Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Seal Beach to Irvine
Right now (7:05 pm PDT): about 21 minutes via I-405 South, usually 20 at this time.
Only 9% 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 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Tue | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Wed | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 25 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 20 |
| Thu | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 20 |
| Fri | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 |
| Sat | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Sun | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 21-mile drive from Seal Beach to Irvine (via I-405 South) usually takes as little as 19 minutes and up to 27 minutes, when leaving around 5:30 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 21 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Sundays (21 minutes).
About 17 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (5 to 7 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Seal Beach to central Irvine 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 Seal Beach to Irvine?
On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 19 minutes then, versus up to 27 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Seal Beach to Irvine?
The 21-mile drive usually takes 19 to 27 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 21 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Seal Beach to Irvine?
Leaving around 5:30 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 27 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-405 South in Orange County (16 miles)
Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow
More drives
Irvine to Seal Beach (return trip) · Seal Beach to Los Angeles · Seal Beach to Anaheim · Seal Beach to Riverside · Seal Beach to Santa Ana