Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from San Clemente to Costa Mesa
Right now (7:49 pm PDT): about 28 minutes via SR-73 North and I-5 North, usually 28 at this time.
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 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Tue | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 27 |
| Wed | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 27 |
| Thu | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Fri | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Sat | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 27 |
| Sun | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 27 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 30-mile drive from San Clemente to Costa Mesa (via SR-73 North and I-5 North) usually takes as little as 26 minutes and up to 31 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 1 pm or after 6 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 29 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3:30 pm on Sundays (32 minutes).
About 29 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 0.5 miles surface streets (about 1 minutes), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central San Clemente 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 San Clemente to Costa Mesa?
On weekdays, leave before 1 pm or after 6 pm. The drive usually takes about 26 minutes then, versus up to 31 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from San Clemente to Costa Mesa?
The 30-mile drive usually takes 26 to 31 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 29 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from San Clemente to Costa Mesa?
Leaving around 3 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 31 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
SR-73 North in Orange County (16 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (11 miles) · SR-55 South in Orange County (3 miles)
Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow
More drives
Costa Mesa to San Clemente (return trip) · San Clemente to Los Angeles · San Clemente to San Diego · San Clemente to Santa Monica · San Clemente to Long Beach · San Clemente to Anaheim · San Clemente to Riverside · San Clemente to Santa Ana · San Clemente to Chula Vista · San Clemente to Irvine · San Clemente to San Bernardino · San Clemente to Santa Barbara