Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from San Rafael to Oakland
Right now (7:18 pm PDT): about 23 minutes via I-580 West and I-80 West, usually 22 at this time.
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 | 21 | 23 | 38 | 37 | 31 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 28 | 25 | 26 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 |
| Tue | 20 | 24 | 51 | 59 | 39 | 30 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 21 |
| Wed | 20 | 23 | 46 | 46 | 35 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 21 |
| Thu | 20 | 23 | 49 | 50 | 37 | 30 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 23 | 21 | 21 |
| Fri | 21 | 22 | 32 | 32 | 29 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 31 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 22 |
| Sat | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 28 | 34 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 27 | 25 | 22 |
| Sun | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 26 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 24 | 21 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 22-mile drive from San Rafael to Oakland (via I-580 West and I-80 West) usually takes as little as 20 minutes and up to 59 minutes, when leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 26 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Saturdays (36 minutes).
About 21 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.4 miles surface streets (2 to 3 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central San Rafael to downtown Oakland 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 Oakland?
On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 20 minutes then, versus up to 59 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from San Rafael to Oakland?
The 22-mile drive usually takes 20 to 59 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 26 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from San Rafael to Oakland?
Leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 59 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-580 West in Bay Area (14 miles) · I-80 West in Bay Area (5 miles) · US-101 South in Bay Area (1.5 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Oakland to San Rafael (return trip) · San Rafael to San Jose · San Rafael to San Francisco