Worst Freeways in Southern California

We have all heard about the nightmarish traffic in Southern California. Of course, it’s nowhere near the worst traffic ridden area in the world, but it still gets pretty bad regardless. Most of the worst traffic spots in Southern California exist in San Diego or Los Angeles, which should surprise nobody because there are over a million people in each city and then even more in the surrounding counties. Anyways, the key to avoiding the worst traffic that Southern California has to offer is knowing how to get around it or beat it. It can be done. Just make sure you know about these 3 freeways!

Interstate 5

This freeway might span three states, but you’ll find the majority of the traffic between two cities that are a mere 100 miles or so apart. Yeah, we’re talking about San Diego and Los Angeles. You can find plenty of traffic along the I-5 in and around both of these cities because tens of thousands of people drive along this freeway each day. In fact, traffic can be found on the Interstate 5 around both cities from 6 A.M. in the morning until 7 or 8 P.M. at night. Drivers will definitely want to avoid the freeway during the traffic rush hour from around 2 P.M. until 5 P.M. on any given day, including the weekends.

Interstate 5 spans all of California, but you’ll find traffic regularly in the following areas:

* San Diego
* San Juan Capistrano
* Oceanside
* Orange County
* Los Angeles
* Northridge

Unfortunately, you won’t find many ways around the traffic on the I-5 that won’t just get you into more traffic. All of the freeways around this one are typically just as busy because people are all trying to get to the same areas. Basically, you can never completely escape the Interstate 5’s traffic if you have to go somewhere around it. You can attempt to drive in the early morning or late at night to avoid any traffic, but this isn’t a fruitful option for most people, so dealing with it is usually your only possibility.

Interstate 405

Of course, another one of the busiest freeways in Southern California actually connects to the Interstate 5 at one point. The Interstate 405 was voted the most congested freeway in the country back in 2008, so you should try to avoid this freeway at all costs. It is pretty much busiest at the same time as the I-5, but you’ll probably find more traffic and longer waits on it during these times merely because the I-405 is much shorter then the I-5. Unfortunately, most of the I-405 runs straight through Northridge and Los Angeles, so it’s guaranteed to be busy on a regular basis. Like the I-5, all freeways around the Interstate 405 are also just as busy, so it’s nearly impossible to avoid traffic here.

Interstate 405 goes through the following areas:

* Los Angeles
* Northridge
* San Fernando Valley

Your best bet to avoid traffic here is to drive early in the morning or at night, but you could also take the I-5 to some places in Los Angeles instead. Luckily, this can actually be a quicker option because the I-5 sees less car traffic than this one. Either way, you should expect a somewhat extended drive if you absolutely need to take a journey on the I-405.

U.S. Route 101

Once again, this route goes through Los Angeles and north to Santa Barbara. It can get pretty busy because of this, so you’ll want to avoid rush hour traffic, same as with our other freeways on this list. It even goes into Oregon and Washington, but we aren’t concerned with that at the moment. At some points, the freeway is rather tight with only a few lanes, so that’s where a lot of the traffic comes from. Also, many people use the U.S. Route 101 to get onto other freeways, such as the Interstate 405, so don’t be surprised to run into ample amounts of traffic around the junctions to other freeways in the area.

U.S. Route 101 goes through the following areas:

* Los Angeles
* Ventura
* San Fernando Valley
* Santa Barbara

The same deal with the other two freeways applies to the 101 because you can’t really get around the traffic.