Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Orinda to San Francisco
Right now (5:47 pm PDT): about 37 minutes via I-80 West and SR-24 West, usually 28 at this time.
Only 72% 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 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 17 |
| Tue | 16 | 21 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 27 | 30 | 18 | 17 | 17 |
| Wed | 16 | 21 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 28 | 27 | 19 | 17 | 17 |
| Thu | 16 | 22 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 23 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 42 | 34 | 19 | 17 | 17 |
| Fri | 16 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 22 | 31 | 28 | 20 | 17 | 17 |
| Sat | 16 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 29 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 22 | 20 | 17 |
| Sun | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 33 | 32 | 28 | 26 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 17 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 18-mile drive from Orinda to San Francisco (via I-80 West and SR-24 West) usually takes as little as 16 minutes and up to 42 minutes, when leaving around 5:30 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 20 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (34 minutes).
About 17 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.2 miles surface streets (2 to 4 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Orinda to downtown San Francisco 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 Orinda to San Francisco?
On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 16 minutes then, versus up to 42 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Orinda to San Francisco?
The 18-mile drive usually takes 16 to 42 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 20 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Orinda to San Francisco?
Leaving around 5:30 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 42 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-80 West in Bay Area (8 miles) · SR-24 West in Bay Area (7 miles) · I-580 East in Bay Area (1.2 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow