Best Time to Drive from Northridge to Costa Mesa

Right now (7:49 pm PDT): about 78 minutes via I-405 South, usually 77 at this time.

Only 5% 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 66-mile drive from Northridge to Costa Mesa (via I-405 South) usually takes as little as 60 minutes and up to 255 minutes, when leaving around 2:30 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 9 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 133 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Saturdays (116 minutes).

About 61 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (6 to 12 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Northridge 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 Northridge to Costa Mesa?

On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 9 pm. The drive usually takes about 60 minutes then, versus up to 255 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Northridge to Costa Mesa?

The 66-mile drive usually takes 60 to 255 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 133 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Northridge to Costa Mesa?

Leaving around 2:30 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 255 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-405 South in Los Angeles (42 miles) · I-405 South in Orange County (16 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 Northridge (return trip) · Northridge to Los Angeles · Northridge to Rancho Cucamonga · Northridge to Long Beach · Northridge to Anaheim · Northridge to Riverside · Northridge to Santa Ana · Northridge to Irvine · Northridge to Fontana · Northridge to Oxnard · Northridge to Huntington Beach · Northridge to Glendale

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