Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Placentia to Downey
Right now (5:50 pm PDT): about 24 minutes via I-5 North and SR-91 West, usually 23 at this time.
Only 47% 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 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 29 | 34 | 32 | 31 | 29 | 24 | 21 | 21 |
| Tue | 20 | 22 | 26 | 31 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 33 | 34 | 36 | 32 | 25 | 22 | 21 |
| Wed | 20 | 22 | 26 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 31 | 26 | 22 | 21 |
| Thu | 20 | 22 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 33 | 35 | 36 | 31 | 25 | 22 | 21 |
| Fri | 20 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 35 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 27 | 23 | 21 |
| Sat | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 21 |
| Sun | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 21 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 21-mile drive from Placentia to Downey (via I-5 North and SR-91 West) usually takes as little as 20 minutes and up to 37 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 27 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (27 minutes).
About 18 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (5 to 15 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Placentia 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 Placentia to Downey?
On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 20 minutes then, versus up to 37 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Placentia to Downey?
The 21-mile drive usually takes 20 to 37 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 27 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Placentia to Downey?
Leaving around 4:30 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 37 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-5 North in Orange County (10 miles) · SR-91 West in Orange County (6 miles) · SR-57 South in Orange County (1.9 miles)
Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow · Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow
More drives
Downey to Placentia (return trip) · Placentia to Los Angeles · Placentia to Long Beach · Placentia to Riverside · Placentia to Santa Ana · Placentia to Irvine · Placentia to San Bernardino · Placentia to Huntington Beach · Placentia to Glendale · Placentia to Santa Clarita · Placentia to Garden Grove · Placentia to Rancho Cucamonga