Best Time to Drive from San Rafael to Elk Grove

Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 98 minutes via I-80 East, usually 99 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 96-mile drive from San Rafael to Elk Grove (via I-80 East) usually takes as little as 90 minutes and up to 120 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 8 am or after 6 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 103 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Saturdays (101 minutes).

About 86 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 10 miles surface streets (14 to 18 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 Elk Grove 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 Elk Grove?

On weekdays, leave before 8 am or after 6 pm. The drive usually takes about 90 minutes then, versus up to 120 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from San Rafael to Elk Grove?

The 96-mile drive usually takes 90 to 120 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 103 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from San Rafael to Elk Grove?

Leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 120 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-80 East in Bay Area (26 miles) · I-80 East in Sacramento (21 miles) · US-101 North in Bay Area (12 miles) · SR-99 South in Sacramento (11 miles) · SR-37 East in Bay Area (10 miles) · US-50 East in Sacramento (5 miles)

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

More drives

Elk Grove 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 Hayward · San Rafael to Sunnyvale · San Rafael to Concord · San Rafael to Santa Clara · San Rafael to Vallejo

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