Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Costa Mesa to Santa Ana
Right now (6:17 pm PDT): about 15 minutes via SR-55 North, usually 15 at this time.
None 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 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Tue | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 11 |
| Wed | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 11 |
| Thu | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 11 |
| Fri | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 |
| Sat | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Sun | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 9-mile drive from Costa Mesa to Santa Ana (via SR-55 North) usually takes as little as 11 minutes and up to 19 minutes, when leaving around 5:30 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 14 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (15 minutes).
About 5 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (6 to 12 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 Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana?
On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 11 minutes then, versus up to 19 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Costa Mesa to Santa Ana?
The 9-mile drive usually takes 11 to 19 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 14 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Costa Mesa to Santa Ana?
Leaving around 5:30 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 19 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
SR-55 North in Orange County (5 miles)
Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow
More drives
Santa Ana to Costa Mesa (return trip) · Costa Mesa to Los Angeles · Costa Mesa to Anaheim · Costa Mesa to Riverside · Costa Mesa to Irvine