 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Berkeley (Martin Luther King Junior Way) to central Richmond (Macdonald Avenue) 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 Richmond?
On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 12 minutes then, versus up to 28 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Berkeley to Richmond?
The 8-mile drive usually takes 12 to 28 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 15 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Berkeley to Richmond?
Leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 28 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-580 East in Bay Area (3 miles) · I-80 East in Bay Area (1.8 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Richmond 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