Best Time to Drive from Downey to Ventura

Right now (11:50 pm PST): about 80 minutes via US-101 North.

Only 6% 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 79-mile drive from Downey to Ventura (via US-101 North) usually takes as little as 76 minutes and up to 139 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 118 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3:30 pm on Saturdays (131 minutes).

About 66 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 14 miles surface streets (21 to 32 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Downey (Downey Avenue) to central Ventura 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 Downey to Ventura?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 76 minutes then, versus up to 139 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Downey to Ventura?

The 79-mile drive usually takes 76 to 139 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 118 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Downey to Ventura?

Leaving around 3 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 139 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 North in Los Angeles (43 miles) · I-5 North in Los Angeles (12 miles) · SR-134 West in Los Angeles (6 miles) · I-710 North in Los Angeles (4 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

Downey to Ventura over Thanksgiving: when to leave →

More drives

Ventura to Downey (return trip) · Downey to Los Angeles · Downey to Santa Monica · Downey to Long Beach · Downey to West Covina · Downey to Burbank · Downey to Glendale · Downey to Santa Clarita · Downey to Van Nuys · Downey to LAX · Downey to Hollywood · Downey to Culver City

Open the live traffic map →