Best Time to Drive from Palmdale to Lakewood

Right now (8:36 pm PST): about 100 minutes via I-5 South and SR-2 West, usually 96 at this time.

Only 3% 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 73-mile drive from Palmdale to Lakewood (via I-5 South and SR-2 West) usually takes as little as 91 minutes and up to 176 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 132 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (122 minutes).

About 30 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 42 miles surface streets (64 to 80 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Palmdale to central Lakewood 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 Lakewood?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 91 minutes then, versus up to 176 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 73-mile drive usually takes 91 to 176 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 132 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Palmdale to Lakewood?

Leaving around 3 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 176 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in Los Angeles (17 miles) · SR-2 West in Los Angeles (8 miles) · I-605 South in Orange County (5 miles) · I-210 West in Los Angeles (1.3 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Lakewood 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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