Best Time to Drive from Palmdale to Downey

Right now (6:18 pm PDT): about 113 minutes via I-5 South and SR-2 West, usually 179 at this time.

Only 4% 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 65-mile drive from Palmdale to Downey (via I-5 South and SR-2 West) usually takes as little as 89 minutes and up to 236 minutes, when leaving around 2:30 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 9 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 172 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2:30 pm on Saturdays (201 minutes).

About 23 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 42 miles surface streets (68 to 183 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Palmdale to central Downey 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 Palmdale to Downey?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 9 pm. The drive usually takes about 89 minutes then, versus up to 236 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Palmdale to Downey?

The 65-mile drive usually takes 89 to 236 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 172 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Palmdale to Downey?

Leaving around 2:30 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 236 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in Los Angeles (14 miles) · SR-2 West in Los Angeles (8 miles) · I-210 West in Los Angeles (1.3 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Downey to Palmdale (return trip) · Palmdale to Los Angeles · Palmdale to Long Beach · Palmdale to Anaheim · Palmdale to Riverside · Palmdale to Santa Ana · Palmdale to Irvine · Palmdale to Oxnard · Palmdale to Moreno Valley · Palmdale to Huntington Beach · Palmdale to Glendale · Palmdale to Santa Clarita

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