Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from San Rafael to Berkeley
Right now (6:49 pm PDT): about 21 minutes via I-580 West, usually 18 at this time.
Only 79% 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 | 18 | 20 | 33 | 33 | 27 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Tue | 18 | 20 | 43 | 52 | 34 | 25 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Wed | 17 | 19 | 41 | 42 | 30 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Thu | 17 | 19 | 42 | 45 | 31 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Fri | 17 | 19 | 30 | 28 | 24 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 27 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 |
| Sat | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 24 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 19 |
| Sun | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 18 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 18-mile drive from San Rafael to Berkeley (via I-580 West) usually takes as little as 17 minutes and up to 52 minutes, when leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 21 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Saturdays (32 minutes).
About 16 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 2 miles surface streets (4 to 9 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central San Rafael to central Berkeley 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 San Rafael to Berkeley?
On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 17 minutes then, versus up to 52 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from San Rafael to Berkeley?
The 18-mile drive usually takes 17 to 52 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 21 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from San Rafael to Berkeley?
Leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 52 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-580 West in Bay Area (13 miles) · I-80 West in Bay Area (1.7 miles) · US-101 South in Bay Area (1.5 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Berkeley to San Rafael (return trip) · San Rafael to San Jose · San Rafael to San Francisco · San Rafael to Oakland · San Rafael to Stockton · San Rafael to Fremont · San Rafael to Santa Rosa · San Rafael to Elk Grove · San Rafael to Hayward · San Rafael to Sunnyvale · San Rafael to Concord · San Rafael to Santa Clara