Best Time to Drive from San Diego to Sun City

Right now (5:47 pm PDT): about 99 minutes via I-15 North, usually 79 at this time.

Only 66% 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 76-mile drive from San Diego to Sun City (via I-15 North) usually takes as little as 68 minutes and up to 119 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 1 pm or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 75 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (80 minutes).

About 71 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (4 to 8 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from downtown San Diego to central Sun City 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 Sun City?

On weekdays, leave before 1 pm or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 68 minutes then, versus up to 119 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from San Diego to Sun City?

The 76-mile drive usually takes 68 to 119 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 75 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from San Diego to Sun City?

Leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 119 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-15 North in San Diego (43 miles) · I-215 North in Inland Empire (11 miles) · SR-163 North in San Diego (9 miles) · I-15 North in Inland Empire (8 miles)

San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow · Inland Empire traffic right now · Inland Empire traffic tomorrow

More drives

Sun City to San Diego (return trip) · San Diego to Escondido · San Diego to Oceanside · San Diego to El Cajon · San Diego to Carlsbad · San Diego to Los Angeles · San Diego to Irvine · San Diego to Temecula · San Diego to LAX · San Diego to Riverside · San Diego to Chula Vista · San Diego to La Jolla

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