Best Time to Drive from Carlsbad to Lakewood

Right now (6:06 pm PDT): about 77 minutes via I-5 North and SR-73 North and I-405 North, usually 68 at this time.

Only 50% 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 74-mile drive from Carlsbad to Lakewood (via I-5 North and SR-73 North and I-405 North) usually takes as little as 66 minutes and up to 96 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 1:30 pm or after 5:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 72 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Sundays (83 minutes).

About 69 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (6 to 10 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Carlsbad to central Lakewood 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 Carlsbad to Lakewood?

On weekdays, leave before 1:30 pm or after 5:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 66 minutes then, versus up to 96 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Carlsbad to Lakewood?

The 74-mile drive usually takes 66 to 96 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 72 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Carlsbad to Lakewood?

Leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 96 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in San Diego (21 miles) · SR-73 North in Orange County (18 miles) · I-405 North in Orange County (16 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (14 miles)

San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow · Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Lakewood to Carlsbad (return trip) · Carlsbad to San Diego · Carlsbad to Escondido · Carlsbad to Chula Vista · Carlsbad to La Jolla · Carlsbad to El Cajon · Carlsbad to SAN · Carlsbad to Long Beach · Carlsbad to Anaheim · Carlsbad to Riverside · Carlsbad to Santa Ana · Carlsbad to Irvine

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