Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Lakewood to Costa Mesa
Right now (6:06 pm PDT): about 27 minutes via I-405 South and I-605 South, usually 27 at this time.
Only 8% 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 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 |
| Tue | 25 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Wed | 25 | 25 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 33 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 25 |
| Thu | 24 | 26 | 27 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 33 | 32 | 27 | 24 |
| Fri | 25 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 25 |
| Sat | 24 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 33 | 26 |
| Sun | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 26 | 25 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 25-mile drive from Lakewood to Costa Mesa (via I-405 South and I-605 South) usually takes as little as 24 minutes and up to 33 minutes, when leaving around 6 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 28 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 8 pm on Saturdays (33 minutes).
About 22 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (5 to 10 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Lakewood to central Costa Mesa 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 Lakewood to Costa Mesa?
On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 24 minutes then, versus up to 33 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Lakewood to Costa Mesa?
The 25-mile drive usually takes 24 to 33 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 28 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Lakewood to Costa Mesa?
Leaving around 6 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 33 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-405 South in Orange County (14 miles) · I-605 South in Orange County (5 miles) · SR-55 South in Orange County (2 miles)
Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow · Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow
More drives
Costa Mesa to Lakewood (return trip) · Lakewood to Fontana · Lakewood to Moreno Valley · Lakewood to Lancaster · Lakewood to Palmdale · Lakewood to Valencia · Lakewood to Fullerton · Lakewood to East Los Angeles · Lakewood to Victorville · Lakewood to Carlsbad · Lakewood to Inglewood · Lakewood to Murrieta