Best Time to Drive from Encinitas to Santa Monica

Right now (5:50 pm PDT): about 117 minutes via I-5 North and I-405 North, usually 102 at this time.

Only 42% 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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 109-mile drive from Encinitas to Santa Monica (via I-5 North and I-405 North) usually takes as little as 97 minutes and up to 187 minutes, when leaving around 6 am on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are after 6 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 115 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1 pm on Sundays (146 minutes).

About 107 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 2 miles surface streets (2 to 3 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Encinitas to downtown Santa Monica 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 Encinitas to Santa Monica?

On weekdays, leave after 6 pm. The drive usually takes about 97 minutes then, versus up to 187 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Encinitas to Santa Monica?

The 109-mile drive usually takes 97 to 187 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 115 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Encinitas to Santa Monica?

Leaving around 6 am on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 187 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in San Diego (30 miles) · I-405 North in Los Angeles (27 miles) · SR-73 North in Orange County (18 miles) · I-405 North in Orange County (16 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (14 miles) · I-10 West in Los Angeles (3 miles)

San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow · Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Encinitas to San Diego · Encinitas to Anaheim · Encinitas to Riverside · Encinitas to Santa Ana · Encinitas to Chula Vista · Encinitas to Irvine · Encinitas to Moreno Valley · Encinitas to Huntington Beach · Encinitas to Oceanside · Encinitas to Garden Grove · Encinitas to Corona · Encinitas to Carlsbad

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