Originally Posted By 4Disnee Hello, We always drive and have left at many different times to try and miss some of the traffic once we are up and over the Grape Vine but with not much luck we always get stuck in really bad traffic. Does anyone have any suggestions or another route rather than driving down I5? The traffic is great until we reach MM and then it is stop and go for the next 2 to 3 hours. We dont mind going another route that may be more miles. Please any input would be wonderful. I hope that Darkbeer can help me out. When is the best time to drive thru the bad areas? We usually travel on Wed A.M. and come home Sat Morning. Thanks everyone.
Originally Posted By plutospal77 Try driving from midnight thru early morning, those are the best times, we drove from Sac to DL, not much traffic then.
Originally Posted By friendofdd Take I-210 from I-5 (goes thru Pasadena) to freeway 57. Take 57 south to Anaheim. Exit at Ball Rd west and proceed to DL. Commuter lanes much of the way and guaranteed to be much quicker.
Originally Posted By 4Disnee Hello friendofdd, Thank you so much that is was I was looing for. There is nothing worse than sitting in traffic itching to get to DL. LOL I will let DH know. Thanks a million Hello plutospal77, Thank you also. We usually leave at about 3 A.M. leaving from Vallejo Ca. and the trip is great until we hit MM. It can take us from 6 1/2 hours to 8 if there is a bad wreck. I will have to talk to DH about that also. But I drive over half the trip and dont know if I could do the Midnight. Only cause I am so excited about the trip that I would never get any sleep and would be a bigger mess than normal. LOL Thank you both so very much I really appreciate it.
Originally Posted By oc_dean I highly recommend the 210 to 57 as well. It's a good way to avoid traffic heading in and out of downtown LA.
Originally Posted By 4Disnee Hello oc_dean, Thank you so much also. I told DH about it last night and we are going to get some maps for the area and that will be the route that we will take for our next trip in Sept. Thanks a million!
Originally Posted By 4Disnee I just wanted to say THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for the wonderful new way to drive to DL for us. We took I-5 to the 210 and then to the 57 and that was off the hook AWESOME!!!!! All I can say is thanks a millon and lots of hugs and kisses. LOL We just used it on our last trip down to LA there was a sig alert on I-5 just past the 210 and only one lane was open so we really lucked out by taking the 210. THANK A MILLION ONCE AGAIN!!!!!!!! Big Big Grin! )
Originally Posted By Duffy I-5 carpool lane isnt that bad. That overpass is there for a purpose, to bring ppl in
Originally Posted By 4Disnee We drive from Northern CA and Once you get over the Grapevine there is hardly any car pool lanes until you get almost to DL but when we drove the 210 and the 57 we could drive 60 at least in the car pool lanes it was wonderful! Rather than stop and go for 2 hours. Yuck!
Originally Posted By mickeynewe Hey, 4Disnee...question.... I don't have my maps in front of me. Can we take that route when we go to Hollywood in November or does it take you off in the total opposite direction. As you know, we are driving during the AM this time (so going to miss my night driving) so I'm sure we will hit traffic! Let me know pleeeeassssseeeeeee !
Originally Posted By 4Disnee Hey Mickeynewe, I do believe that it takes you in the wrong direction but I am not 100% on that. It seems to take you up and over to the left and then out a quite a ways. You finally end up on Ball Road just South of DL. I will try to take that route from now on unless there is a sig alert there. Maybe someone else from the area will chime in and help us out on that one.
Originally Posted By 4Disnee Hey friendofdd, I was hoping that you and oc_dean would see this and just know how much my DH really appreciated it. We got to DL in 7 hours and 15 min it was wonderful. Thanks again and if you have anyother good routes in case that one is down I would love to hear about them. Thanks a million once again! Oh my friend Mickeynewe is going to DL soon and she will be also going to Hollywood is there a good route to get there with out lots of traffic? Thanks
Originally Posted By friendofdd That is the best route I know and I use it most of the time I travel north out of the basin. Sorry, I don't know any traffic avoidance routes to Hollywood. I-5 to 170 to 101 (Hollywood Freeway) is the best (and frequently crowded) way.
