Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Carson to Santa Ana
Right now (5:47 pm PDT): about 41 minutes via I-405 South and SR-22 East, usually 29 at this time.
Only 34% 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 | 26 | 31 | 36 | 32 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 26 |
| Tue | 26 | 28 | 33 | 40 | 34 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 34 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 |
| Wed | 26 | 27 | 33 | 38 | 33 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 30 | 27 | 27 | 26 |
| Thu | 26 | 27 | 33 | 36 | 33 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Fri | 26 | 27 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 |
| Sat | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 26 |
| Sun | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 26 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 28-mile drive from Carson to Santa Ana (via I-405 South and SR-22 East) usually takes as little as 26 minutes and up to 43 minutes, when leaving around 7:30 am on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 29 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4 pm on Saturdays (29 minutes).
About 25 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (4 to 7 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Carson to central Santa Ana 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 Carson to Santa Ana?
On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 6:30 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 Carson to Santa Ana?
The 28-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 Carson to Santa Ana?
Leaving around 7:30 am on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 43 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
SR-22 East in Orange County (9 miles) · I-405 South in Los Angeles (8 miles) · I-405 South in Orange County (6 miles) · I-5 South in Orange County (1.1 miles)
Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow · Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow
More drives
Santa Ana to Carson (return trip) · Carson to Los Angeles · Carson to Long Beach · Carson to Anaheim · Carson to Riverside · Carson to Irvine