Best Time to Drive from Sacramento to Novato

Right now (7:17 pm PDT): about 77 minutes via I-80 West, usually 75 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 77-mile drive from Sacramento to Novato (via I-80 West) usually takes as little as 73 minutes and up to 96 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 4 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 83 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 11 am on Saturdays (114 minutes).

About 62 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 15 miles surface streets (19 to 28 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 Novato 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 Novato?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 4 pm. The drive usually takes about 73 minutes then, versus up to 96 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 77-mile drive usually takes 73 to 96 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 83 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Sacramento to Novato?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 96 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-80 West in Bay Area (23 miles) · I-80 West in Sacramento (17 miles) · SR-37 West in Bay Area (10 miles) · US-50 West in Sacramento (6 miles) · US-101 North in Bay Area (1.5 miles)

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

More drives

Novato 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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