Best Time to Drive from Carlsbad to Long Beach

Right now (7:17 pm PDT): about 70 minutes via I-5 North and SR-73 North, usually 69 at this time.

Only 17% 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 72-mile drive from Carlsbad to Long Beach (via I-5 North and SR-73 North) usually takes as little as 66 minutes and up to 84 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 12:30 pm or after 6 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 72 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Sundays (86 minutes).

About 66 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 6 miles surface streets (8 to 11 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Carlsbad to downtown Long 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 Carlsbad to Long Beach?

On weekdays, leave before 12:30 pm or after 6 pm. The drive usually takes about 66 minutes then, versus up to 84 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Carlsbad to Long Beach?

The 72-mile drive usually takes 66 to 84 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 72 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Carlsbad to Long Beach?

Leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 84 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in San Diego (21 miles) · SR-73 North in Orange County (18 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (14 miles) · I-405 North in Orange County (12 miles) · SR-22 West in Orange County (1.6 miles)

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

More drives

Long Beach 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

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