Best Time to Drive from Mission Viejo to Costa Mesa

Right now (12:48 am PDT): about 16 minutes via I-405 North and I-5 North and SR-55 South.

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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 18-mile drive from Mission Viejo to Costa Mesa (via I-405 North and I-5 North and SR-55 South) usually takes as little as 16 minutes and up to 20 minutes, when leaving around 6 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 18 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2:30 pm on Saturdays (18 minutes).

About 17 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 0.8 miles surface streets (about 1 minutes), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Mission Viejo 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 Mission Viejo to Costa Mesa?

On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 16 minutes then, versus up to 20 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Mission Viejo to Costa Mesa?

The 18-mile drive usually takes 16 to 20 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 18 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Mission Viejo to Costa Mesa?

Leaving around 6 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 20 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-405 North in Orange County (8 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (5 miles) · SR-55 South in Orange County (4 miles)

Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow

More drives

Costa Mesa to Mission Viejo (return trip) · Mission Viejo to Los Angeles · Mission Viejo to Santa Monica · Mission Viejo to Pasadena · Mission Viejo to Long Beach · Mission Viejo to West Covina · Mission Viejo to Burbank · Mission Viejo to Glendale · Mission Viejo to Van Nuys · Mission Viejo to Torrance · Mission Viejo to LAX · Mission Viejo to Hollywood

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