Best Time to Drive from Chula Vista to Santa Monica

Right now (5:50 pm PDT): about 185 minutes via I-5 North and I-405 North, usually 138 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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 142-mile drive from Chula Vista to Santa Monica (via I-5 North and I-405 North) usually takes as little as 125 minutes and up to 219 minutes, when leaving around 6 am on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are after 6 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 146 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Sundays (176 minutes).

About 139 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (3 to 6 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Chula Vista to downtown Santa Monica 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 Chula Vista to Santa Monica?

On weekdays, leave after 6 pm. The drive usually takes about 125 minutes then, versus up to 219 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Chula Vista to Santa Monica?

The 142-mile drive usually takes 125 to 219 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 146 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Chula Vista to Santa Monica?

Leaving around 6 am on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 219 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in San Diego (40 miles) · I-405 North in Los Angeles (27 miles) · I-805 North in San Diego (21 miles) · SR-73 North in Orange County (18 miles) · I-405 North in Orange County (16 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (14 miles)

San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow · Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Chula Vista to San Diego · Chula Vista to Escondido · Chula Vista to Oceanside · Chula Vista to La Jolla · Chula Vista to El Cajon · Chula Vista to Carlsbad · Chula Vista to SAN · Chula Vista to Temecula · Chula Vista to Murrieta · Chula Vista to Universal City · Chula Vista to Vista · Chula Vista to San Marcos

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