Hwy 101 or 5 from Encinitas to Eastgate Mall? (Del Mar: home, tickets)

[PatanjaliTwist]

For the month of Feb, I'll need to commute from Encinitas (1-mi from the entrances of Hwys 5 & 101) to the Eastgate Mall area near Lockheed Martin. Some days, I'll be going to Eastgate during morning rush hour. Other days, I may be commuting home during morning rush hour.

Last Thurs @ 9am, I drove from Encinitas to Eastgate via Hwy 5 & drove back at noon to Encinitas via 101. Via Hwy 5, the commute was about 30-min... home was maybe 10-min longer, but in all fairness, it was raining & I was a bit lost. I like the 101 commute as it's far prettier to drive next to the ocean, although there is a long section (maybe Del Mar/Torrey Pines) where there were stop signs every block for a couple of miles & the lanes narrow to 1 only, so it was slower going.

Is anyone familiar with this commute? Would I assume the commute time would be doubled during rush hour no matter which way I'm driving (Encinitas to Eastgate or vice versa)? Is 101 just a silly choice in either direction during rush hour? Both hwys look a bit congested to me no matter which time I drive on or pass by (in Encinitas), so I'm unsure how to gauge. I also noticed that 805 is close to Eastgate, so would getting off Hwy 5 to 805 speed up commuting time? Bottom line is, I want the quickest commute.

As a last question, some days I will be commuting between 2-6am. I'd imagine all roads would be fine at that time?

Thank you very much.

[Pedro2000]

101 is kind of out of the way if you need to get over to Lockheed. I love driving the 101, but it can be a pain in the neck in certain areas. Del Mar can be a pain on certain days and it's a cops paradise as they are known to give out tickets to speeders and people who don't stop at stop signs in Del Mar.

For the most part, besides that Del Mar area, the 5 is going to be the quicker route.

[PatanjaliTwist]

Originally Posted by Pedro2000

For the most part, besides that Del Mar area, the 5 is going to be the quicker route.

Thank you, Pedro. Possible in under an hour?

[PatanjaliTwist]

Can anyone help me with the time of the above commute? 30-min on Hwy 5 at 9am would be doubled or tripled during morning rush hour? Fri & Sat I'll need to arrive by 8:15am, so I'm trying to plan when to leave Encinitas.

Thank you very much.

[Pedro2000]

Most days you should be able to get from Encinitas to Eastgate mall blvd in about 30 minutes (on 5). And on Sat & Sun at that time of morning, I'm pretty sure you won't be hitting much traffic at all on 5.

[PatanjaliTwist]

Originally Posted by Pedro2000

Most days you should be able to get from Encinitas to Eastgate mall blvd in about 30 minutes (on 5). And on Sat & Sun at that time of morning, I'm pretty sure you won't be hitting much traffic at all on 5.

Beautiful. Thanks again, Pedro!