Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Petaluma to Sacramento
Right now (7:03 pm PDT): about 87 minutes via I-80 East, usually 87 at this time.
Only 43% 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 | 86 | 90 | 99 | 104 | 103 | 100 | 102 | 101 | 100 | 97 | 94 | 94 | 93 | 88 | 87 | 87 | 86 |
| Tue | 86 | 90 | 103 | 102 | 101 | 97 | 97 | 97 | 96 | 95 | 93 | 95 | 93 | 87 | 86 | 86 | 85 |
| Wed | 86 | 91 | 103 | 104 | 101 | 97 | 98 | 98 | 97 | 95 | 94 | 95 | 95 | 89 | 86 | 86 | 86 |
| Thu | 86 | 90 | 101 | 102 | 99 | 98 | 97 | 97 | 97 | 96 | 93 | 95 | 95 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 86 |
| Fri | 86 | 90 | 94 | 101 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 99 | 99 | 102 | 101 | 105 | 97 | 91 | 88 | 85 | 85 |
| Sat | 86 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 93 | 92 | 91 | 89 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 85 |
| Sun | 86 | 85 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 91 | 91 | 90 | 89 | 88 | 88 | 86 | 85 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 80-mile drive from Petaluma to Sacramento (via I-80 East) usually takes as little as 85 minutes and up to 105 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 5:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 98 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Saturdays (94 minutes).
About 51 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 29 miles surface streets (40 to 55 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Petaluma 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 Petaluma to Sacramento?
On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 5:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 85 minutes then, versus up to 105 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Petaluma to Sacramento?
The 80-mile drive usually takes 85 to 105 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 98 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Petaluma to Sacramento?
Leaving around 4 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 105 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-80 East in Sacramento (21 miles) · I-80 East in Bay Area (20 miles) · SR-12 East in Bay Area (6 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 Petaluma (return trip) · Petaluma to San Francisco