Best Time to Drive from Costa Mesa to Carlsbad

Right now (6:03 pm PDT): about 53 minutes via I-5 South and SR-73 South, usually 56 at this time.

Only 67% 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

Minutes from Costa Mesa to Carlsbad by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	48	49	49	49	50	50	50	51	51	51	50	50	49	49	49	49	48
Tue	48	49	50	49	50	51	50	51	50	50	51	51	50	49	49	49	48
Wed	48	49	51	49	51	51	51	51	51	52	52	51	50	50	49	49	48
Thu	48	50	50	49	50	52	51	51	51	52	54	53	51	51	50	50	48
Fri	49	49	50	50	50	54	58	62	69	73	73	76	69	56	51	49	49
Sat	49	48	48	51	63	71	75	78	77	73	74	75	62	58	50	49	48
Sun	49	48	48	49	50	54	63	61	60	59	57	55	52	50	50	50	48

About this drive

On weekdays the 55-mile drive from Costa Mesa to Carlsbad (via I-5 South and SR-73 South) usually takes as little as 48 minutes and up to 76 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 12 pm or after 5:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 54 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 10:30 am on Saturdays (82 minutes).

About 53 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.5 miles surface streets (2 to 4 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Costa Mesa to central Carlsbad 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 Costa Mesa to Carlsbad?

On weekdays, leave before 12 pm or after 5:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 48 minutes then, versus up to 76 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Costa Mesa to Carlsbad?

The 55-mile drive usually takes 48 to 76 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 54 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Costa Mesa to Carlsbad?

Leaving around 4 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 76 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in Orange County (19 miles) · SR-73 South in Orange County (15 miles) · I-5 South in San Diego (15 miles) · SR-55 North in Orange County (3 miles)

Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow · San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow

More drives

Carlsbad to Costa Mesa (return trip) · Costa Mesa to Los Angeles · Costa Mesa to Anaheim · Costa Mesa to Riverside · Costa Mesa to Santa Ana · Costa Mesa to Irvine · Costa Mesa to San Bernardino · Costa Mesa to Fontana · Costa Mesa to Moreno Valley · Costa Mesa to Glendale · Costa Mesa to Santa Clarita · Costa Mesa to Oceanside

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	48	49	49	49	50	50	50	51	51	51	50	50	49	49	49	49	48
Tue	48	49	50	49	50	51	50	51	50	50	51	51	50	49	49	49	48
Wed	48	49	51	49	51	51	51	51	51	52	52	51	50	50	49	49	48
Thu	48	50	50	49	50	52	51	51	51	52	54	53	51	51	50	50	48
Fri	49	49	50	50	50	54	58	62	69	73	73	76	69	56	51	49	49
Sat	49	48	48	51	63	71	75	78	77	73	74	75	62	58	50	49	48
Sun	49	48	48	49	50	54	63	61	60	59	57	55	52	50	50	50	48

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	48	49	49	49	50	50	50	51	51	51	50	50	49	49	49	49	48
Tue	48	49	50	49	50	51	50	51	50	50	51	51	50	49	49	49	48
Wed	48	49	51	49	51	51	51	51	51	52	52	51	50	50	49	49	48
Thu	48	50	50	49	50	52	51	51	51	52	54	53	51	51	50	50	48
Fri	49	49	50	50	50	54	58	62	69	73	73	76	69	56	51	49	49
Sat	49	48	48	51	63	71	75	78	77	73	74	75	62	58	50	49	48
Sun	49	48	48	49	50	54	63	61	60	59	57	55	52	50	50	50	48

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	48	49	49	49	50	50	50	51	51	51	50	50	49	49	49	49	48
Tue	48	49	50	49	50	51	50	51	50	50	51	51	50	49	49	49	48
Wed	48	49	51	49	51	51	51	51	51	52	52	51	50	50	49	49	48
Thu	48	50	50	49	50	52	51	51	51	52	54	53	51	51	50	50	48
Fri	49	49	50	50	50	54	58	62	69	73	73	76	69	56	51	49	49
Sat	49	48	48	51	63	71	75	78	77	73	74	75	62	58	50	49	48
Sun	49	48	48	49	50	54	63	61	60	59	57	55	52	50	50	50	48