$138,800 Headed to San Juan for More Green Lights

By next summer, traffic signals along a 3.6-mile stretch of Del Obipso street will be in sync, allowing drivers to travel between Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano without hitting as many red lights.

The synchronization will be funded with $138,800 in Measure M2 money appropriated Monday by the Orange County Transportation Authority . A total of $8 million was allocated to 13 cities and one unincorporated area of the county.

The lights will turn green when triggered by synchronized timers set to traffic patterns and congestion levels. The system is usually activated during peak traffic hours.

A report written by city staffers in December states that signals at the following intersections will be affected: Plaza Drive, Camino Capistrano, Paseo Adelanto, Alipaz Street, Via Belardes, Aguacate Road, Calle Aspero, Vermuelen and Camino del Avion.

Officials tout signal synchronization as a means to reduce travel time, thereby allowing drivers to use less gas and emit fewer pollutants into the air.

According to San Juan's Public Works Department, the number of cars that travel along Del Obispo daily varies from 34,000 vehicles per day toward the northern end, tapering down to 12,000 at the southern end in Dana Point.

OCTA used the number of vehicle trips to evaluate which corridors should be synchronized.

In 2007, OCTA synchronized signals along an eight-mile stretch of Oso Parkway that traverses Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita. At the cost of $250,000, the program led to a 50 percent reduction in the number of stops made by cars at red lights, according to OCTA.