Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Sunnyvale to San Rafael
Right now (6:06 pm PDT): about 71 minutes via I-280 North, usually 62 at this time.
Only 27% 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 | 60 | 60 | 62 | 68 | 70 | 63 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 69 | 82 | 71 | 62 | 60 | 61 | 60 |
| Tue | 60 | 60 | 62 | 71 | 75 | 67 | 63 | 62 | 62 | 64 | 77 | 94 | 84 | 70 | 62 | 61 | 60 |
| Wed | 60 | 60 | 62 | 70 | 74 | 65 | 63 | 63 | 62 | 65 | 84 | 97 | 88 | 71 | 62 | 61 | 60 |
| Thu | 60 | 60 | 63 | 73 | 77 | 66 | 63 | 62 | 62 | 65 | 87 | 102 | 92 | 72 | 63 | 61 | 60 |
| Fri | 60 | 60 | 62 | 65 | 64 | 63 | 63 | 62 | 64 | 70 | 86 | 85 | 74 | 66 | 62 | 61 | 60 |
| Sat | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 62 | 62 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 60 |
| Sun | 60 | 60 | 60 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 62 | 63 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 63-mile drive from Sunnyvale to San Rafael (via I-280 North) usually takes as little as 60 minutes and up to 102 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 8 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 63 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (64 minutes).
About 54 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 8 miles surface streets (12 to 23 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Sunnyvale to central San Rafael 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 Sunnyvale to San Rafael?
On weekdays, leave before 8 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 60 minutes then, versus up to 102 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Sunnyvale to San Rafael?
The 63-mile drive usually takes 60 to 102 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 63 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Sunnyvale to San Rafael?
Leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 102 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-280 North in Bay Area (40 miles) · US-101 North in Bay Area (10 miles) · SR-1 North in Bay Area (4 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
San Rafael to Sunnyvale (return trip) · Sunnyvale to Stockton · Sunnyvale to Modesto · Sunnyvale to Concord · Sunnyvale to Vallejo · Sunnyvale to Fairfield · Sunnyvale to Antioch · Sunnyvale to Daly City · Sunnyvale to Vacaville · Sunnyvale to San Leandro · Sunnyvale to Livermore · Sunnyvale to Tracy