How to avoid L.A. I-5 traffic

[ErikW]

Can one of you SoCal guys give me a detour around the I-5 South congestion in and around L.A.? I'll be going from S.F. to S.D. and hitting that area in the afternoon. It really sucked last time. There's gotta be a faster way around it.

[Bucky]

That'll be an interesting trick. Funny you should bring it up. I was in Kali. this past week, first time in 22 years. The traffic (especially on I5) was unbearable... and I'm used to Jersey traffic!!

[uscbigdawg]

Erik,

Airplane and rental car.

Seriously though. I might get this wrong, but it'll be close and a look at a map, will clean things up a bit.

I-5 to I-405 to 91 to I-105

The 105 will hit 5 and the 405 in Orange County, near Disneyland. Jump back onto either and continue south. This is a loop west of downtown, near LAX.

Another way would be 5, 215? (to Pasadena), 91/60?, 405/5 South. This is a loop east of downtown, through Pasadena, Corona/Norco.

Depending on when you go through downtown, it won't be that bad to just stay on I-5. Give me a day of the week and approx. time, and I can tell if you're going to be okay.

Rich

[D.Hayden]

Erik, I drove down last week for a Microsoft Conference, after all the Oakland flights were cancelled beacuse of the fire related issues at the ATC. It really depends on the day of the week you drive down and at what time of day. I arrived in LA ~ 11pm, no traffic, my wife went down 3 weeks ago (to SD), I think she hit LA about 1-2 pm, no problems.

We looked for ways around it (I-15), the extra distance negated speed gains

[Shooter Grrl]

Erik,

The last 100 trips or so that we made we went the way back way - through Tehachapi and down through San Bernardino! We got really tired of getting slowed down in Valencia and not picking up again until Beaumont

We usually cut over from 5 to 99 on Hwy 46. You'll pick up Hwy 58 in Bakersfield (this is the way to the Silver Buckle Match). Stay on 58 all the way 395, head south and then pick up I-15. I-15 dumps you back on I-5 in San Diego. According to aaa.com this way is 38 miles longer than going Rich's suggested route on the 405.

Good luck - is everything okay with your family?

[George]

I'm with Kathy if you wanna' git' arounit' this is indeed the only way to go. It's also the first half of the best/fastest way to get to Vegas from the bay area. Just keep going on 58E until you hit I15E at Barstow then turn left for Vegas.

If you take the 46 cuttoff through Tehachapi, stop in Wasco for a grilled pastrami sandwich or a grilled hotdog at the burger stand on the right as you go through the town of Wasco. Perfect lunch break, if you can't decide betweed the grilled hotdog or pastrami sandwich, just get both. 5 star road food. It's about 20 minutes east of I5.

As far as the other routes mentioned, if there is traffic in the LA basin, the only way to avoid it is to avoid the entire basin by using Kathy's route. If you are travelling at night the straight down I5 route is best for pure speed and low traffic. Weekends in the LA basin are potentially bad at any time of day or evening. Weekdays usually clear up after 7-8pm and stay fast till about 5am.

Here are my best travel times (mostly flying low at night because you don't have to worry about airspotters, just radar)

SF to LA (downtown city limits) via I5 = 5hrs flat

SF to SD via I5 = 7hrs flat

SF to Vegas via 5-46-58-15 7hrs 40-someodd minutes

Don't have a solid time on the Tehachapi back route, but I do remember it being about 8 hours to Escondido (just north of SD) that way once. The wayback route does "usually" work when all else fails. I have been hung up out there too, so there really is no certain route. As I mentioned, off times on I5 through LA are best if you can manage it.

Regards,

[ErikW]

I'm sick of the Vegas route, and it's really out of the way. The 405 looks appealing (after all, it is the "San Diego Freeway") but I understand it is gridlock in some places, like in the Valley. I want to leave after 9 AM, which puts me over the grapevine six hours later.

No major problems with the family. I'm stopping in S.D. for a night on the way to Arid-zona.

[BrianH]

I usually go 156 to Hollister, then up to 5, but I would avoid that....it's getting pretty popular and the truckers will kill you!

I can't stand Modesto to Bakersfield....it's SO friggin boring! I'll do 101 just so I don't go nuts. Lots more CHP, though.

[TheOtherErik]

Traffic in that area is like a plague...you cant avoid it. So expct delays any wich way you go. I second the 210 though pasadena.

[diehli]

Avoid the 405 and 91 like the plague. Those freeways create serial killers... not that I know from personal experience or anything.

There are two or three routes that I'd take:

5-> 210 Eastbound-> 15 Southbound (preferred)

5-> 138-> 15 (kind of a local highway... get street names on your map so you don't lose track of the 138)

99-> 58-> 14-> 138-> 15 (use it only if something else is shut down... I got stopped at Grapevine on the 5 a couple years back because of fire... this is the way I got home, minus the stint on the 99)

Good luck! If you have a radar detector, USE IT!

[warpspeed]

Erik,

300lb's preferred route is the hot ticket: 5 S to 210 E to 15 S

@ 3:30- 4:00 pm you will run into some trafic through Pasadena but it moves OK.

Stay away from the 405 at all costs. The 5 is OK if you have a partner and can take advantage of the diamond lane. Otherwise, 3 pm in LA is a crap shoot.

[ErikW]

I feel like the victim of a practical joke. After further research revealed the 405 as a major loser, I hit the 210 E on a Wednesday about 3:20 PM. Things turned to shjt at Pasadena, then improved past Arcadia. I hit the 15 S and things were OK until past the strip mines or whatever those are then things turned to shjt again. Connected to 5, shjt through Fullerton. Back to the limit until past Carlsbad. Major shjt in the San Diego area around the 805 at the peak of rush hour. Took damn near 9 hours with only one short stop.

The following Wednesday, leaving Alpine at 11:30 AM put me into L.A. traffic around 1:30-2 PM. No problemo, barely under the limit. Hit the Bay Bridge in 8 hours, with two stops.

[George]

Now you see why I like to leave SF after 2pm to hit LA after 7pm, or 4-5am to hit LA late morning. I like the first for weekdays, and the later for weekends. 210 is my favorite way to avoid the whole basin and 10E through LA when I go to the Palm Springs/29 Palms area. But only at off peak times, it never works for anything at peak times, just like the 405 and every other route through the LA basin.

Another great time to leave SF is 8pm or later, and roll into LA in the wee hours of the morning. The best times can be made when you Fly By Night.

Regards,