Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Riverside to Santa Monica
Right now (11:21 am PST): about 83 minutes via SR-60 West and I-10 West, usually 86 at this time.
Only 18% 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 | 80 | 140 | 137 | 131 | 117 | 111 | 97 | 80 | 75 | 73 | 74 | 71 | 70 | 69 | 66 | 66 | 68 |
| Tue | 73 | 140 | 127 | 118 | 111 | 103 | 95 | 81 | 76 | 73 | 79 | 76 | 75 | 69 | 66 | 65 | 64 |
| Wed | 85 | 136 | 118 | 119 | 109 | 97 | 91 | 80 | 78 | 75 | 73 | 71 | 73 | 70 | 66 | 66 | 64 |
| Thu | 85 | 133 | 113 | 110 | 101 | 102 | 91 | 83 | 80 | 74 | 73 | 72 | 75 | 70 | 66 | 66 | 64 |
| Fri | 72 | 111 | 102 | 92 | 92 | 98 | 88 | 82 | 79 | 76 | 81 | 81 | 78 | 75 | 69 | 65 | 63 |
| Sat | 64 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 74 | 92 | 88 | 91 | 91 | 83 | 78 | 78 | 76 | 69 | 66 | 64 | 63 |
| Sun | 63 | 64 | 63 | 65 | 66 | 76 | 84 | 84 | 75 | 69 | 69 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 67 | 63 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 69-mile drive from Riverside to Santa Monica (via SR-60 West and I-10 West) usually takes as little as 63 minutes and up to 140 minutes, when leaving around 6 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 81 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 10:30 am on Saturdays (93 minutes).
About 67 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 2 miles surface streets (3 to 6 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Riverside 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 Riverside to Santa Monica?
On weekdays, leave after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 63 minutes then, versus up to 140 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Riverside to Santa Monica?
The 69-mile drive usually takes 63 to 140 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 81 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Riverside to Santa Monica?
Leaving around 6 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 140 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
SR-60 West in Los Angeles (33 miles) · SR-60 West in Inland Empire (19 miles) · I-10 West in Los Angeles (15 miles)
Inland Empire traffic right now · Inland Empire traffic tomorrow · Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow
Riverside to Santa Monica over Thanksgiving: when to leave →
More drives
Santa Monica to Riverside (return trip) · Riverside to Los Angeles · Riverside to Pasadena · Riverside to Long Beach · Riverside to West Covina · Riverside to Burbank · Riverside to Glendale · Riverside to Van Nuys · Riverside to Torrance · Riverside to LAX · Riverside to Hollywood · Riverside to Culver City