Best Time to Drive from San Diego to Santa Monica

Right now (5:47 pm PDT): about 170 minutes via I-5 North and I-405 North, usually 125 at this time.

Only 47% 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 134-mile drive from San Diego to Santa Monica (via I-5 North and I-405 North) usually takes as little as 115 minutes and up to 186 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 12:30 pm or after 6 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 131 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 11:30 am on Sundays (136 minutes).

About 132 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.6 miles surface streets (2 to 3 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from downtown San Diego to downtown Santa Monica 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 Diego to Santa Monica?

On weekdays, leave before 12:30 pm or after 6 pm. The drive usually takes about 115 minutes then, versus up to 186 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from San Diego to Santa Monica?

The 134-mile drive usually takes 115 to 186 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 131 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from San Diego to Santa Monica?

Leaving around 3 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 186 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in San Diego (55 miles) · I-405 North in Los Angeles (27 miles) · SR-73 North in Orange County (18 miles) · I-405 North in Orange County (16 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (14 miles) · I-10 West in Los Angeles (3 miles)

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

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