Supervisor Don Knabe announced a new traffic reduction effort in the Cities of Downey, La Mirada, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, and South Gate as part of an expansion of the County’s Traffic Synchronization Program.
The $1.27 million project will modify traffic signals, install fiber optic equipment, and closed circuit television cameras on Firestone Boulevard from Stewart & Gray Road to Imperial Highway, Imperial Highway from Firestone Boulevard to Carmenita Road, and Imperial Highway from Paramount Boulevard to Bellflower Boulevard.
The County’s Traffic Synchronization Program began over 20 years ago. It’s now stretched across the South Bay, San Gabriel Valley, and Gateway Cities. The County has completed 122 projects on 81 different routes, synchronizing over 2,300 intersections. Another 434 intersections are currently being synchronized and the County plans to upgrade an additional 313 intersections over the next few years.
On roadways where the County has completed synchronization upgrades, commuter travel times have been reduced by as much as 29%. The result is drivers saving $387 million in vehicle costs annually, saving 26.3 million travel hours in their cars, saving 32.6 million gallons of fuel per year, and eliminating 11,400 tons of pollutants from going into the environment each year.
The expansion approved today will install a wireless communications network, known as an Intelligent Transportation System, along Firestone Boulevard and Imperial Highway. It will allow the County to change traffic lights in real-time, and immediately respond to accidents and congestion from the Countywide Traffic Management Center in Alhambra. Work is scheduled to start in May 2009 and be completed January 2010.
Traffic synchronization works and is a huge benefit to commuters, said Supervisor Don Knabe. As soon as we complete a project, it has an immediate impact on reducing commute times and reducing our impact on the environment."