Best Time to Drive from Sylmar to Carson

Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 55 minutes via I-405 South, usually 78 at this time.

None 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 Sylmar 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	37	38	39	44	46	44	44	50	64	70	84	88	87	71	48	41	37
Tue	38	38	38	58	70	51	48	77	108	131	171	185	152	111	73	51	38
Wed	37	38	39	55	62	47	49	67	112	164	179	193	162	122	85	58	38
Thu	38	38	39	52	62	47	54	76	108	149	159	168	159	135	102	67	40
Fri	38	38	39	46	46	46	58	100	123	126	125	145	139	118	94	65	41
Sat	38	38	38	39	41	44	51	60	66	81	80	77	67	56	50	49	39
Sun	38	38	37	38	40	41	43	48	52	54	53	54	52	48	49	46	39

About this drive

On weekdays the 41-mile drive from Sylmar to Carson (via I-405 South) usually takes as little as 37 minutes and up to 193 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 9 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 89 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Saturdays (81 minutes).

About 38 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (5 to 13 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Sylmar 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 Sylmar to Carson?

On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 9 pm. The drive usually takes about 37 minutes then, versus up to 193 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Sylmar to Carson?

The 41-mile drive usually takes 37 to 193 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 89 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Sylmar to Carson?

Leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 193 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-405 South in Los Angeles (38 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

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

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	37	38	39	44	46	44	44	50	64	70	84	88	87	71	48	41	37
Tue	38	38	38	58	70	51	48	77	108	131	171	185	152	111	73	51	38
Wed	37	38	39	55	62	47	49	67	112	164	179	193	162	122	85	58	38
Thu	38	38	39	52	62	47	54	76	108	149	159	168	159	135	102	67	40
Fri	38	38	39	46	46	46	58	100	123	126	125	145	139	118	94	65	41
Sat	38	38	38	39	41	44	51	60	66	81	80	77	67	56	50	49	39
Sun	38	38	37	38	40	41	43	48	52	54	53	54	52	48	49	46	39

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	37	38	39	44	46	44	44	50	64	70	84	88	87	71	48	41	37
Tue	38	38	38	58	70	51	48	77	108	131	171	185	152	111	73	51	38
Wed	37	38	39	55	62	47	49	67	112	164	179	193	162	122	85	58	38
Thu	38	38	39	52	62	47	54	76	108	149	159	168	159	135	102	67	40
Fri	38	38	39	46	46	46	58	100	123	126	125	145	139	118	94	65	41
Sat	38	38	38	39	41	44	51	60	66	81	80	77	67	56	50	49	39
Sun	38	38	37	38	40	41	43	48	52	54	53	54	52	48	49	46	39

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	37	38	39	44	46	44	44	50	64	70	84	88	87	71	48	41	37
Tue	38	38	38	58	70	51	48	77	108	131	171	185	152	111	73	51	38
Wed	37	38	39	55	62	47	49	67	112	164	179	193	162	122	85	58	38
Thu	38	38	39	52	62	47	54	76	108	149	159	168	159	135	102	67	40
Fri	38	38	39	46	46	46	58	100	123	126	125	145	139	118	94	65	41
Sat	38	38	38	39	41	44	51	60	66	81	80	77	67	56	50	49	39
Sun	38	38	37	38	40	41	43	48	52	54	53	54	52	48	49	46	39