Best Time to Drive from Costa Mesa to Gardena

Right now (6:34 pm PDT): about 50 minutes via I-405 North, usually 38 at this time.

Only 6% 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 Gardena 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	31	31	31	32	32	32	32	33	33	34	37	42	44	38	33	35	35
Tue	31	31	31	32	32	32	33	33	34	35	38	42	47	43	35	33	32
Wed	31	31	31	32	33	33	33	34	35	36	39	44	48	44	38	38	33
Thu	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	33	33	35	38	43	45	41	35	33	32
Fri	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	33	34	40	45	45	46	41	36	37	33
Sat	31	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	34	34	35	34	34	34	34	37	31
Sun	31	31	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	33	33	33	33	33	37	37	32

About this drive

On weekdays the 34-mile drive from Costa Mesa to Gardena (via I-405 North) usually takes as little as 31 minutes and up to 48 minutes, when leaving around 5 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 12:30 pm or after 9 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 34 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 7 pm on Sundays (37 minutes).

About 32 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 Gardena 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 Gardena?

On weekdays, leave before 12:30 pm or after 9 pm. The drive usually takes about 31 minutes then, versus up to 48 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 34-mile drive usually takes 31 to 48 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 34 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Costa Mesa to Gardena?

Leaving around 5 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 48 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-405 North in Orange County (16 miles) · I-405 North in Los Angeles (12 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

Gardena 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	31	31	31	32	32	32	32	33	33	34	37	42	44	38	33	35	35
Tue	31	31	31	32	32	32	33	33	34	35	38	42	47	43	35	33	32
Wed	31	31	31	32	33	33	33	34	35	36	39	44	48	44	38	38	33
Thu	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	33	33	35	38	43	45	41	35	33	32
Fri	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	33	34	40	45	45	46	41	36	37	33
Sat	31	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	34	34	35	34	34	34	34	37	31
Sun	31	31	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	33	33	33	33	33	37	37	32

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	31	31	31	32	32	32	32	33	33	34	37	42	44	38	33	35	35
Tue	31	31	31	32	32	32	33	33	34	35	38	42	47	43	35	33	32
Wed	31	31	31	32	33	33	33	34	35	36	39	44	48	44	38	38	33
Thu	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	33	33	35	38	43	45	41	35	33	32
Fri	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	33	34	40	45	45	46	41	36	37	33
Sat	31	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	34	34	35	34	34	34	34	37	31
Sun	31	31	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	33	33	33	33	33	37	37	32

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	31	31	31	32	32	32	32	33	33	34	37	42	44	38	33	35	35
Tue	31	31	31	32	32	32	33	33	34	35	38	42	47	43	35	33	32
Wed	31	31	31	32	33	33	33	34	35	36	39	44	48	44	38	38	33
Thu	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	33	33	35	38	43	45	41	35	33	32
Fri	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	33	34	40	45	45	46	41	36	37	33
Sat	31	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	34	34	35	34	34	34	34	37	31
Sun	31	31	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	33	33	33	33	33	37	37	32