Best Time to Drive from Novato to Sacramento

Right now (12:21 am PST): about 74 minutes via I-80 East.

Only 64% 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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 77-mile drive from Novato to Sacramento (via I-80 East) usually takes as little as 74 minutes and up to 101 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 6 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 84 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Saturdays (84 minutes).

About 63 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 14 miles surface streets (18 to 27 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Novato to downtown Sacramento (the Capitol) 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 Novato to Sacramento?

On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 6 pm. The drive usually takes about 74 minutes then, versus up to 101 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Novato to Sacramento?

The 77-mile drive usually takes 74 to 101 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 84 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Novato to Sacramento?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 101 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-80 East in Bay Area (26 miles) · I-80 East in Sacramento (21 miles) · SR-37 East in Bay Area (11 miles) · US-50 East in Sacramento (3 miles) · I-5 North in Sacramento (1 mile)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow · Sacramento traffic right now · Sacramento traffic tomorrow

More drives

Sacramento to Novato (return trip) · Novato to San Jose · Novato to San Francisco · Novato to Oakland · Novato to Fremont · Novato to Santa Rosa · Novato to Elk Grove · Novato to Hayward · Novato to Sunnyvale · Novato to Concord · Novato to Santa Clara · Novato to Vallejo

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