Best Time to Drive from Oceanside to Carson

Right now (6:53 pm PDT): about 86 minutes via I-5 North and I-405 North and SR-73 North, usually 71 at this time.

Only 44% 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 79-mile drive from Oceanside to Carson (via I-5 North and I-405 North and SR-73 North) usually takes as little as 68 minutes and up to 108 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 1:30 pm or after 5:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 75 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Saturdays (82 minutes).

About 77 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 2 miles surface streets (2 to 4 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Oceanside to central Carson 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 Oceanside to Carson?

On weekdays, leave before 1:30 pm or after 5:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 68 minutes then, versus up to 108 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Oceanside to Carson?

The 79-mile drive usually takes 68 to 108 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 75 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Oceanside to Carson?

Leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 108 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

SR-73 North in Orange County (18 miles) · I-5 North in San Diego (18 miles) · I-405 North in Orange County (16 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (14 miles) · I-405 North in Los Angeles (10 miles) · I-110 South in Los Angeles (1.7 miles)

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

More drives

Carson to Oceanside (return trip) · Oceanside to San Diego · Oceanside to Escondido · Oceanside to Chula Vista · Oceanside to La Jolla · Oceanside to El Cajon · Oceanside to SAN · Oceanside to Long Beach · Oceanside to Glendora · Oceanside to Anaheim · Oceanside to Riverside · Oceanside to Santa Ana

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