Best Time to Drive from Palo Alto to Berkeley

Right now (4:03 pm PDT): about 60 minutes via I-880 North, usually 62 at this time.

Only 41% 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 Palo Alto to Berkeley 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	42	45	51	59	56	49	48	48	49	51	56	55	56	51	48	44	41
Tue	41	44	52	67	62	54	49	47	48	51	54	62	63	58	53	46	42
Wed	41	44	51	65	57	51	49	48	49	53	57	62	65	57	52	46	42
Thu	41	44	51	68	60	51	48	48	48	51	59	66	66	58	53	47	42
Fri	41	43	46	53	50	48	48	48	50	53	58	62	59	54	50	45	42
Sat	41	44	45	45	45	49	51	52	50	53	52	53	53	51	48	48	42
Sun	41	42	42	46	46	48	49	50	50	49	51	49	49	50	49	48	42

About this drive

On weekdays the 39-mile drive from Palo Alto to Berkeley (via I-880 North) usually takes as little as 41 minutes and up to 68 minutes, when leaving around 8 am on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 49 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (54 minutes).

About 32 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 7 miles surface streets (14 to 24 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Palo Alto (Middlefield Road) to central Berkeley (Martin Luther King Junior Way) 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 Palo Alto to Berkeley?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 41 minutes then, versus up to 68 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Palo Alto to Berkeley?

The 39-mile drive usually takes 41 to 68 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 49 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Palo Alto to Berkeley?

Leaving around 8 am on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 68 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-880 North in Bay Area (22 miles) · SR-84 North in Bay Area (5 miles) · US-101 North in Bay Area (2 miles) · I-980 East in Bay Area (1.8 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Berkeley to Palo Alto (return trip) · Palo Alto to San Francisco · Palo Alto to Oakland · Palo Alto to San Jose · Palo Alto to Walnut Creek · Palo Alto to San Mateo · Palo Alto to Hayward · Palo Alto to Mountain View · Palo Alto to Pleasanton · Palo Alto to Santa Clara · Palo Alto to Richmond · Palo Alto to SFO

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	42	45	51	59	56	49	48	48	49	51	56	55	56	51	48	44	41
Tue	41	44	52	67	62	54	49	47	48	51	54	62	63	58	53	46	42
Wed	41	44	51	65	57	51	49	48	49	53	57	62	65	57	52	46	42
Thu	41	44	51	68	60	51	48	48	48	51	59	66	66	58	53	47	42
Fri	41	43	46	53	50	48	48	48	50	53	58	62	59	54	50	45	42
Sat	41	44	45	45	45	49	51	52	50	53	52	53	53	51	48	48	42
Sun	41	42	42	46	46	48	49	50	50	49	51	49	49	50	49	48	42

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	42	45	51	59	56	49	48	48	49	51	56	55	56	51	48	44	41
Tue	41	44	52	67	62	54	49	47	48	51	54	62	63	58	53	46	42
Wed	41	44	51	65	57	51	49	48	49	53	57	62	65	57	52	46	42
Thu	41	44	51	68	60	51	48	48	48	51	59	66	66	58	53	47	42
Fri	41	43	46	53	50	48	48	48	50	53	58	62	59	54	50	45	42
Sat	41	44	45	45	45	49	51	52	50	53	52	53	53	51	48	48	42
Sun	41	42	42	46	46	48	49	50	50	49	51	49	49	50	49	48	42

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	42	45	51	59	56	49	48	48	49	51	56	55	56	51	48	44	41
Tue	41	44	52	67	62	54	49	47	48	51	54	62	63	58	53	46	42
Wed	41	44	51	65	57	51	49	48	49	53	57	62	65	57	52	46	42
Thu	41	44	51	68	60	51	48	48	48	51	59	66	66	58	53	47	42
Fri	41	43	46	53	50	48	48	48	50	53	58	62	59	54	50	45	42
Sat	41	44	45	45	45	49	51	52	50	53	52	53	53	51	48	48	42
Sun	41	42	42	46	46	48	49	50	50	49	51	49	49	50	49	48	42