Best Time to Drive from Valencia to Costa Mesa

Right now (10:21 pm PST): about 72 minutes via I-5 South.

Only 33% 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 79-mile drive from Valencia to Costa Mesa (via I-5 South) usually takes as little as 69 minutes and up to 135 minutes, when leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 91 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (96 minutes).

About 77 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 Valencia 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 Valencia to Costa Mesa?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 69 minutes then, versus up to 135 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 79-mile drive usually takes 69 to 135 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 91 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Valencia to Costa Mesa?

Leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 135 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in Los Angeles (51 miles) · I-5 South in Orange County (18 miles) · SR-55 South in Orange County (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 Valencia (return trip) · Valencia to Los Angeles · Valencia to Long Beach · Valencia to Bakersfield · Valencia to Anaheim · Valencia to Santa Ana · Valencia to Irvine · Valencia to Huntington Beach · Valencia to Glendale · Valencia to Santa Clarita · Valencia to Garden Grove · Valencia to Rancho Cucamonga

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