Traffic Predict

Is Inland Empire Traffic Getting Worse?

In 2026, weekday freeway congestion in the Inland Empire was 26% better than in 2025 and 39% worse than in 2016, measured as hours lost in stop-and-go traffic per 1,000 miles driven. Traffic volume per sensor was 2% lower than in 2025.

Year by year (weekdays)

YearDelay per 1,000 vehicle-milesChangeVehicles per sensor per dayAverage speed5 pm speedSensors
2016 (partial)0.29 h–76,35861 mph55 mph712
20170.27 h-6%77,38961 mph56 mph747
20180.37 h+34%76,35661 mph55 mph760
20190.54 h+48%68,92560 mph53 mph765
20200.34 h-37%62,93561 mph57 mph780
20210.56 h+66%65,61160 mph55 mph778
20220.55 h-2%66,50360 mph55 mph819
20230.61 h+10%68,24560 mph54 mph788
20240.56 h-8%68,90860 mph54 mph796
20250.55 h-2%70,24760 mph54 mph836
20260.40 h-26%68,74560 mph55 mph831

Month by month

0.00.20.40.60.820162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Weekday delay per 1,000 vehicle-miles in Inland Empire, by month (hours)

Freeway by freeway, 2016 vs 2026

Freeway20162026Change
I-10 East0.27 h0.31 h+15%
I-10 West0.11 h0.18 h+61%
I-15 North0.46 h0.28 h-40%
I-15 South0.31 h0.41 h+32%
I-210 East0.58 h0.76 h+32%
I-210 West0.19 h0.12 h-36%
I-215 North0.12 h1.02 h+741%
I-215 South0.34 h0.44 h+29%
SR-60 East0.42 h0.51 h+21%
SR-60 West0.29 h0.21 h-28%
SR-71 North0.00 h0.00 h–
SR-71 South0.04 h0.05 h+33%
SR-91 East0.11 h0.52 h+388%
SR-91 West0.09 h0.58 h+529%

Weekday delay per 1,000 vehicle-miles on each freeway direction within the Inland Empire.

How this is measured

Every hour, road sensors report how many vehicles passed and how fast they went. For each sensor we multiply the vehicles by the length of freeway it covers to get vehicle-miles, and count the extra time spent below 35 mph as delay. Dividing delay by miles driven gives a congestion measure that doesn't change just because sensors are added or retired. Only weekdays with at least 20 hours of data are used. Data: Caltrans PeMS.

See also: how rain slows Inland Empire traffic, by time of day and how hard it rains.