Best Time to Drive from Mid-City to San Diego

Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 177 minutes via I-5 South and I-405 South, usually 145 at this time.

Only 28% 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 130-mile drive from Mid-City to San Diego (via I-5 South and I-405 South) usually takes as little as 115 minutes and up to 256 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 164 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2:30 pm on Saturdays (160 minutes).

About 123 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 7 miles surface streets (8 to 17 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Mid-City to downtown San Diego 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 Mid-City to San Diego?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 115 minutes then, versus up to 256 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Mid-City to San Diego?

The 130-mile drive usually takes 115 to 256 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 164 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Mid-City to San Diego?

Leaving around 3 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 256 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in San Diego (46 miles) · I-405 South in Los Angeles (22 miles) · I-5 South in Orange County (19 miles) · SR-73 South in Orange County (17 miles) · I-405 South in Orange County (16 miles) · I-805 South in San Diego (3 miles)

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

More drives

Mid-City to Fontana · Mid-City to Moreno Valley · Mid-City to Glendale · Mid-City to Lancaster · Mid-City to Palmdale · Mid-City to Valencia · Mid-City to Fullerton · Mid-City to East Los Angeles · Mid-City to Costa Mesa · Mid-City to Norwalk · Mid-City to Rialto · Mid-City to Compton

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