Best Time to Drive from Sherman Oaks to Carson

Right now (6:50 pm PDT): about 46 minutes via I-405 South, usually 62 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

Minutes from Sherman Oaks to Carson by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	27	27	27	31	34	31	32	36	44	54	70	76	77	63	37	31	27
Tue	27	27	27	38	47	35	34	43	72	97	115	146	127	91	54	37	27
Wed	27	27	27	38	43	33	33	42	72	108	139	132	134	98	62	42	28
Thu	27	27	27	35	43	32	36	50	63	102	120	116	109	94	75	50	29
Fri	27	27	27	33	32	32	38	68	85	98	88	85	92	83	62	47	30
Sat	27	27	27	28	29	31	35	42	48	58	57	53	47	37	35	34	28
Sun	27	27	27	27	28	29	30	32	35	36	36	36	34	35	35	33	28

About this drive

On weekdays the 30-mile drive from Sherman Oaks to Carson (via I-405 South) usually takes as little as 27 minutes and up to 146 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 8 am or after 9 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 59 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2:30 pm on Saturdays (62 minutes).

About 27 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 2 miles surface streets (3 to 9 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Sherman Oaks to central Carson 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 Sherman Oaks to Carson?

On weekdays, leave before 8 am or after 9 pm. The drive usually takes about 27 minutes then, versus up to 146 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Sherman Oaks to Carson?

The 30-mile drive usually takes 27 to 146 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 59 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Sherman Oaks to Carson?

Leaving around 4 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 146 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-405 South in Los Angeles (27 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Carson to Sherman Oaks (return trip) · Sherman Oaks to Los Angeles · Sherman Oaks to Long Beach · Sherman Oaks to Anaheim · Sherman Oaks to Riverside · Sherman Oaks to Santa Ana · Sherman Oaks to Irvine · Sherman Oaks to Santa Monica · Sherman Oaks to San Bernardino · Sherman Oaks to Fontana · Sherman Oaks to Oxnard · Sherman Oaks to Huntington Beach

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	27	27	27	31	34	31	32	36	44	54	70	76	77	63	37	31	27
Tue	27	27	27	38	47	35	34	43	72	97	115	146	127	91	54	37	27
Wed	27	27	27	38	43	33	33	42	72	108	139	132	134	98	62	42	28
Thu	27	27	27	35	43	32	36	50	63	102	120	116	109	94	75	50	29
Fri	27	27	27	33	32	32	38	68	85	98	88	85	92	83	62	47	30
Sat	27	27	27	28	29	31	35	42	48	58	57	53	47	37	35	34	28
Sun	27	27	27	27	28	29	30	32	35	36	36	36	34	35	35	33	28

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	27	27	27	31	34	31	32	36	44	54	70	76	77	63	37	31	27
Tue	27	27	27	38	47	35	34	43	72	97	115	146	127	91	54	37	27
Wed	27	27	27	38	43	33	33	42	72	108	139	132	134	98	62	42	28
Thu	27	27	27	35	43	32	36	50	63	102	120	116	109	94	75	50	29
Fri	27	27	27	33	32	32	38	68	85	98	88	85	92	83	62	47	30
Sat	27	27	27	28	29	31	35	42	48	58	57	53	47	37	35	34	28
Sun	27	27	27	27	28	29	30	32	35	36	36	36	34	35	35	33	28

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	27	27	27	31	34	31	32	36	44	54	70	76	77	63	37	31	27
Tue	27	27	27	38	47	35	34	43	72	97	115	146	127	91	54	37	27
Wed	27	27	27	38	43	33	33	42	72	108	139	132	134	98	62	42	28
Thu	27	27	27	35	43	32	36	50	63	102	120	116	109	94	75	50	29
Fri	27	27	27	33	32	32	38	68	85	98	88	85	92	83	62	47	30
Sat	27	27	27	28	29	31	35	42	48	58	57	53	47	37	35	34	28
Sun	27	27	27	27	28	29	30	32	35	36	36	36	34	35	35	33	28