Best Time to Drive from Northridge to Sylmar

Right now (6:51 pm PDT): about 22 minutes via I-405 North and I-5 North, usually 21 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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 15-mile drive from Northridge to Sylmar (via I-405 North and I-5 North) usually takes as little as 17 minutes and up to 29 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 20 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3:30 pm on Saturdays (20 minutes).

About 10 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (9 to 15 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Northridge to central Sylmar 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 Northridge to Sylmar?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 17 minutes then, versus up to 29 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Northridge to Sylmar?

The 15-mile drive usually takes 17 to 29 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 20 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Northridge to Sylmar?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 29 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-405 North in Los Angeles (6 miles) · I-5 North in Los Angeles (2 miles) · I-210 East in Los Angeles (1.4 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Sylmar to Northridge (return trip) · Northridge to Los Angeles · Northridge to Rancho Cucamonga · Northridge to Long Beach · Northridge to Anaheim · Northridge to Riverside · Northridge to Santa Ana · Northridge to Irvine · Northridge to Fontana · Northridge to Oxnard · Northridge to Huntington Beach · Northridge to Glendale

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