Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Richmond to San Francisco
Right now (12:33 pm PDT): about 24 minutes via I-80 West, usually 25 at this time.
Only 30% 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 | 20 | 28 | 37 | 43 | 38 | 32 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 26 | 22 | 21 | 20 |
| Tue | 19 | 28 | 40 | 55 | 50 | 36 | 29 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 30 | 31 | 38 | 35 | 24 | 22 | 20 |
| Wed | 19 | 26 | 37 | 46 | 42 | 31 | 30 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 28 | 31 | 41 | 35 | 24 | 21 | 20 |
| Thu | 20 | 28 | 38 | 47 | 47 | 34 | 31 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 33 | 39 | 51 | 40 | 25 | 22 | 20 |
| Fri | 20 | 23 | 29 | 32 | 30 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 33 | 37 | 38 | 33 | 25 | 23 | 20 |
| Sat | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 32 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 35 | 34 | 29 | 25 | 22 |
| Sun | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 26 | 28 | 31 | 35 | 35 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 24 | 21 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 18-mile drive from Richmond to San Francisco (via I-80 West) usually takes as little as 19 minutes and up to 56 minutes, when leaving around 8:30 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 26 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Saturdays (37 minutes).
About 14 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (8 to 19 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Richmond (Macdonald Avenue) to downtown San Francisco (Market Street) 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 San Francisco?
On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 19 minutes then, versus up to 56 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Richmond to San Francisco?
The 18-mile drive usually takes 19 to 56 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 26 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Richmond to San Francisco?
Leaving around 8:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 56 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-80 West in Bay Area (14 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
San Francisco to Richmond (return trip) · 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 · Richmond to Santa Clara