Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from SNA to Downey
Right now (6:20 am PDT): about 28 minutes via I-5 North, usually 31 at this time.
Only 50% 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 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 34 | 34 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 37 | 43 | 44 | 43 | 40 | 31 | 29 | 28 |
| Tue | 27 | 29 | 34 | 37 | 35 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 37 | 44 | 45 | 47 | 41 | 34 | 29 | 28 |
| Wed | 27 | 29 | 34 | 38 | 37 | 34 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 39 | 44 | 48 | 49 | 45 | 35 | 30 | 28 |
| Thu | 27 | 29 | 33 | 36 | 35 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 39 | 44 | 46 | 46 | 42 | 35 | 30 | 28 |
| Fri | 27 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 36 | 37 | 42 | 48 | 46 | 45 | 40 | 32 | 30 | 28 |
| Sat | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 35 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 28 |
| Sun | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 28 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 28-mile drive from SNA to Downey (via I-5 North) usually takes as little as 27 minutes and up to 49 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 35 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (36 minutes).
About 24 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (7 to 16 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from John Wayne Airport, Orange County (SNA) (Paularino Avenue) to central Downey (Downey Avenue) 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 SNA to Downey?
On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 27 minutes then, versus up to 49 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from SNA to Downey?
The 28-mile drive usually takes 27 to 49 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 35 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from SNA to Downey?
Leaving around 4:30 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 49 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-5 North in Orange County (19 miles) · SR-55 North in Orange County (5 miles)
Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow · Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow
More drives
Downey to SNA (return trip) · SNA to Los Angeles · SNA to Santa Monica · SNA to Pasadena · SNA to Long Beach · SNA to West Covina · SNA to Burbank · SNA to Glendale · SNA to Santa Clarita · SNA to Van Nuys · SNA to Torrance · SNA to LAX