Best Time to Drive from Sylmar to Lakewood

Right now (5:49 pm PDT): about 61 minutes via I-5 South and I-210 East, usually 67 at this time.

Only 12% 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 Lakewood 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	50	52	60	61	56	58	60	62	64	80	111	110	106	85	59	49	45
Tue	44	55	72	72	62	61	59	60	66	92	119	126	114	94	68	53	44
Wed	43	55	72	74	66	59	58	58	62	73	84	88	78	73	61	55	46
Thu	44	54	73	71	65	64	62	70	71	109	119	126	119	94	60	56	46
Fri	44	52	68	74	66	59	61	67	89	113	118	119	117	90	66	58	47
Sat	45	46	47	52	57	59	62	65	69	81	81	74	72	67	58	59	47
Sun	44	46	46	45	46	52	56	64	66	69	66	65	63	63	59	58	46

About this drive

On weekdays the 49-mile drive from Sylmar to Lakewood (via I-5 South and I-210 East) usually takes as little as 43 minutes and up to 126 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 70 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3 pm on Saturdays (81 minutes).

About 45 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 Lakewood 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 Lakewood?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 9 pm. The drive usually takes about 43 minutes then, versus up to 126 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 49-mile drive usually takes 43 to 126 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 70 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Sylmar to Lakewood?

Leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 126 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in Los Angeles (17 miles) · I-210 East in Los Angeles (16 miles) · SR-2 West in Los Angeles (8 miles) · I-605 South in Orange County (5 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Lakewood 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	50	52	60	61	56	58	60	62	64	80	111	110	106	85	59	49	45
Tue	44	55	72	72	62	61	59	60	66	92	119	126	114	94	68	53	44
Wed	43	55	72	74	66	59	58	58	62	73	84	88	78	73	61	55	46
Thu	44	54	73	71	65	64	62	70	71	109	119	126	119	94	60	56	46
Fri	44	52	68	74	66	59	61	67	89	113	118	119	117	90	66	58	47
Sat	45	46	47	52	57	59	62	65	69	81	81	74	72	67	58	59	47
Sun	44	46	46	45	46	52	56	64	66	69	66	65	63	63	59	58	46

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	50	52	60	61	56	58	60	62	64	80	111	110	106	85	59	49	45
Tue	44	55	72	72	62	61	59	60	66	92	119	126	114	94	68	53	44
Wed	43	55	72	74	66	59	58	58	62	73	84	88	78	73	61	55	46
Thu	44	54	73	71	65	64	62	70	71	109	119	126	119	94	60	56	46
Fri	44	52	68	74	66	59	61	67	89	113	118	119	117	90	66	58	47
Sat	45	46	47	52	57	59	62	65	69	81	81	74	72	67	58	59	47
Sun	44	46	46	45	46	52	56	64	66	69	66	65	63	63	59	58	46

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	50	52	60	61	56	58	60	62	64	80	111	110	106	85	59	49	45
Tue	44	55	72	72	62	61	59	60	66	92	119	126	114	94	68	53	44
Wed	43	55	72	74	66	59	58	58	62	73	84	88	78	73	61	55	46
Thu	44	54	73	71	65	64	62	70	71	109	119	126	119	94	60	56	46
Fri	44	52	68	74	66	59	61	67	89	113	118	119	117	90	66	58	47
Sat	45	46	47	52	57	59	62	65	69	81	81	74	72	67	58	59	47
Sun	44	46	46	45	46	52	56	64	66	69	66	65	63	63	59	58	46