Best Time to Drive from Costa Mesa to Riverside

Right now (6:03 pm PDT): about 55 minutes via SR-91 East and SR-55 North, usually 57 at this time.

Only 32% 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 Riverside 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	39	40	44	45	44	44	44	46	49	56	64	66	65	57	46	43	40
Tue	40	40	47	46	46	45	45	45	49	59	67	64	66	56	48	45	40
Wed	40	42	47	48	46	45	46	48	51	60	65	69	69	66	55	48	41
Thu	40	42	47	46	45	44	44	45	48	57	67	67	67	57	55	46	41
Fri	40	40	42	45	43	45	46	50	57	65	75	73	70	57	48	45	41
Sat	40	40	42	42	43	43	43	43	44	46	48	49	49	49	44	45	40
Sun	40	41	40	41	42	42	43	43	43	42	42	43	42	42	42	45	40

About this drive

On weekdays the 45-mile drive from Costa Mesa to Riverside (via SR-91 East and SR-55 North) usually takes as little as 39 minutes and up to 75 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 50 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (52 minutes).

About 44 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 0.9 miles surface streets (about 1 minutes), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Costa Mesa to central Riverside 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 Riverside?

On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 39 minutes then, versus up to 75 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 45-mile drive usually takes 39 to 75 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 50 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Costa Mesa to Riverside?

Leaving around 3 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 75 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

SR-91 East in Orange County (27 miles) · SR-55 North in Orange County (16 miles) · SR-91 East in Inland Empire (1.1 miles)

Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow · Inland Empire traffic right now · Inland Empire traffic tomorrow

More drives

Riverside to Costa Mesa (return trip) · Costa Mesa to Los Angeles · Costa Mesa to Anaheim · Costa Mesa to Santa Ana · Costa Mesa to Irvine

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	39	40	44	45	44	44	44	46	49	56	64	66	65	57	46	43	40
Tue	40	40	47	46	46	45	45	45	49	59	67	64	66	56	48	45	40
Wed	40	42	47	48	46	45	46	48	51	60	65	69	69	66	55	48	41
Thu	40	42	47	46	45	44	44	45	48	57	67	67	67	57	55	46	41
Fri	40	40	42	45	43	45	46	50	57	65	75	73	70	57	48	45	41
Sat	40	40	42	42	43	43	43	43	44	46	48	49	49	49	44	45	40
Sun	40	41	40	41	42	42	43	43	43	42	42	43	42	42	42	45	40

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	39	40	44	45	44	44	44	46	49	56	64	66	65	57	46	43	40
Tue	40	40	47	46	46	45	45	45	49	59	67	64	66	56	48	45	40
Wed	40	42	47	48	46	45	46	48	51	60	65	69	69	66	55	48	41
Thu	40	42	47	46	45	44	44	45	48	57	67	67	67	57	55	46	41
Fri	40	40	42	45	43	45	46	50	57	65	75	73	70	57	48	45	41
Sat	40	40	42	42	43	43	43	43	44	46	48	49	49	49	44	45	40
Sun	40	41	40	41	42	42	43	43	43	42	42	43	42	42	42	45	40

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	39	40	44	45	44	44	44	46	49	56	64	66	65	57	46	43	40
Tue	40	40	47	46	46	45	45	45	49	59	67	64	66	56	48	45	40
Wed	40	42	47	48	46	45	46	48	51	60	65	69	69	66	55	48	41
Thu	40	42	47	46	45	44	44	45	48	57	67	67	67	57	55	46	41
Fri	40	40	42	45	43	45	46	50	57	65	75	73	70	57	48	45	41
Sat	40	40	42	42	43	43	43	43	44	46	48	49	49	49	44	45	40
Sun	40	41	40	41	42	42	43	43	43	42	42	43	42	42	42	45	40