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Drivers commuting between Placentia and Santa Ana could get home a little easier and hit more green lights in a few years as officials are slated to begin synchronizing traffic lights to ease gridlock.
Known as the Measure M2 Regional Traffic Signal Synchronization Program, the Kraemer Boulevard/Glassell Street/Grand Avenue corridor will be seeing numerous overhauls as the Orange County Transportation Authority says the original improvements have decayed.
Cutting through the cities of Brea, Placentia, Anaheim, Orange and Santa Ana, the project will cover just over 15 miles of road and include improvements at 61 intersections ranging from installing fiber optic cables, ADA-compliant pedestrian push buttons, updated controller cabinets and traffic monitoring cameras at select intersections.
“Overall, the intent of all Traffic Signal Synchronization projects is to help alleviate congestion at intersections in the inter-agency corridor,” said Brea City Engineer Ryan Chapman in an interview.
Traffic signal coordination occurs when two or more traffic signals act together to accommodate a group of vehicles travelling at similar speeds to be able to travel with minimal stops, according to OCTA.
As a result, travel times can be decreased while also reducing frequent stop and starts that could mean drivers pay more for gas than they would otherwise, as well as reducing emissions.
Nearly 15 years ago, the Orange County Transportation Authority helped spearhead traffic light overhauls on Beach Boulevard – breaking up gridlock and easing drives from La Habra to Huntington Beach.
At that time, officials said the overhauls significantly cut down the number of traffic light stops drivers grappled with, reducing overall travel times.
The Kraemer Boulevard/Glassell Street/Grand Avenue overhauls are expected to cost $5,710,657, of which 80% is being funded by Measure M2 funds while the remaining 20% will be covered by matching funds by each of the cities involved.
Measure M2 is a half-percent sales tax allocated for transportation improvements approved by Orange County voters in 2006 that renewed Measure M, which was first passed in 1990.
According to an email from the Santa Ana Department of Public Works, the renovations along the Kraemer corridor will run for four years over two phases.
In June, crews will begin the “Primary Implementation Phase,” which includes data collection, design, construction, signal timing, optimization and implementation. Phase one is scheduled to be completed by May 2027.
Phase two, titled the “Operation & Maintenance Phase” is slated to begin in June 2027 with the intent of overhauling traffic light synchronization for another two years until the project’s scheduled ending in May 2029.
Renovations along Kraemer Boulevard/Glassell Street/Grand Avenue corridor will look different depending on the city.
For example, in Brea, Placentia, Anaheim and Santa Ana, the corridor is designated as a major arterial road, while in Orange it becomes a primary arterial road with more considerations of pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
In Brea and Placenta, the traffic volume ranges from 13,000 to 21,000 vehicles daily.
It then jumps up to about 46,000 vehicles in Anaheim, then down to 8,000 in Orange before increasing again to more than 40,000 in Santa Ana at the corridor’s southernmost section.
In Orange, it then becomes a road with less car traffic and more pedestrian and cyclist activity than other parts of the corridor, with a vehicle volume of 8,000.
The Kraemer Boulevard/Glassell Street/Grand Ave corridor was first worked on by the OCTA’s Regional Traffic Signal Synchronization program in the 2013-14 fiscal year.
However, over the years it has decayed, requiring upgrades to accommodate changes in traffic demands.
According to Chapman, drivers should expect to see delays once construction begins as is typical with such projects.
“There may be some impacts to traffic during the course of construction, but again, it depends on the individual improvements on every individual location on the project,” Chapman said.
As the lead city on the project, Santa Ana is expected to provide staff, spearhead design, construction and construction management, in addition to providing oversight and establishing milestones for quality assurance.
Additionally, Santa Ana will also be tasked with providing oversight while also overlooking compliance with all funding guidelines as well as federal, state and OCTA guidelines.
Aside from providing funds for traffic signal timing and upgrading outdated equipment, the renovations along the Kraemer Boulevard/Glassell Street/Grand Avenue corridor will also cover the costs for two years of maintenance.
Chapman said the traffic overhaul is still being planned out.
“This project has not been completed in design so we don’t have that level of detail to know what the construction project phase would be at this time,” he said. “It’s very conceptual in nature.”
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