Best Time to Drive from Sacramento to San Jose

Right now (5:06 pm PST): about 166 minutes via I-5 South and I-680 South and I-580 East, usually 155 at this time.

Only 37% 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 124-mile drive from Sacramento to San Jose (via I-5 South and I-680 South and I-580 East) usually takes as little as 116 minutes and up to 172 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 129 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3 pm on Saturdays (125 minutes).

About 71 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 53 miles surface streets (14 to 30 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 downtown San Jose 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 San Jose?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 116 minutes then, versus up to 172 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Sacramento to San Jose?

The 124-mile drive usually takes 116 to 172 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 129 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Sacramento to San Jose?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 172 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-680 South in Bay Area (23 miles) · I-5 South in Bay Area (19 miles) · I-580 East in Bay Area (14 miles) · I-5 South in Sacramento (13 miles) · I-280 North in Bay Area (1.6 miles)

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

More drives

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 · Sacramento to Fairfield

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