Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Pasadena to Santa Monica
Right now (3:03 pm PDT): about 36 minutes via I-10 West and I-110 South, usually 33 at this time.
Only 5% 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.
Typical drive time by departure time
| Leave | 5am | 6am | 7am | 8am | 9am | 10am | 11am | 12pm | 1pm | 2pm | 3pm | 4pm | 5pm | 6pm | 7pm | 8pm | 9pm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 25 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 26 |
| Tue | 25 | 26 | 28 | 34 | 34 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 34 | 33 | 30 | 28 | 28 | 26 |
| Wed | 25 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 26 |
| Thu | 25 | 26 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 31 | 28 | 28 | 26 |
| Fri | 25 | 26 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 26 |
| Sat | 25 | 26 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 26 |
| Sun | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 26 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 25-mile drive from Pasadena to Santa Monica (via I-10 West and I-110 South) usually takes as little as 25 minutes and up to 34 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 9 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 29 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3 pm on Saturdays (36 minutes).
About 21 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (7 to 13 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from Old Pasadena (East Holly Street) to downtown Santa Monica 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 Pasadena to Santa Monica?
On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 9 pm. The drive usually takes about 25 minutes then, versus up to 34 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Pasadena to Santa Monica?
The 25-mile drive usually takes 25 to 34 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 29 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Pasadena to Santa Monica?
Leaving around 4 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 34 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-10 West in Los Angeles (12 miles) · I-110 South in Los Angeles (9 miles)
Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow
More drives
Santa Monica to Pasadena (return trip) · Pasadena to Long Beach · Pasadena to West Covina · Pasadena to Burbank · Pasadena to Santa Clarita · Pasadena to Van Nuys · Pasadena to Torrance · Pasadena to Hollywood · Pasadena to Culver City · Pasadena to Whittier · Pasadena to Thousand Oaks · Pasadena to Oxnard