Best Time to Drive from Bakersfield to Newport Beach

Right now (7:06 pm PDT): about 164 minutes via I-405 South and I-5 South and SR-99 South, usually 153 at this time.

Only 22% 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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 156-mile drive from Bakersfield to Newport Beach (via I-405 South and I-5 South and SR-99 South) usually takes as little as 147 minutes and up to 330 minutes, when leaving around 1:30 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 255 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Saturdays (189 minutes).

About 119 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 37 miles surface streets (23 to 33 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Bakersfield to central Newport Beach 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 Bakersfield to Newport Beach?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 147 minutes then, versus up to 330 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Bakersfield to Newport Beach?

The 156-mile drive usually takes 147 to 330 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 255 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Bakersfield to Newport Beach?

Leaving around 1:30 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 330 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-405 South in Los Angeles (46 miles) · I-5 South in Los Angeles (26 miles) · SR-99 South in Bakersfield (13 miles) · I-405 South in Orange County (3 miles)

Bakersfield traffic right now · Bakersfield traffic tomorrow · Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow

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