Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from UC Irvine to Los Angeles
Right now (7:32 pm PDT): about 46 minutes via I-5 North, usually 47 at this time.
Only 8% 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 | 40 | 47 | 50 | 54 | 50 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 53 | 56 | 58 | 58 | 55 | 43 | 42 | 40 |
| Tue | 40 | 48 | 53 | 56 | 53 | 49 | 46 | 46 | 49 | 52 | 59 | 57 | 60 | 53 | 46 | 42 | 40 |
| Wed | 40 | 47 | 52 | 54 | 53 | 48 | 47 | 48 | 50 | 53 | 59 | 65 | 70 | 65 | 51 | 44 | 40 |
| Thu | 41 | 46 | 52 | 54 | 50 | 48 | 47 | 46 | 46 | 53 | 60 | 61 | 61 | 54 | 51 | 42 | 40 |
| Fri | 40 | 46 | 46 | 48 | 48 | 47 | 47 | 51 | 54 | 57 | 65 | 63 | 69 | 57 | 46 | 43 | 40 |
| Sat | 40 | 41 | 42 | 42 | 44 | 45 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 48 | 46 | 44 | 43 | 40 |
| Sun | 40 | 41 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 45 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 47 | 47 | 46 | 46 | 41 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 44-mile drive from UC Irvine to Los Angeles (via I-5 North) usually takes as little as 40 minutes and up to 70 minutes, when leaving around 5 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 49 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (53 minutes).
About 39 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (5 to 9 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 LA (City Hall) 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 Los Angeles?
On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 40 minutes then, versus up to 70 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from UC Irvine to Los Angeles?
The 44-mile drive usually takes 40 to 70 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 49 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from UC Irvine to Los Angeles?
Leaving around 5 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 70 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-5 North in Orange County (22 miles) · I-5 North in Los Angeles (11 miles) · SR-55 North in Orange County (4 miles) · I-405 North in Orange County (1.9 miles)
Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow · Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow