Best Time to Drive from Richmond to Sacramento

Right now (7:32 pm PDT): about 71 minutes via I-80 East, usually 70 at this time.

Only 71% 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 74-mile drive from Richmond to Sacramento (via I-80 East) usually takes as little as 66 minutes and up to 92 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 8 am or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 76 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 11:30 am on Saturdays (75 minutes).

About 70 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (5 to 8 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Richmond 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 Richmond to Sacramento?

On weekdays, leave before 8 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 66 minutes then, versus up to 92 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 74-mile drive usually takes 66 to 92 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 76 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Richmond to Sacramento?

Leaving around 4 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 92 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-80 East in Bay Area (44 miles) · I-80 East in Sacramento (21 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 Richmond (return trip) · Richmond to San Francisco · Richmond to Oakland · Richmond to San Jose · Richmond to Palo Alto · Richmond to Berkeley · Richmond to Fremont · Richmond to Walnut Creek · Richmond to San Mateo · Richmond to Hayward · Richmond to Mountain View · Richmond to Pleasanton

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