Best Time to Drive from Santa Monica to Rancho Santa Margarita

Right now (4:50 pm PST): about 72 minutes via I-405 South, usually 66 at this time.

Only 34% 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 69-mile drive from Santa Monica to Rancho Santa Margarita (via I-405 South) usually takes as little as 60 minutes and up to 190 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 95 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2:30 pm on Saturdays (90 minutes).

About 68 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1 mile surface streets (1 to 2 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from downtown Santa Monica to central Rancho Santa Margarita 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 Santa Monica to Rancho Santa Margarita?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 60 minutes then, versus up to 190 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Santa Monica to Rancho Santa Margarita?

The 69-mile drive usually takes 60 to 190 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 95 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Santa Monica to Rancho Santa Margarita?

Leaving around 3 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 190 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-405 South in Los Angeles (27 miles) · I-5 South in Orange County (10 miles) · SR-22 East in Orange County (9 miles) · SR-241 South in Orange County (8 miles) · I-405 South in Orange County (6 miles) · I-10 East in Los Angeles (3 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow · Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow

More drives

Rancho Santa Margarita to Santa Monica (return trip) · Santa Monica to Los Angeles · Santa Monica to Pasadena · Santa Monica to Long Beach · Santa Monica to West Covina · Santa Monica to Burbank · Santa Monica to Glendale · Santa Monica to Santa Clarita · Santa Monica to Van Nuys · Santa Monica to Torrance · Santa Monica to Culver City · Santa Monica to El Monte

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