Best Time to Drive from Sylmar to Downey

Right now (6:06 pm PDT): about 59 minutes via I-210 East and I-5 South and SR-2 West, usually 62 at this time.

Only 11% 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 Downey 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	39	45	51	54	49	48	49	49	53	58	70	76	73	62	47	42	38
Tue	37	45	58	64	55	52	50	50	51	63	79	85	78	68	51	44	38
Wed	37	45	61	67	58	52	50	51	53	65	71	73	71	66	53	46	39
Thu	37	44	59	63	57	53	51	54	57	74	82	86	81	71	50	47	39
Fri	37	43	54	61	54	49	51	55	66	78	81	80	82	68	52	49	40
Sat	38	39	40	43	47	49	52	53	57	61	61	58	59	55	49	49	40
Sun	37	40	39	38	39	43	47	53	53	55	53	53	51	50	48	48	39

About this drive

On weekdays the 41-mile drive from Sylmar to Downey (via I-210 East and I-5 South and SR-2 West) usually takes as little as 37 minutes and up to 86 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 9 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 56 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (61 minutes).

About 37 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (5 to 10 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Sylmar 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 Sylmar to Downey?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 9 pm. The drive usually takes about 37 minutes then, versus up to 86 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 41-mile drive usually takes 37 to 86 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 56 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Sylmar to Downey?

Leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 86 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-210 East in Los Angeles (16 miles) · I-5 South in Los Angeles (14 miles) · SR-2 West in Los Angeles (8 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Downey 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	39	45	51	54	49	48	49	49	53	58	70	76	73	62	47	42	38
Tue	37	45	58	64	55	52	50	50	51	63	79	85	78	68	51	44	38
Wed	37	45	61	67	58	52	50	51	53	65	71	73	71	66	53	46	39
Thu	37	44	59	63	57	53	51	54	57	74	82	86	81	71	50	47	39
Fri	37	43	54	61	54	49	51	55	66	78	81	80	82	68	52	49	40
Sat	38	39	40	43	47	49	52	53	57	61	61	58	59	55	49	49	40
Sun	37	40	39	38	39	43	47	53	53	55	53	53	51	50	48	48	39

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	39	45	51	54	49	48	49	49	53	58	70	76	73	62	47	42	38
Tue	37	45	58	64	55	52	50	50	51	63	79	85	78	68	51	44	38
Wed	37	45	61	67	58	52	50	51	53	65	71	73	71	66	53	46	39
Thu	37	44	59	63	57	53	51	54	57	74	82	86	81	71	50	47	39
Fri	37	43	54	61	54	49	51	55	66	78	81	80	82	68	52	49	40
Sat	38	39	40	43	47	49	52	53	57	61	61	58	59	55	49	49	40
Sun	37	40	39	38	39	43	47	53	53	55	53	53	51	50	48	48	39

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	39	45	51	54	49	48	49	49	53	58	70	76	73	62	47	42	38
Tue	37	45	58	64	55	52	50	50	51	63	79	85	78	68	51	44	38
Wed	37	45	61	67	58	52	50	51	53	65	71	73	71	66	53	46	39
Thu	37	44	59	63	57	53	51	54	57	74	82	86	81	71	50	47	39
Fri	37	43	54	61	54	49	51	55	66	78	81	80	82	68	52	49	40
Sat	38	39	40	43	47	49	52	53	57	61	61	58	59	55	49	49	40
Sun	37	40	39	38	39	43	47	53	53	55	53	53	51	50	48	48	39