Best Time to Drive from UC Irvine to Long Beach
Right now (7:49 pm PDT): about 30 minutes via I-405 North and SR-73 North, usually 34 at this time.
Only 15% 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 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
| Tue | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 33 | 37 | 33 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
| Wed | 26 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 38 | 43 | 37 | 33 | 34 | 28 |
| Thu | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 37 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 28 | 27 |
| Fri | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 33 | 32 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 |
| Sat | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 27 |
| Sun | 26 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 25-mile drive from UC Irvine to Long Beach (via I-405 North and SR-73 North) usually takes as little as 26 minutes and up to 43 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 9:30 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 29 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Sundays (28 minutes).
About 19 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 6 miles surface streets (10 to 13 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central UC Irvine to downtown Long Beach 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 UC Irvine to Long Beach?
On weekdays, leave before 9:30 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 26 minutes then, versus up to 43 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from UC Irvine to Long Beach?
The 25-mile drive usually takes 26 to 43 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 29 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from UC Irvine to Long Beach?
Leaving around 4:30 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 43 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-405 North in Orange County (12 miles) · SR-73 North in Orange County (5 miles) · SR-22 West in Orange County (1.6 miles)
Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow · Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow
More drives
Long Beach to UC Irvine (return trip) · UC Irvine to Los Angeles