Best Time to Drive from Long Beach to Bakersfield

Right now (5:06 pm PST): about 169 minutes via I-5 North and I-405 North, usually 169 at this time.

Only 21% 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 136-mile drive from Long Beach to Bakersfield (via I-5 North and I-405 North) usually takes as little as 121 minutes and up to 228 minutes, when leaving around 7:30 am on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 156 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Sundays (192 minutes).

About 124 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 12 miles surface streets (4 to 5 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from downtown Long Beach to central Bakersfield 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 Long Beach to Bakersfield?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 121 minutes then, versus up to 228 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 136-mile drive usually takes 121 to 228 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 156 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Long Beach to Bakersfield?

Leaving around 7:30 am on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 228 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in Los Angeles (47 miles) · I-405 North in Los Angeles (42 miles) · SR-99 North in Bakersfield (9 miles) · I-710 North in Los Angeles (5 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow · Bakersfield traffic right now · Bakersfield traffic tomorrow

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