how is the rush hour commute from Mission Viejo to Irvine (Santa Ana: renting, how much)

[kathywang6]

my husband and I are both working in Irvine, one is at the redhill area, the other is in UCI area. we are considering move to the mission viejo or somewhere close there like coto de caza or RSM. we are not sure about the commute, could anyone living these areaes share your experience with us? Is 30 minutes enough? is the traffic on 5 crazy during rush hour? do you think if it is worthy the toll to detour and take the toll road 133 and 241 from/to redhill or take 73 from/to UCI?
any comments will be appreciated. thank you very much in advance.

[BuckeyeAtHeart]

I travel on the 5 North from the El Toro exit to Santa Ana in the morning. I try to plan to enter at El Toro no later than 7:20 and arrive at the 17th Street exit in Santa Ana about 15 minutes later. Of course this can change if there is an accident! Going home, I get on at Penn Way (about 4:35) and get off at Lake Forest (about 4:50).

Maybe someone else can inform you of the difference in time (plus cost) to use the tollroads.

[Joe Van Fossen]

The drive from places further inland, like Coto and RSM, is going to be pretty slow due to the traffic lights. You would probably be best served by taking the 241 to the 133. The 73 would be quite a bit away from those areas. It is probably worth it to take the toll roads if you live in either of those areas.

You could just take the 5 from Mission Viejo and that shouldn't be too bad--I used to commute from Ladera Ranch to Irvine in the mornings/afternoons. It definitely gets congested, but it's a relatively short journey. Lake Forest, Aliso Viejo and Laguna Hills aren't bad options either.

[Cheektowaga_Chester]

Check out Sigalert.com Irving Traffic Map during the time you expect to commute.

the 405 near UCI is bad in the PM heading south.
In the the morning the 5 NB is bad after about 7-730.

I try to get to work around 6AM so I beat the 5 traffic, and I take the 241 home around 4.

[Chava61]

My brother lives in Mission Viejo and works in Irvine. I know that sometimes he takes "the back roads" rather than the highway during the morning rush hour as that can be quicker.

[kathywang6]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeAtHeart

I travel on the 5 North from the El Toro exit to Santa Ana in the morning. I try to plan to enter at El Toro no later than 7:20 and arrive at the 17th Street exit in Santa Ana about 15 minutes later. Of course this can change if there is an accident! Going home, I get on at Penn Way (about 4:35) and get off at Lake Forest (about 4:50).

Maybe someone else can inform you of the difference in time (plus cost) to use the tollroads.

thanks a lot for the info, this is very helpful, since my husband schedule is similar with yours.

[kathywang6]

Originally Posted by Joe Van Fossen

The drive from places further inland, like Coto and RSM, is going to be pretty slow due to the traffic lights. You would probably be best served by taking the 241 to the 133. The 73 would be quite a bit away from those areas. It is probably worth it to take the toll roads if you live in either of those areas.

You could just take the 5 from Mission Viejo and that shouldn't be too bad--I used to commute from Ladera Ranch to Irvine in the mornings/afternoons. It definitely gets congested, but it's a relatively short journey. Lake Forest, Aliso Viejo and Laguna Hills aren't bad options either.

sounds good. I used to commute about 2 hours one way to work for more than a year before we moved to OC, exhausted, developed some kind of low back pain at the end of that period. We are renting in Irvine now with 15 minutes commute at most. I am terrified even thinking about commuting and stuck on the road for more than 40 minutes. But the housing in Irvine is crazy, we still hope to find a place with at least a bit of yard, even though the yard I used to like in east coast is not realistic here. Mission Viejo area is relatively close to what we pictured for a home.

[kathywang6]

Originally Posted by Cheektowaga_Chester

Check out Sigalert.com Irving Traffic Map during the time you expect to commute.

the 405 near UCI is bad in the PM heading south.
In the the morning the 5 NB is bad after about 7-730.

I try to get to work around 6AM so I beat the 5 traffic, and I take the 241 home around 4.

that's doable for us too. Would you mind to share how much you pay for the toll on 241? Do you take 133 from 5 to 241, if so, how much on 133 then?

[kathywang6]

Originally Posted by Chava61

My brother lives in Mission Viejo and works in Irvine. I know that sometimes he takes "the back roads" rather than the highway during the morning rush hour as that can be quicker.

thanks, I heard about the back roads, but the traffic lights in OC are extremely long, still in the process to get used to it.

[Cheektowaga_Chester]

Originally Posted by kathywang6

that's doable for us too. Would you mind to share how much you pay for the toll on 241? Do you take 133 from 5 to 241, if so, how much on 133 then?

I think I pay around $1.15 from Alton/241 to SM Parkway/241.

I'd love to tell you how much it costs to use but TheTollRoads website DOESN"T PROVIDE A MEANS TO CALCULATE TOLLS. That's right. It is impossible. They provide a toll card but that doesn't help anyone compute when those tolls are imposed. There used to be a toll calculator tool on the website but it was removed. If you call the toll roads, you end up talking to an $8/hour bimbo who can't figure out the rates herself. She'll connect you to her snotty $12/hour supervisor who can't believe anyone would even ask.