Best Time to Drive from Sacramento to Walnut Creek

Right now (6:17 pm PDT): about 67 minutes via I-80 West and I-680 South, usually 64 at this time.

Only 68% 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 70-mile drive from Sacramento to Walnut Creek (via I-80 West and I-680 South) usually takes as little as 63 minutes and up to 81 minutes, when leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 4:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 72 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 11:30 am on Saturdays (93 minutes).

About 66 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (5 to 9 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 Walnut Creek 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 Walnut Creek?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 4:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 63 minutes then, versus up to 81 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Sacramento to Walnut Creek?

The 70-mile drive usually takes 63 to 81 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 72 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Sacramento to Walnut Creek?

Leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 81 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-680 South in Bay Area (23 miles) · I-80 West in Sacramento (17 miles) · I-80 West in Bay Area (16 miles) · US-50 West in Sacramento (6 miles)

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

More drives

Walnut Creek 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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