Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from San Marcos to Costa Mesa
Right now (5:51 pm PDT): about 66 minutes via I-5 North and SR-73 North, usually 68 at this time.
Only 17% 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 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 61 | 63 | 64 | 64 | 66 | 65 | 64 | 63 | 64 | 68 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 60 |
| Tue | 60 | 61 | 61 | 63 | 63 | 65 | 65 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 61 |
| Wed | 60 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 64 | 66 | 65 | 66 | 64 | 64 | 66 | 66 | 65 | 63 | 63 | 62 | 61 |
| Thu | 60 | 62 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 65 | 64 | 65 | 67 | 64 | 66 | 65 | 70 | 69 | 65 | 63 | 61 |
| Fri | 60 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 64 | 66 | 65 | 73 | 76 | 88 | 84 | 80 | 82 | 74 | 65 | 63 | 61 |
| Sat | 60 | 60 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 65 | 81 | 82 | 80 | 93 | 88 | 78 | 70 | 65 | 62 | 63 | 60 |
| Sun | 60 | 60 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 67 | 91 | 86 | 101 | 99 | 90 | 82 | 79 | 68 | 64 | 64 | 60 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 66-mile drive from San Marcos to Costa Mesa (via I-5 North and SR-73 North) usually takes as little as 60 minutes and up to 88 minutes, when leaving around 2 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 12 pm or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 67 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1 pm on Sundays (101 minutes).
About 61 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (3 to 4 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central San Marcos 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 Marcos to Costa Mesa?
On weekdays, leave before 12 pm or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 60 minutes then, versus up to 88 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from San Marcos to Costa Mesa?
The 66-mile drive usually takes 60 to 88 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 67 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from San Marcos to Costa Mesa?
Leaving around 2 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 88 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-5 North in San Diego (20 miles) · SR-73 North in Orange County (16 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (14 miles) · SR-78 West in San Diego (9 miles) · SR-55 South in Orange County (3 miles)
San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow · Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow
More drives
Costa Mesa to San Marcos (return trip) · San Marcos to San Diego · San Marcos to Anaheim · San Marcos to Riverside · San Marcos to Santa Ana · San Marcos to Chula Vista · San Marcos to Irvine · San Marcos to San Bernardino · San Marcos to Fontana · San Marcos to Moreno Valley · San Marcos to Huntington Beach · San Marcos to Oceanside