Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from SMF to Sacramento
Right now (1:18 pm PDT): about 14 minutes via I-5 South, usually 14 at this time.
Only 69% 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 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 23 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Tue | 13 | 13 | 14 | 23 | 21 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Wed | 13 | 13 | 15 | 25 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
| Thu | 13 | 13 | 15 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 21 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
| Fri | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 13 | 13 |
| Sat | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
| Sun | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 12-mile drive from SMF to Sacramento (via I-5 South) usually takes as little as 13 minutes and up to 26 minutes, when leaving around 8:30 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 16 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Saturdays (14 minutes).
About 9 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (6 to 12 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from Sacramento International Airport (SMF) to downtown Sacramento (the Capitol) (9th Street) 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 SMF to Sacramento?
On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 13 minutes then, versus up to 26 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from SMF to Sacramento?
The 12-mile drive usually takes 13 to 26 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 16 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from SMF to Sacramento?
Leaving around 8:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 26 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-5 South in Sacramento (8 miles)
Sacramento traffic right now · Sacramento traffic tomorrow
More drives
Sacramento to SMF (return trip) · SMF to Elk Grove · SMF to Davis · SMF to Folsom