Best Time to Drive from Long Beach to Carlsbad

Right now (7:17 pm PDT): about 69 minutes via I-5 South and SR-73 South and I-405 South, usually 69 at this time.

Only 13% 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 73-mile drive from Long Beach to Carlsbad (via I-5 South and SR-73 South and I-405 South) usually takes as little as 67 minutes and up to 101 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 8 am or after 5:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 74 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3:30 pm on Saturdays (100 minutes).

About 66 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 7 miles surface streets (8 to 13 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 Carlsbad 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 Carlsbad?

On weekdays, leave before 8 am or after 5:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 67 minutes then, versus up to 101 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 73-mile drive usually takes 67 to 101 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 74 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Long Beach to Carlsbad?

Leaving around 3 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 101 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in Orange County (19 miles) · SR-73 South in Orange County (17 miles) · I-5 South in San Diego (15 miles) · I-405 South in Orange County (13 miles) · SR-22 East in Orange County (1.2 miles)

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

More drives

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

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