Best Time to Drive from East Los Angeles to Santa Ana

Right now (6:17 pm PDT): about 37 minutes via I-5 South, usually 43 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

Minutes from East Los Angeles to Santa Ana 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	26	30	40	43	33	29	32	31	35	31	43	51	50	45	38	28	26
Tue	25	30	46	51	36	30	29	32	32	34	46	58	57	46	41	34	26
Wed	25	30	47	52	37	31	30	31	31	38	41	44	47	41	38	31	26
Thu	25	29	45	48	37	33	36	36	39	34	48	51	53	51	41	30	27
Fri	25	28	38	41	35	32	31	32	35	43	50	52	51	51	38	34	27
Sat	26	27	27	27	29	30	31	33	32	36	40	40	35	33	30	30	28
Sun	26	26	26	26	27	28	29	31	32	34	35	33	33	32	32	31	28

About this drive

On weekdays the 28-mile drive from East Los Angeles to Santa Ana (via I-5 South) usually takes as little as 25 minutes and up to 58 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 9 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 33 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3:30 pm on Saturdays (41 minutes).

About 25 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (4 to 10 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central East Los Angeles 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 East Los Angeles to Santa Ana?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 9 pm. The drive usually takes about 25 minutes then, versus up to 58 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from East Los Angeles to Santa Ana?

The 28-mile drive usually takes 25 to 58 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 33 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from East Los Angeles to Santa Ana?

Leaving around 4 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 58 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in Orange County (15 miles) · I-5 South in Los Angeles (10 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow · Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow

More drives

Santa Ana to East Los Angeles (return trip) · East Los Angeles to Long Beach · East Los Angeles to Anaheim · East Los Angeles to Riverside · East Los Angeles 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	26	30	40	43	33	29	32	31	35	31	43	51	50	45	38	28	26
Tue	25	30	46	51	36	30	29	32	32	34	46	58	57	46	41	34	26
Wed	25	30	47	52	37	31	30	31	31	38	41	44	47	41	38	31	26
Thu	25	29	45	48	37	33	36	36	39	34	48	51	53	51	41	30	27
Fri	25	28	38	41	35	32	31	32	35	43	50	52	51	51	38	34	27
Sat	26	27	27	27	29	30	31	33	32	36	40	40	35	33	30	30	28
Sun	26	26	26	26	27	28	29	31	32	34	35	33	33	32	32	31	28

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	26	30	40	43	33	29	32	31	35	31	43	51	50	45	38	28	26
Tue	25	30	46	51	36	30	29	32	32	34	46	58	57	46	41	34	26
Wed	25	30	47	52	37	31	30	31	31	38	41	44	47	41	38	31	26
Thu	25	29	45	48	37	33	36	36	39	34	48	51	53	51	41	30	27
Fri	25	28	38	41	35	32	31	32	35	43	50	52	51	51	38	34	27
Sat	26	27	27	27	29	30	31	33	32	36	40	40	35	33	30	30	28
Sun	26	26	26	26	27	28	29	31	32	34	35	33	33	32	32	31	28

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	26	30	40	43	33	29	32	31	35	31	43	51	50	45	38	28	26
Tue	25	30	46	51	36	30	29	32	32	34	46	58	57	46	41	34	26
Wed	25	30	47	52	37	31	30	31	31	38	41	44	47	41	38	31	26
Thu	25	29	45	48	37	33	36	36	39	34	48	51	53	51	41	30	27
Fri	25	28	38	41	35	32	31	32	35	43	50	52	51	51	38	34	27
Sat	26	27	27	27	29	30	31	33	32	36	40	40	35	33	30	30	28
Sun	26	26	26	26	27	28	29	31	32	34	35	33	33	32	32	31	28