Politics & Government
OCTA Plans To Synchronize Signals on Seal Beach Boulevard
Change could cut down commuter time by 15 to 20 percent, say Orange County Transportation Authority staff.
If your average commute on Seal Beach Boulevard makes you so angry you say words you don’t often see in print, you might be happy to hear about an upcoming project.
The Orange County Transportation Authority plans to synchronize the signals on the popular thoroughfare in the hopes of putting the most green lights during the heaviest traffic times.
According to OCTA spokesman Joel Zlotnik, after analyzing driving patterns, workers will change the timing of signals along the 3.4 miles of pavement from Bolsa Avenue in Seal Beach to Bradbury Street in Los Alamitos.
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“It’s really a cost-effective way to move people more quickly,” Zlotnik said. “Also, it’s a really big gas savings because you’re not sitting at red lights and waiting.”
The $586,720 project may improve traffic times by as much as 15 to 20 percent if the other county synchronization projects are any indication, Zlotnik said.
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From 2007 to 2010, OCTA has completed 15 signal synchronization projects, including parts of Beach Boulevard, El Toro Road and Katella Avenue. County staff estimate the process saved drivers about $55 million worth of gas during that three-year period.
County staff also hope to begin the Seal Beach Boulevard project sometime after July, and they estimate it will take about a year.
The project is one of the many funded by Measure M2, the Orange County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, which was approved by 70 percent of voters in 2006. The program officially went into effect April 1, 2012 and is expected to bring in about $15 billion during the next 30 years.
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