Best Time to Drive from Sacramento to Lafayette

Right now (6:53 pm PST): about 77 minutes via I-80 West and I-680 South, usually 68 at this time.

Only 52% 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 Sacramento to Lafayette (via I-80 West and I-680 South) usually takes as little as 66 minutes and up to 93 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 74 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 11:30 am on Saturdays (86 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 14 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 Lafayette 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 Lafayette?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 66 minutes then, versus up to 93 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 74-mile drive usually takes 66 to 93 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 74 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Sacramento to Lafayette?

Leaving around 4:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 93 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-680 South in Bay Area (24 miles) · I-80 West in Sacramento (17 miles) · I-80 West in Bay Area (16 miles) · US-50 West in Sacramento (6 miles) · SR-24 West in Bay Area (2 miles)

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

More drives

Lafayette 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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