Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Shafter to Bakersfield
Right now (6:34 pm PDT): about 23 minutes via SR-99 South, usually 22 at this time.
Only 54% 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 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 22 |
| Tue | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 |
| Wed | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 |
| Thu | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 27 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 |
| Fri | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Sat | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Sun | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 20-mile drive from Shafter to Bakersfield (via SR-99 South) usually takes as little as 22 minutes and up to 27 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 pm on Mondays. The fastest times to leave are before 4 pm or after 5:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 23 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 8:30 pm on Sundays (22 minutes).
About 11 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 9 miles surface streets (12 to 14 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Shafter to central Bakersfield 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 Shafter to Bakersfield?
On weekdays, leave before 4 pm or after 5:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 22 minutes then, versus up to 27 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Shafter to Bakersfield?
The 20-mile drive usually takes 22 to 27 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 23 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Shafter to Bakersfield?
Leaving around 4:30 pm on Mondays is usually slowest, about 27 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
SR-99 South in Bakersfield (11 miles)
Bakersfield traffic right now · Bakersfield traffic tomorrow