Best Time to Drive from Sacramento to Santa Rosa

Right now (6:17 pm PDT): about 111 minutes via I-80 West and US-101 North, usually 97 at this time.

Only 53% 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 94-mile drive from Sacramento to Santa Rosa (via I-80 West and US-101 North) usually takes as little as 96 minutes and up to 144 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 5 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 114 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 11:30 am on Saturdays (170 minutes).

About 67 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 28 miles surface streets (37 to 63 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 Santa Rosa 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 Santa Rosa?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 5 pm. The drive usually takes about 96 minutes then, versus up to 144 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Sacramento to Santa Rosa?

The 94-mile drive usually takes 96 to 144 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 114 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Sacramento to Santa Rosa?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 144 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-80 West in Sacramento (17 miles) · I-80 West in Bay Area (17 miles) · US-101 North in Bay Area (14 miles) · SR-12 West in Bay Area (7 miles) · US-50 West in Sacramento (6 miles)

Sacramento traffic right now · Sacramento traffic tomorrow

More drives

Santa Rosa 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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