Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Sacramento to Lincoln
Right now (5:47 pm PDT): about 50 minutes via SR-99 North and I-5 North, usually 55 at this time.
Only 2% 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 | 43 | 45 | 46 | 46 | 48 | 48 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 47 | 47 | 51 | 53 | 54 | 44 | 44 | 43 |
| Tue | 43 | 43 | 46 | 46 | 48 | 47 | 48 | 47 | 47 | 46 | 45 | 51 | 56 | 55 | 44 | 43 | 43 |
| Wed | 43 | 44 | 46 | 45 | 48 | 49 | 48 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 46 | 52 | 57 | 59 | 46 | 43 | 43 |
| Thu | 43 | 44 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 48 | 49 | 47 | 47 | 46 | 47 | 54 | 53 | 55 | 44 | 43 | 43 |
| Fri | 43 | 44 | 47 | 46 | 48 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 46 | 49 | 54 | 57 | 56 | 46 | 43 | 43 |
| Sat | 43 | 44 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 44 | 44 | 43 | 44 | 44 | 45 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 |
| Sun | 43 | 44 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 35-mile drive from Sacramento to Lincoln (via SR-99 North and I-5 North) usually takes as little as 43 minutes and up to 59 minutes, when leaving around 6 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 8:30 am or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 47 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3 pm on Saturdays (45 minutes).
About 15 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 21 miles surface streets (30 to 34 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln?
On weekdays, leave before 8:30 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 43 minutes then, versus up to 59 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Sacramento to Lincoln?
The 35-mile drive usually takes 43 to 59 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 47 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Sacramento to Lincoln?
Leaving around 6 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 59 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
SR-99 North in Sacramento (8 miles) · I-5 North in Sacramento (6 miles)
Sacramento traffic right now · Sacramento traffic tomorrow
More drives
Lincoln 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