Best Time to Drive from Sacramento to Castro Valley

Right now (6:17 pm PDT): about 119 minutes via I-5 South and I-580 East, usually 119 at this time.

Only 19% 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 105-mile drive from Sacramento to Castro Valley (via I-5 South and I-580 East) usually takes as little as 95 minutes and up to 142 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 10 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 108 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3:30 pm on Saturdays (104 minutes).

About 61 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 44 miles surface streets (1 to 2 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from downtown Sacramento (the Capitol) to central Castro Valley 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 Sacramento to Castro Valley?

On weekdays, leave before 10 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 95 minutes then, versus up to 142 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Sacramento to Castro Valley?

The 105-mile drive usually takes 95 to 142 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 108 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Sacramento to Castro Valley?

Leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 142 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-580 East in Bay Area (29 miles) · I-5 South in Bay Area (19 miles) · I-5 South in Sacramento (13 miles)

Sacramento traffic right now · Sacramento traffic tomorrow · Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Castro Valley to Sacramento (return trip) · Sacramento to Roseville · Sacramento to Elk Grove · Sacramento to Davis · Sacramento to Folsom · Sacramento to San Francisco · Sacramento to Oakland · Sacramento to SMF · Sacramento to Stockton · Sacramento to Concord · Sacramento to Vallejo · Sacramento to Berkeley

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