Best Time to Drive from Irvine to Santa Barbara

Right now (5:50 am PST): about 139 minutes via US-101 North and I-5 North, usually 170 at this time.

Only 23% 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 135-mile drive from Irvine to Santa Barbara (via US-101 North and I-5 North) usually takes as little as 135 minutes and up to 243 minutes, when leaving around 1 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 210 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2:30 pm on Saturdays (206 minutes).

About 108 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 28 miles surface streets (41 to 98 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Irvine (Harvard Avenue) to central Santa Barbara (Anacapa Street) 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 Irvine to Santa Barbara?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 135 minutes then, versus up to 243 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Irvine to Santa Barbara?

The 135-mile drive usually takes 135 to 243 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 210 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Irvine to Santa Barbara?

Leaving around 1 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 243 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 North in Los Angeles (46 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (22 miles) · I-5 North in Los Angeles (18 miles) · SR-134 West in Los Angeles (6 miles) · SR-55 North in Orange County (2 miles)

Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow

Irvine to Santa Barbara over Thanksgiving: when to leave →

More drives

Santa Barbara to Irvine (return trip) · Irvine to Los Angeles · Irvine to Santa Monica · Irvine to Pasadena · Irvine to Long Beach · Irvine to West Covina · Irvine to Burbank · Irvine to Glendale · Irvine to Santa Clarita · Irvine to Van Nuys · Irvine to Torrance · Irvine to LAX

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