Originally Posted By 4Disnee Hey friendofdd, Thank you so much I really appreciate it alot. Have a great evening!
Originally Posted By mickeynewe I'm with you 4Disnee, if there is a carpool lane on the I-5 coming through there, I sure as heck haven't seen it! We's be dumb NorCal girls! *sticks out tongue at 4Disnee*
Originally Posted By atinkfan Hey guys, We went the same route when we went down on 9/22....took 210 to 57. Wow, what a difference that made!! It was cruising the whole way instead of stop & go. We kind of felt we were going out of our way a bit but who cares?!!? We were driving instead of sitting in traffic! lol
Originally Posted By 4Disnee Hey atinkfan, I totally agree with you it was wonderful. DH figured it out and it was about 20 miles more to drive but oh so worth the extra miles cause it saved about an hour of waiting in the poopy traffic! We will take that route from now on it totally rocks. LOL
Originally Posted By Tinkermom I was so thrilled to see this topic! We are driving down this Friday night and were dreading the ugly stop and go traffic. Can't wait to get to our hotel a little earlier than planned! How do we find Hojo coming this direction? ~Tink
Originally Posted By oc_dean (enjoying my New England vacation.. and thought I'd chime into one topic just before I go to bed)..... I wouldn't advise going 57 north .. to 210 west to go into Hollywood. It's one thing coming from Northern CA. But coming north from Anaheim ... You're adding too many miles for a trip into Hollywood. Look .. this is what you could do.... Pick up the Santa Ana 5 Freeway and start making your north/west journey up the 5. Now .. there are THREE points where you can avoid 3 obvious hideous sections of traffic: ONE: As I've mentioned this before in past topics .... the Santa Ana 5 Freeway is 6 lanes in each direction - in ORANGE CTY. ONLY. Once you hit Beach Blvd area .. just after the 91 interchange .. is where it weedles back down to 3 lanes in each direction .. and it stays that way until the 605 San Gabriel Freeway. TAKE THE 91 RIVERSIDE FREEWAY WEST .. JUST BEFORE THAT 6to3 lane fiasco. Take the 91 WEST to the 605 NORTH .. and re-pick up the 5 NORTH again at the 605 where it reopens up to atleast 4 lanes heading into Downtown LA. That one extra lane makes all the difference in the world. TWO: DO NOT get mixed up in the EAST LA INTERCHANGE. It backs up several miles before the 5/101/10 Split. To avoid this ... take the 710 LONG BEACH FREEWAY NORTH (which comes up just past the Citadel outlet mall on your right).. TO THE 10 WEST. Once on the 10, pay attention for signs for the 101 Hollywood Freeway. The lanes to stay on for the 101 coming up will be the left ones. THREE: Once you hit the 101 start making your way all the way over to the left/#1 or #2 lane. The right lanes (#3 and #4) get caught up in some nasty rigmarole with other lanes from side streets and other freeways merging in. The #1 lane will glide through downtown easier. You'll be passing by this modern Catholic church built up against the freeway on the upper left side ... you'll be gliding over the 110 Pasadena Freeway ... but you kind-of won't know it .. because it's far below you - "The 4 Level." (A modern technical fete way back around 1950 that is cleverly hidden with 50 years of plant and tree growth). Once you get away from the 4-Level ... the traffic should ease up a bit .. and you can start making your way back to the number 2 or 3 lanes if you hate the fast lane. Hollywood will come up some 3 or so miles up ahead. Exits "Santa Monica Blvd.", "Sunset Blvd.", "Hollywood Blvd", and "Gower" will be your streets for Hollywierd. See ... the thing about the 210 .... if you took this ... it eventually becomes the Ventura 134 freeway that cuts through 'the valley' - fer sure, fer sure. THEN you would have to make your way over the Hollywood Hills either through the Cahuenga Pass (101 South) or via Chavez Ravine (5 South)... but those sections can get nasty too. You can try it.... but if you take my advice on those three steps .. You'll be able to get around a few of the worst troubled spots on the 5. The 91 West to 605 North .. and the 710 North to 10 West detours are really easier than you think. Hope this helps.
