Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Poway to Irvine
Right now (5:48 pm PDT): about 92 minutes via I-5 North, usually 79 at this time.
Only 41% 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 | 74 | 75 | 79 | 92 | 87 | 80 | 80 | 81 | 80 | 80 | 84 | 90 | 88 | 77 | 77 | 76 | 75 |
| Tue | 74 | 75 | 79 | 94 | 89 | 82 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 89 | 99 | 94 | 84 | 77 | 76 | 75 |
| Wed | 74 | 76 | 79 | 92 | 89 | 84 | 81 | 81 | 80 | 82 | 91 | 101 | 96 | 85 | 78 | 76 | 75 |
| Thu | 74 | 75 | 78 | 93 | 88 | 83 | 82 | 82 | 81 | 82 | 93 | 101 | 99 | 87 | 78 | 77 | 75 |
| Fri | 74 | 75 | 77 | 84 | 82 | 81 | 81 | 84 | 87 | 92 | 97 | 98 | 89 | 79 | 78 | 77 | 74 |
| Sat | 74 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 78 | 83 | 90 | 92 | 90 | 88 | 85 | 85 | 81 | 78 | 78 | 77 | 75 |
| Sun | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 77 | 81 | 92 | 94 | 93 | 92 | 87 | 85 | 83 | 79 | 79 | 78 | 74 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 84-mile drive from Poway to Irvine (via I-5 North) usually takes as little as 74 minutes and up to 101 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 82 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Sundays (94 minutes).
About 78 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (6 to 11 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Poway to central Irvine 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 Poway to Irvine?
On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 74 minutes then, versus up to 101 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Poway to Irvine?
The 84-mile drive usually takes 74 to 101 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 82 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Poway to Irvine?
Leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 101 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-5 North in San Diego (38 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (23 miles) · SR-56 West in San Diego (10 miles) · I-405 North in Orange County (7 miles) · I-405 South in Orange County (1.2 miles)
San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow · Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow
More drives
Irvine to Poway (return trip) · Poway to San Diego · Poway to Chula Vista