Best Time to Drive from Sylmar to Costa Mesa

Right now (7:48 pm PDT): about 66 minutes via I-5 South and I-210 East, usually 65 at this time.

Only 7% 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

Minutes from Sylmar to Costa Mesa by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	63	77	89	87	75	73	73	73	77	80	92	100	94	84	70	65	62
Tue	62	82	101	97	83	79	76	76	76	86	102	112	100	89	74	68	61
Wed	60	78	104	99	88	80	77	77	77	88	94	99	95	87	76	70	62
Thu	61	80	101	99	87	81	78	80	82	95	105	112	102	91	73	70	63
Fri	61	75	87	88	80	75	77	79	87	102	104	104	105	91	75	71	64
Sat	62	64	65	68	72	75	77	78	81	85	85	83	82	78	72	72	63
Sun	61	63	63	63	64	69	72	77	76	79	76	77	74	73	72	72	62

About this drive

On weekdays the 70-mile drive from Sylmar to Costa Mesa (via I-5 South and I-210 East) usually takes as little as 60 minutes and up to 112 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 80 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (86 minutes).

About 68 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.5 miles surface streets (2 to 3 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Sylmar 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 Sylmar to Costa Mesa?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 60 minutes then, versus up to 112 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Sylmar to Costa Mesa?

The 70-mile drive usually takes 60 to 112 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 80 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Sylmar to Costa Mesa?

Leaving around 4 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 112 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in Los Angeles (19 miles) · I-5 South in Orange County (18 miles) · I-210 East in Los Angeles (16 miles) · SR-55 South in Orange County (8 miles) · SR-2 West in Los Angeles (8 miles)

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

More drives

Costa Mesa to Sylmar (return trip) · Sylmar to Los Angeles · Sylmar to Long Beach · Sylmar to Anaheim · Sylmar to Riverside · Sylmar to Santa Ana · Sylmar to Irvine · Sylmar to San Bernardino · Sylmar to Fontana · Sylmar to Oxnard · Sylmar to Huntington Beach · Sylmar to Glendale

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	63	77	89	87	75	73	73	73	77	80	92	100	94	84	70	65	62
Tue	62	82	101	97	83	79	76	76	76	86	102	112	100	89	74	68	61
Wed	60	78	104	99	88	80	77	77	77	88	94	99	95	87	76	70	62
Thu	61	80	101	99	87	81	78	80	82	95	105	112	102	91	73	70	63
Fri	61	75	87	88	80	75	77	79	87	102	104	104	105	91	75	71	64
Sat	62	64	65	68	72	75	77	78	81	85	85	83	82	78	72	72	63
Sun	61	63	63	63	64	69	72	77	76	79	76	77	74	73	72	72	62

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	63	77	89	87	75	73	73	73	77	80	92	100	94	84	70	65	62
Tue	62	82	101	97	83	79	76	76	76	86	102	112	100	89	74	68	61
Wed	60	78	104	99	88	80	77	77	77	88	94	99	95	87	76	70	62
Thu	61	80	101	99	87	81	78	80	82	95	105	112	102	91	73	70	63
Fri	61	75	87	88	80	75	77	79	87	102	104	104	105	91	75	71	64
Sat	62	64	65	68	72	75	77	78	81	85	85	83	82	78	72	72	63
Sun	61	63	63	63	64	69	72	77	76	79	76	77	74	73	72	72	62

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	63	77	89	87	75	73	73	73	77	80	92	100	94	84	70	65	62
Tue	62	82	101	97	83	79	76	76	76	86	102	112	100	89	74	68	61
Wed	60	78	104	99	88	80	77	77	77	88	94	99	95	87	76	70	62
Thu	61	80	101	99	87	81	78	80	82	95	105	112	102	91	73	70	63
Fri	61	75	87	88	80	75	77	79	87	102	104	104	105	91	75	71	64
Sat	62	64	65	68	72	75	77	78	81	85	85	83	82	78	72	72	63
Sun	61	63	63	63	64	69	72	77	76	79	76	77	74	73	72	72	62