Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from East Los Angeles to Santa Monica
Right now (6:48 pm PDT): about 23 minutes via I-10 West, usually 23 at this time.
None 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.
Typical drive time by departure time
| Leave | 5am | 6am | 7am | 8am | 9am | 10am | 11am | 12pm | 1pm | 2pm | 3pm | 4pm | 5pm | 6pm | 7pm | 8pm | 9pm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 20 | 27 | 37 | 38 | 34 | 29 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 29 | 31 | 23 | 20 | 19 |
| Tue | 19 | 25 | 38 | 38 | 35 | 31 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 30 | 33 | 24 | 20 | 19 |
| Wed | 19 | 25 | 37 | 38 | 35 | 31 | 27 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 31 | 35 | 25 | 20 | 19 |
| Thu | 19 | 26 | 38 | 38 | 35 | 31 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 31 | 34 | 25 | 20 | 19 |
| Fri | 19 | 25 | 34 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 25 | 21 | 19 |
| Sat | 19 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 19 |
| Sun | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 20-mile drive from East Los Angeles to Santa Monica (via I-10 West) usually takes as little as 19 minutes and up to 39 minutes, when leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 25 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Saturdays (29 minutes).
About 18 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.9 miles surface streets (3 to 6 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central East Los Angeles to downtown Santa Monica 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 East Los Angeles to Santa Monica?
On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 19 minutes then, versus up to 39 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from East Los Angeles to Santa Monica?
The 20-mile drive usually takes 19 to 39 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 25 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from East Los Angeles to Santa Monica?
Leaving around 7:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 39 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-10 West in Los Angeles (15 miles) · I-5 North in Los Angeles (3 miles)
Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow
More drives
Santa Monica to East Los Angeles (return trip) · East Los Angeles to Long Beach · East Los Angeles to Anaheim · East Los Angeles to Riverside · East Los Angeles to Santa Ana · East Los Angeles to Irvine · East Los Angeles to San Bernardino · East Los Angeles to Fontana · East Los Angeles to Oxnard · East Los Angeles to Moreno Valley · East Los Angeles to Huntington Beach · East Los Angeles to Glendale