Have you ever driven up Chapman Ave. in Orange, wondering what can be done to take care of all the heavy traffic? Have you ever been stuck on Alicia Parkway in Laguna Hills, wondering what can be done to ease the gridlock? Well, help may finally be on the way. According to The Register, OCTA may finally begin taking care of many of OC’s most heavily used thoroughfares.
But what will they do? And how will they pay for it? Check this out:
The Orange County Transportation Authority board approved a plan [yesterday] to seek $4 million out of a $100 million pot of funds from Prop. 1B a $19.9 billion bond approved in 2006 for statewide transportation improvements to synchronize 158 miles of roadway. The county would match that $4 million with Measure M funds if the California Transportation Commission approves the proposals this spring, said Kurt Brotcke, OCTA’s director of strategic planning.
Wow. So OCTA wants to synchronize more of our traffic signals. So where would we see improvements if the state Prop 1B money is approved? Here, The Register lists which streets will be worked on.
So what do you think of these proposed projects? Do you think these will help ease traffic throughout OC? And do you think this is a good use of our state bond & local Measure M funds?
I want to hear what you have to say about these proposed OCTA projects. Would you like to see the state spend more of our bond money to fix our local traffic problems? And do you think the streets chosen were wise choices? Go ahead and have your say. š
I was driving north on Beach Boulevard yesterday and wondered what happened to the Orange County “Super Street” program from the early 1990s.
This was to start with widening and signal synchronization and eventually reduce the number of intersections through the use of frontage roads and flyovers (overpass/underpass interchanges) at major streets. The plan was to make major streets more expressway-like, but it never happened.
I don’t recall any public opposition. Was it a funding issue?
I’d like to see a bridge built across Bolsa Avenue in Little Saigon with these funds. That is the most important project that we have at this current time.
I don’t see how it can help business to have employees sitting in two or three red lights at one intersection. It happens to me near my work if I leave at the wrong time. I’ve been hearing about such improvements for years, I will believe it when I sit through less red lights at one intersection.
The City of Fountain Valley has participated in the signal synchronization program on Euclid, which now has timed lights from the 405 to La Habra, which is summarized in the information below from the OCTA website.
Signal syncrhonization is a fairly complex undertaking, including fiber links to each intersection, camera systems to monitor the traffic flow, and a control system based on IP technology that allows multiple cities’ individual control systems to work together. Multiple signal timing cycles are used throughout the day and week to provide the maximum throughput. It takes considerable monitoring and tweaking to optimize traffic flow.
By every measurement, signal synchronization is the most cost-effective way of adding capacity to our arterials, and drivers really appreciate it.
As to getting our share of state bond money, my answer is an emphatic yes.