Best Time to Drive from Los Angeles to Imperial Beach

Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 168 minutes via I-5 South, usually 146 at this time.

Only 35% 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 133-mile drive from Los Angeles to Imperial Beach (via I-5 South) usually takes as little as 116 minutes and up to 180 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 141 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3 pm on Saturdays (148 minutes).

About 131 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (3 to 4 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from Downtown LA (City Hall) to central Imperial Beach 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 Los Angeles to Imperial Beach?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 116 minutes then, versus up to 180 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Los Angeles to Imperial Beach?

The 133-mile drive usually takes 116 to 180 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 141 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Los Angeles to Imperial Beach?

Leaving around 3 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 180 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in San Diego (59 miles) · I-5 South in Orange County (53 miles) · I-5 South in Los Angeles (13 miles) · US-101 South in Los Angeles (3 miles) · I-805 South in San Diego (3 miles)

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

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