Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Costa Mesa to Downey
Right now (6:35 pm PST): about 43 minutes via I-405 North and I-605 North, usually 32 at this time.
Only 11% 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 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 37 | 41 | 39 | 30 | 29 | 29 |
| Tue | 27 | 28 | 31 | 34 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 34 | 39 | 43 | 40 | 33 | 29 | 28 |
| Wed | 27 | 28 | 29 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 35 | 40 | 42 | 41 | 34 | 31 | 29 |
| Thu | 27 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 37 | 34 | 31 | 30 | 28 |
| Fri | 28 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 34 | 35 | 37 | 39 | 36 | 33 | 32 | 29 |
| Sat | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 28 |
| Sun | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 30 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 30-mile drive from Costa Mesa to Downey (via I-405 North and I-605 North) usually takes as little as 27 minutes and up to 43 minutes, when leaving around 5:30 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 31 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 8:30 pm on Sundays (32 minutes).
About 28 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 2 miles surface streets (3 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 Downey 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 Downey?
On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 27 minutes then, versus up to 43 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Costa Mesa to Downey?
The 30-mile drive usually takes 27 to 43 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 31 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Costa Mesa to Downey?
Leaving around 5:30 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 43 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-405 North in Orange County (14 miles) · I-605 North in Orange County (9 miles) · SR-55 North in Orange County (3 miles) · SR-73 North in Orange County (1.6 miles)
Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow · Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow
More drives
Downey 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