Best Time to Drive from Oceanside to Long Beach

Right now (10:05 pm PDT): about 63 minutes via I-5 North and SR-73 North, usually 63 at this time.

Only 51% 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 69-mile drive from Oceanside to Long Beach (via I-5 North and SR-73 North) usually takes as little as 63 minutes and up to 79 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 12:30 pm or after 6 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 69 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (75 minutes).

About 63 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 7 miles surface streets (8 to 11 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Oceanside to downtown Long 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 Oceanside to Long Beach?

On weekdays, leave before 12:30 pm or after 6 pm. The drive usually takes about 63 minutes then, versus up to 79 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 69-mile drive usually takes 63 to 79 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 69 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Oceanside to Long Beach?

Leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 79 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

SR-73 North in Orange County (18 miles) · I-5 North in San Diego (18 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (14 miles) · I-405 North in Orange County (12 miles) · SR-22 West in Orange County (1.6 miles)

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

More drives

Long Beach 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 Glendora · Oceanside to Anaheim · Oceanside to Riverside · Oceanside to Santa Ana · Oceanside to Manhattan

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